Nikujaga — Japanese Meat & Potato Stew

About This Recipe

Nikujaga (肉じゃが) means literally 'meat potatoes' — and the name is the dish: thinly sliced beef (niku) simmered with potato (jaga imo) and onion in a sweet, dashi-based soy broth. It is one of the most comforting, deeply loved home-cooked dishes in Japan, the kind of food every Japanese person associates with their mother's or grandmother's kitchen. The flavour profile is a uniquely Japanese one — sweet, savoury, with unmistakable dashi umami. It is sometimes called 'Japanese stew' or even 'Japanese beef stew', though the cooking method and flavour have no Western equivalent.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 250 gthinly sliced beef rib-eye or chuck(shabu-shabu style; or use fatty pork slices)
• 600 gwaxy potatoes (Yukon Gold or Désirée)(peeled and cut into quarters)
• 1 largeonion(cut into 8 wedges)
• 1carrot(peeled and cut into rolling chunks)
• 100 gshirataki noodles (konnyaku)(drained and rinsed; optional but traditional)
• 400 mldashi stock
• 3 tbspsoy sauce
• 3 tbspmirin
• 2 tbspsake
• 2 tbspsugar
• 1 tbspneutral oil
• 2 stalksspring onion(sliced, to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Sauté onion

   Heat oil in a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion wedges and cook for 2–3 minutes until beginning to soften and turn translucent.

2. 2

   Brown the beef

   Push the onion to the sides. Add the beef slices and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until just beginning to change colour — not fully cooked through.

   Don't fully cook the beef at this stage. It will finish in the broth and stay tender.

3. 3

   Add vegetables and broth

   Add potatoes, carrot and shirataki noodles (if using). Pour over the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar. Stir gently to combine.

4. 4

   Simmer with an otoshibuta

   Bring to a boil and skim off any foam. Cut a circle of baking parchment slightly smaller than the pan and place it directly on the surface of the liquid (this is the otoshibuta, or drop lid — it ensures even cooking and prevents ingredients breaking up). Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes until potatoes are completely tender.

   A sheet of foil with a few holes poked in it works just as well as the traditional wooden otoshibuta.

5. 5

   Rest and serve

   Remove the parchment lid. Taste and adjust seasoning with extra soy or sugar. Allow to rest for 5 minutes off the heat — nikujaga improves as it sits. Serve in deep bowls with hot rice and a sprinkling of spring onion.

Variations

• •

  Butaniku Jaga: replace beef with thinly sliced pork belly — common in Osaka where the Kansai style uses pork.

• •

  Vegetarian: omit meat entirely, add extra konnyaku, mushrooms and a soft-boiled egg halved on top.

• •

  Nikujaga croquettes: mash leftover nikujaga into balls, coat in breadcrumbs and deep-fry — a brilliant way to use leftovers.

Storage

Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. The potatoes absorb more flavour on standing — the dish is arguably better on day two. Freeze without the potato (potato texture deteriorates when frozen), adding fresh potato when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions