Nikujaga

A comforting bowl of Japanese home cooking, slow-simmered until tender and deeply flavorful.

Nikujaga is a beloved Japanese comfort food made with tender beef, potatoes, carrots, and onions, simmered in a savory-sweet broth of soy sauce, mirin, and dashi. It’s the kind of dish every Japanese mom makes on repeat, and with just one pot and simple pantry ingredients, it’s easier to make than you think.

Nikujaga (Japanese Beef and Potato Stew)

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients Method Video Notes

Ingredients

  

• 300 g thinly sliced beef or pork
• 4 to 6 potatoes
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large onion
• 1 pack shirataki konjac noodles
• 300 cc 1.2 cups water
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp sake Japanese cooking rice wine
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp mirin sweet rice wine
• 1 tbsp dashi powder Japanese soup stock powder

Method

 

1. Heat a small amount of oil in a pan or pot and stir-fry the meat.
2. Add the carrots, potatoes, and onions, and stir-fry briefly.
3. Then pour in the water and all the seasonings.
4. Once it comes to a boil, skim off any foam from the surface,
5. and add the shirataki noodles.
6. Cover with a lid and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes,
7. stirring gently once halfway through.
8. Turn off the heat and let it rest with the lid on for 10 minutes
9. to let the rich flavors soak in. Ready to serve!

Video

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZr7NdJJHIU/?stkn=MWdoc3V3NzNmcW82NA==

Notes

Tip: Letting the dish rest after cooking helps the flavors
soak deeper into the potatoes and meat — don’t skip this step!