Nikujaga (Japanese Beef Potato Onion Soy-Sweet Stew)
Nikujaga is the quintessential Japanese home-cooked stew, often described as the dish that defines a mother's cooking in Japan. Thinly sliced beef, potatoes, onion, carrot, and shirataki noodles are simmered in a broth of dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. The dish traces its origins to the Meiji era, when a Japanese naval officer attempted to recreate British beef stew using local ingredients - resulting in a clear, soy-based braise rather than a thick, flour-bound stew. The potatoes absorb the seasoned liquid until soft at the edges but still holding shape, while shirataki noodles soak up flavor and add a springy contrast.
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Instructions
- 1
Cut vegetables into bite-sized pieces.
- 2
Stir-fry beef in oil.
- 3
Add vegetables and shirataki noodles, stir-fry briefly.
- 4
Add dashi, soy sauce, sugar, mirin and simmer until potatoes are tender.
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