Nikujaga is a delicious Japanese potato and beef stew cooked in a savoury-sweet umami broth. This quick and easy meal is a staple of home cooking and a classic Japanese comfort food.
Peel the potato and cut into irregular sized chunks. Round the corners off and soak in a bowl of water. *3
Peel carrot and cut into 4 length wise, then slice it thinly.
Peel and cut onion in half then thinly and diagonally.
Trim both ends of green beans and cut into small pieces.
Bring water to boil in a pot and cook Konnyaku to remove the fishy smell for a couple minutes. Drain the water and set aside.
Heat oil in a pot over medium heat.
Add onion, carrot and potato to cook.
Once the onion, carrot and potato are coated with oil evenly and the edge of the potato become transparent, add the beef.
When the beef colour has turned light brown, add the dashi stock and bring to boil.
Remove all the scum from the top and put a sheet of aluminum foil, with a small hole cut in the middle, over the top. *4
Simmer for about 15 minutes to cook until the potato has become soft.
Add sake, mirin, sugar and soy sauce.
Add Konnyaku and green beans and simmer until the sauce reduces a little bit.
When the green beans colour has changed and cooked, turn the heat off and serve.
Notes
*1 If you are unable to find thinly sliced beef, place the beef in freezer for a couple hours then slice it with a sharp knife. *2 You can use instant dashi powder. If you using dashi powder, follow the packet instruction or add 1/2 tsp to 250ml water.*3 This Japanese cutting technique called "Mendori" and is used to avoid the vegetables such as potatoes, pumpkins and radish broken apart. *4 This lid is called "Otoshibuta" and it is smaller than the pot diameter of the pot, so the lid sink in the pot over the ingredients in order to cook evenly. You can make this lid with parchment paper or aluminium foil, or buy them online.