Nikujaga (meat and potato stew) Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (2024)

FAQs

What is nikujaga made of? ›

Nikujaga is made from thinly sliced beef stewed with potato and onions in a slightly sweet soy based sauce, normally served with a side of steamed white rice. Easy to make and delightfully filling, this nikujaga is perfect for enjoying as a main home-cooked meal.

Cookbook author Rie McClenny says nikujaga, a Japanese-style beef and potato stew, is the “ultimate comfort food” for her.

Nikujaga is a Japanese dish that literally translates to meat “niku” and potatoes “jagaimo” and is a favorite of mine. This Japanese dish of meat, potatoes and onion is stewed in sweetened soy sauce. Generally, potatoes make up the bulk of the dish, with the meat mostly serving as a source of flavor.

One of the reasons why Nikujaga is popular among Japanese people is that this cuisine is highly nutritious. In fact, according to the Taste of Japan website, Nikujaga is so healthy because of the good balance between vegetables and protein.

Nikujaga (肉じゃが, lit. 'meat [and] potatoes') is a Japanese dish of meat, potatoes and onion stewed in sweetened soy sauce and mirin, sometimes with ito konnyaku and vegetables.

Wagyu is the most sophisticated and revered type of meat in Japanese cuisine due to its unique flavour, juiciness and textural characteristics that argue why it is one of the most sought-after meats on the market.

Go for the chuck

The most common beef used for stew is chuck steak, also known as gravy beef or braising steak. Beef chuck comes from the forequarter of the animal consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade and upper arm. It is easy to find and it's affordable, making it a great choice for your stew.

ANSWER: Waxy potatoes or those called boiling potatoes stand up well in soups and stews. These have thin skin and are high in moisture and low in starch. Potatoes that are low-starch and high-moisture hold together better. Yukon Gold potatoes are on the medium-starch side and will hold their shape in soups.

Green vegetables that go very well with nikujaga include green beans, snow peas and peas. If you are adding green beans, blanch them and then cut into about 3cm long. Snow peas also need to be blanched.

Nikujaga has deep roots. It was invented in the late 19^th century by chefs in the Imperial Japanese Navy as a Japanese version of a British stew. This type of Japanese adaption of Western cuisine even has its own word – “yoshoku,” and nikujaga is one of the first recorded examples of Japanese “fusion” food.

What are potatoes called in Japan? ›

Potatoes are Japanese for ジャガイモ(jyaga imo)、馬鈴薯(bareisyo).

Some of the most commonly used vegetables in Japanese cuisine are cabbage, carrots, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, radishes, peppers, and spinach. The second reason Japanese food is considered the healthiest in the world is that this type of cuisine emphasizes fresh ingredients.

Some of the healthiest options in Japanese cuisine include protein-heavy dishes such as sashimi, sushi, wagyu steak, grilled fish, miso soup, vegetable and chicken gyozas, poke rice bowls, low-salt ramen, and edamame.

Nikujaga, literally meaning meat-potato, is perhaps one of the most straightforward and comforting dishes in the Japanese repertoire. It's traditionally made of meat, potatoes and onion stewed in sweetened soy sauce, sometimes with konnyaku, a gluten-free noodle made from yam.

The answer is that Wagyu is the highest caliber of artisan beef, produced in small quantities and closely governed by Japanese guidelines, and it is this exacting process that makes it so exceptional.

Each slice is cut to an exact thickness enabling it to cook to perfection and effortlessly merge with the unique blend of soy sauce and assorted ingredients in dishes like Shabu Shabu or Sukiyaki. In addition to adherence to traditional methods of cooking, thin slicing introduces another layer of texture to the meat.