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Nikujaga (Japanese Meat and Potato Stew)
Serves 2–3 · About 40 min (10 min of this is just letting it sit with the heat off)
A home-style Japanese simmered dish: pork, potatoes, onion and carrot cooked in a sweet-salty broth of soy sauce and sugar.
① Cut the vegetables and meat→② Stir-fry the meat→③ Stir-fry the vegetables→④ Add seasonings and simmer→⑤ Turn off the heat and let sit
What to buy
Meat
Vegetables
Seasonings & dry goods
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How to make it
1
Cut the vegetables and meat
- Peel the potatoes and cut each one into 4 pieces. If there are any eyes (little dents), dig them out with the corner of your knife
- Soak the cut potatoes in a bowl of water for 5 min
- Cut the onion in half from top to bottom, then cut each half into 4 wedges (8 in total)
- Peel the carrot and cut it on a slant into 2–3 cm pieces, turning it as you go
- Cut only the large pieces of pork to about 5 cm
How to tell it's doneEverything is cut, and the potatoes are out of the water and drained in a colander.
2
Stir-fry the meat
- Put 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a pot and heat over medium heat
- Add the pork and stir-fry, breaking it apart with a spatula
How to tell it's doneNo pink parts are left on the meat, and it is a whitish brown all over.
3
Add the vegetables and stir-fry
- Add all the potatoes, carrot and onion
- Mix by turning things over from the bottom with the spatula, so everything gets coated in oil
How to tell it's doneThe potatoes look shiny with oil, and their edges turn slightly see-through.
4
Add seasonings and simmer
- Add 300 ml water, 1/2 tsp dashi granules, 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp sake and 2 tbsp mirin
- Bring to a boil over medium heat. Skim off the brownish foam (aku) that comes to the top with a ladle and throw it away
- Add 3 tbsp soy sauce
- Cut a circle of aluminum foil a little smaller than the pot and lay it directly on top of the food (otoshibuta, a drop lid). Simmer over medium-low heat for about 15 min
How to tell it's doneA bamboo skewer (or a chopstick) slides easily into the biggest potato. Cut one piece of pork open: no pink inside.
Be carefulLift the foil and check now and then. If the liquid is almost gone, add 50 ml water. If you leave it, the bottom will burn.
5
Turn off the heat and let sit
- Turn off the heat, remove the foil, put the pot lid on and let sit for 10 min (the flavor soaks in as it cools)
- Taste it. If it is too mild, add soy sauce 1 tsp at a time and reheat over low heat for 1 min
ReadyThe potatoes are light brown, and a little liquid is left at the bottom of the pot. Serve in bowls with the liquid.
📚 Learn more about this dish
🥬 Ingredient guide
🔪 Cutting & cooking tips
If it didn't work out
The potatoes fell apart and turned mushyIn step 4 it boiled hard on high heat. Next time, turn it down to medium-low once it boils. You can also choose long, oval potatoes (May Queen type) that hold their shape better.
The potatoes are still hardIt did not simmer long enough. Keep going 5 min at a time until a bamboo skewer slides in easily.
The flavor is too mildThe resting time in step 5 was too short, or there was not enough soy sauce. Add 1 tsp at a time and taste each time.
The bottom burnedThe liquid ran out. Do not scrape the burnt part; move only the food on top to the plate. Next time, check the amount of liquid while it simmers.
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