Nikujaga

Name: Nikujaga
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 300g Beef, Thinly sliced (chuck or short plate); 4 medium Potatoes, Peeled and cut into large chunks; 1 large Onion, Sliced into wedges; 1 medium Carrots, Peeled and sliced into chunks; 200g Shirataki, Ito-konnyaku, rinsed and parboiled, cut into shorter lengths; 300ml Dashi, Japanese stock; 3 tbsp Soy Sauce; 2 tbsp Mirin; 2 tbsp Sake; 2 tbsp Sugar; 1 tbsp Neutral Oil, e.g., canola; 12 Snow Peas, or 100 g green beans, trimmed (briefly blanched)

Nikujaga is a comforting Japanese home-style stew of tender beef and simmered potatoes in a gently sweet, savory broth. Rustic yet elegant, the dish combines soft root vegetables, silky shirataki noodles, and bright snow peas for color—perfect served over steamed rice. Its deep, umami-rich sauce develops as it slowly simmers, making every spoonful satisfyingly cozy.

Nikujaga is a comforting Japanese home-style stew of tender beef and simmered potatoes in a gently sweet, savory broth. Rustic yet... Show more

Traditional Japanese Recipe

Health Grade

B · Healthy

Rating

4.1

Time

45 min

Price

3,82 €

Calories

396 kcal

low calorie

healthy

easy

meal prep

Method

Prep the vegetables

Rinse the Shirataki well, then start parboiling it in a small pot of water for 1 minute while you do the knife work. Peel the Potatoes and cut them into large chunks, slice the Onion into wedges, and cut the Carrots into bite-size pieces. Drain the shirataki very well, then cut it into shorter lengths with kitchen scissors or a knife.

Brown the beef

Heat the Neutral Oil in a heavy pot over medium-high. Add the Beef and spread the slices out so they can brown, searing for about 2 minutes until the pink color is mostly gone and the edges pick up a little color.

Simmer the stew

Add the onion, potatoes, carrots, and shirataki to the pot. Pour in the Dashi, Soy Sauce, Mirin, Sake, and Sugar, then bring everything up to a boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, skim off any foam, cover with the lid slightly ajar, and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes.

Finish and serve

Stir in the Snow Peas — or trimmed green beans if that's what you're using — for the last 1 minute of simmering, just until they turn bright green. Turn off the heat and let the stew sit for 5 minutes so the broth settles and the potatoes soak up more flavor, then spoon the nikujaga into bowls and tuck the snow peas on top.