Nikujaga ( Japanese Beef and Potatoes )
Nikujaga is a classic Japanese food made from thinly-sliced beef, potatoes, shirataki noodles, and onion simmered in dashi broth. It is known for being a healthy & delicious Japanese dish.
Ingredients
- 1/2 carrot about 100g
- 1/2 large onion about 115-135g
- 2 yellow potatoes about 200-250g
- 4-5 snow peas You can also use green beans
- 200 g thinly cut beef
- 1 package shirataki noodles
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup dashi*1 HERE is how to make dashi. If you don't have ingredients for making dashi, replace 2/3 cup of water for 1 cup of dashi instead.
Seasonings
- 4 Tablespoon soy sauce HERE to buy
- 2 Tablespoon mirin HERE to buy
- 3 Tablespoon sake HERE to buy
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
Instructions
Preparation
- Let's make dashi first! HERE is how to make!
Let's make!
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Peel the onion and cut into 6-8 wedges. Peel the carrot and cut it lengthwise in half first, then cut it into 1 inch chunks.
- Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters. After you cut the potatoes, soak them in water for at least 10 minutes.
- Remove string from snow peas and put them into boiling water for 30 seconds, then strain them and leave to cool. After they cool, cut them into 1 inch pieces.
- Drain the shirataki noodles from the package and cook them in boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain the water and wash with cold water. Then cut the noodles into 2 inch lengths.
- Cut thinly sliced beef into pieces about 2 inches wide.
- Prepare a large pot and heat vegetable oil on medium heat. Sauté the onions until they are coated in oil, then add the beef and cook until the meat is no longer pink.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, and shirataki noodles to the pot.
- Add dashi, sake, and mirin. Bring it to a boil and boil for 2 minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.
- Add sugar and mix gently. Turn the heat to low.
- Use a fine-mesh skimmer to get rid of any fat and foam.
- Make a lid using aluminum foil with little holes using a fork and place on top.*2 Simmer on medium-low heat for 10 -12 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked. While cooking, ingredients are absorbing the seasoning so do not stir them.
- After 10 -12 minutes, turn the heat to low. Open the lid and add soy sauce. Close the aluminum foil lid again and steam for 5-6 minutes.
- Open the lid and add snow peas and cook about 1 - 2 minutes with the same low heat. Check the vegetables to see if they are cooked well.
- Let's serve!
To Store
- Nikujaga is delicious as leftovers so you can absolutely store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Notes
*1 To make dashi, visit how to make Dashi. If you want a simpler and easier way, you can purchase Umami dashi Soup Stock on Amazon. If you can't get any of the ingredients to make dashi, you can use 2/3 cup of water for 1 cup of dashi instead.
*2 This is called "otoshibuta" and the purpose of this is to maintain the shape of the vegetables being stewed. Make sure to crumple the aluminum foil once before using to to cover the pot.
Nutrition
Calories: 198.9kcalCarbohydrates: 20.65gProtein: 13.29gFat: 6.56gSodium: 1089.08mgFiber: 2.66gSugar: 7.98g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!