Nikujaga (Japanese-Style Meat and Potatoes)

Nikujaga

Hearty and flavoursome, this is ideal winter food. Japanese comfort food. In a word, yum. Nikujaga is a very popular home-cooking dish in Japan. Niku means meat and jaga is from jagaimo, potatoes.

500g (1 lb) beef stir-fry strips or finely sliced

1 tablespoon, sunflower oil

300g (2/3 lb) yam cake noodles (shirataki)* (available at Asian food stores)

2 onions, quartered and sliced
4 large potatoes, cut into chunks
½ cup sake (rice wine), or use mirin (available at supermarkets)
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 or 5 tablespoons sugar

1.      Heat oil in pan to medium high, add meat and stir until browned. Remove meat from pan, set aside.

2.      Add the onions, yam cake noodles and potatoes. Stir-fry for a few minutes, or cover and shake the pan (this the Japanese way to do it). Add the sake, soy sauce and sugar, stir well to combine. Return meat to the pan, bring to boil then simmer with lid on for 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked, and cooking liquid is reduced. Shake the pan, from time to time to “toss” the ingredients around in the cooking liquid. Avoid stirring the potatoes, so that they don’t break up.

3.      Serve immediately.


*Yam cake noodles (shirataki しらたき) are a type of yam cakes (konnyakuこんにゃく). The shirataki noodles that I purchased were tied into cute little bundles. You can leave them that way (easier to eat with chopsticks or a fork) or cut into 7cm (3in) lengths. 



Shirataki noodles come packaged like this



Little bundles of Shirataki noodles in the pack

  


 
 

A serve of Nikujaga

 

#EasyAndRelaxedJapaneseFood #Nikujaga