Meat and potatoes: nikujaga
Written by: adekun on 27 August, 2008 9:33 pm - Filed under: japanese ?
Nikujaga or nikujyaga is a typical Japanese comfort food. Even the preparation is typical in that it is opposite to the usual strict conventions.
Nikujaga was invented by chefs of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the late 19th Century. It was inspired by beef stews served in the British Royal Navy which Japanese naval legend Tōgō Heihachirō encountered while studying naval science in Portsmouth, England. Upon his return to Japan, he commissioned a Japanese version of the dish for use in the Japanese Navy because of its nutritional value.
Source: Wikipedia The link to the recipe at the bottom is worth checking.
On asking a couple of people what goes in they said “just guess”. Pressing them further got differing answers. It’s up to personal taste and may need some perseverance. The amounts below should cover six people.
- 500 g thinly sliced beef or pork
- 750 g - 1kg potatoes
- two onions
- one carrot
- a 4 g sachet of dashi-no-moto
- 60 ml soy sauce
- 30 ml mirin
- 30 ml sake or white wine
- 30 g sugar
Cut the potatoes into bitesize pieces and leave to soak in water. Slice the onions and cut the meat into strips (optional). Heat the oil and fry the meat and onions. Once the meat has browned, add the drained potatoes. Mix together and add the carrot.
Pour over just enough water to cover, add the mirin, sake, sugar and stock. Boil for a couple of minutes, skimming any scum that forms. Reduce the heat. Add the soy sauce and move the meat to rest upon the potatoes. Simmer partially covered until the potatoes are cooked.
TopVeg
27 August, 2008 #
Hi
Could do with some comfort food as we battle to get the harvest in & have a series of late nights!
Just one problem! Where do we find daishi-no-moto & mirin in the wilds of Yorkshire - or can you suggest a substitute?
adekun
27 August, 2008 #
You should be able to get hold of mirin. Waitrose sells it amongst the few Japanese items.
You can leave out the daishi. It’s derived from skipjack tuna and kelp and may be sold as bonito. I think that might be a little more difficult to find despite being a basis for many Japanese dishes. BTW the stock in the recipe isn’t supposed to be strong. Other people might use a ratio of 3 soy sauce to 1 mirin and 1 sugar.