Oh My Nikujaga!

The mark of a true Japanese housewife, a badge of honor, something that shows you know your way around the Japanese kitchen. What do those things mean, you ask? Welk that you’ve mastered the traditional dish called nikujaga. Yes, it is with pride that I say I have mastered the dish, learning a few tricks and foraging my own recipe that I will pass down to future generations. I must say that I didn’t learn how to make this dish all by myself. I must credit Okumura-san, who was the older mom that worked at my office. She taught me that there were easier ways to get around the strains of making the dish purely from scratch, something I couldn’t do them but what I do now. Check out my recipe below and watch my YouTube video here 👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼 https://youtu.be/s5rI5xb2FZk to get an idea of how to make this awesome dish!

Ingredients

Pork or Beef (sliced or cubed) 1/2 lb

Potatoes (peeled and chunked) 2

White Onion (sliced) 1/2

Men Tsuyu (bought at an Asian Market or made from scratch, see previous blog on Soba) 2 c

Water 2 c

Shirataki Noodles (if preferred) 1 pkg

Tomatoes (if preferred) (quartered) 2

First, cook the onions, meat and potatoes in a pot with cooking oil until the meat browns. This helps the cooking process so that the potatoes soften sooner. After the meat has browned, add the tsuyu and water and turn the heat to low. You can use store bought tsuyu as a short cut or use my recipe in my soba blog to make your own. Also, you can add tomatoes to the dish if you want to try something different. You will need to stew the dish on low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours but make sure you don’t cook it so long that the potatoes melt into the broth.

Once the potatoes have softened, you can strain the liquid and plate the meat, potatoes and onion. You don’t need to strain all of the juice and can add as much to the plate as you’d like. I usually serve this with rice and pickled vegetables on the side. Many Japanese serve other small dishes of salads or pickles along with the rice and nikujaga.

This is a super easy and flavorful dish. Every family has their own recipe and ones that have passed down through multiple generations. See what fun you can and what additions you can bring! As always, お召し上がれ！！！