Thinly sliced beef and tender potatoes stewed in a slightly sweetened broth make a perfect dish for cold days.
Ingredients
2 tbsp vegetable oil
300 grams of finely sliced beef sirloin
5 starchy potatoes, peeled and quartered, or 10 small new potatoes, cut in half
3 carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized chunks
3 onions, finely sliced
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp sesame seed oil
Method
In a pot, fry the onions in the vegetable oil until golden and soft. Before they brown, add the meat and cook until the meat browns. Then add the carrots and potatoes and stir for 2 minutes. Then add the sugar, soy sauce, mirin and water and cover. Cook over medium until it comes to boil, then reduce to low and let simmer, stirring occasionally. When the potatoes and carrots are tender, add the sesame oil and stir. If the flavour is weak, add sugar/soy sauce to the pot to strengthen.
As with any soups or stews, nikujaga tastes even better after the flavours have been allowed to intermingle. Try making it the night before the day you serve it.
Because I’m not much of a beef eater, finely sliced pork is a good alternative. However, traditionally this is made with beef.