Nikujaga (肉じゃが, simmered beef and potatoes)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide heavy pot
• •Wooden drop-lid (otoshibuta), or a parchment circle with a small center hole
• •Fine-mesh strainer lined with a clean cloth, for dashi

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dashi

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it. Put it in the cold water and bring it up slowly over medium-low heat, about 10 minutes. Pull the konbu when the water trembles and small bubbles climb the sides. Let the water come just to a bare boil, add the katsuobushi all at once, turn off the heat, and leave it alone for 2 minutes. Strain through a cloth-lined sieve and let it drip. Don't squeeze. You should have about 2 cups of clear dashi.

   The white bloom on konbu is flavor, not dirt. Boiling the kelp turns the stock bitter and a little slick, and squeezing the bonito flakes presses rough, oily flavors into the stock you just took care to keep clear.
2. 2

   Prepare the pieces

   Put the cut potatoes in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain well. This rinses off loose starch so the broth stays clear and the pieces don't glue themselves to the pot. If using shirataki, boil it for 2 minutes, drain, and cut it into shorter lengths; the quick boil removes its alkaline smell, and the shorter lengths won't drag the potatoes apart later. Blanch the snow peas for 30 seconds, cool them, and set them aside for the finish.

3. 3

   Sauté the beef

   Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot over medium heat. Lay in the beef in loose folds and cook just until the red color fades, about 1 minute. Add the onion, carrot, and drained potatoes, then turn everything gently for 2 minutes to coat it in the beef fat. Don't chase deep browning here. Nikujaga wants the sweetness of simmering, not roasted edges, and thin beef gives its flavor quickly.

4. 4

   Start the simmer

   Add the dashi, sake, sugar, and mirin. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer and skim off any gray foam that rises, because foam muddies the broth and leaves a dull taste. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes before adding the soy sauce.

   Sweetness enters dense vegetables more slowly than salt, so sugar and mirin go in before soy. This is the old seasoning order, sa-shi-su-se-so, made practical rather than mysterious.
5. 5

   Add soy sauce

   Stir in the soy sauce, then add the shirataki to one side of the pot if you're using it. Set an otoshibuta, a wooden drop-lid, directly on the surface. A circle of parchment with a small hole in the center works. Lower the heat and simmer gently for 15 to 18 minutes, until a skewer slides into a potato without crunch.

   The drop-lid keeps the top pieces bathed in seasoning without stirring. Stirring breaks potatoes; a simmering broth can do the work for you if you give it the right shape.
6. 6

   Reduce to glaze

   Remove the drop-lid and raise the heat to medium. Simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, tilting the pot now and then so the broth runs over the pieces. Stop when the liquid has reduced to a shallow glossy pool and the potatoes look lacquered, not dry. This is the line between finished nikujaga and potatoes floating in soup.

   Use the pot, not a spoon. Tilting coats the pieces while keeping their edges intact, and the reduced broth clings where stirring would only break things.
7. 7

   Rest and serve

   Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it rest for 10 to 20 minutes. Potatoes season most evenly as they cool a little, so this pause is not idleness. Warm it gently again if needed, tuck in the snow peas at the end, and serve with only a little broth spooned over. Leave the bowl room.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for sukiyaki-cut beef, thin enough to cook in a minute and with a little fat. Stew cubes are wrong for this pot; by the time they soften, the potatoes have given up.
• •For potatoes, May Queen, Danshaku, or Yukon Gold all behave well. In spring, small new potatoes are in shun: scrub them well, halve them, and leave the skins on for a gentler, sweeter version.
• •Use a wooden drop-lid (otoshibuta) if you have one. If you don't, cut parchment into a circle slightly smaller than the pot and snip a small hole in the center. The stand-in works because it controls the moving broth, not because it looks charming.
• •Don't replace the dashi with powder here. Nikujaga is plain enough that you can taste flat shortcuts immediately, and the fresh stock takes less time than the potatoes need to soak.
• •Nikujaga often tastes better after it rests. If the center of a potato tastes shy, give the pot another 15 minutes off the heat before reaching for more soy.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made 2 days ahead and kept refrigerated. Warm it gently before adding it to the pot.
• •The potatoes can be cut and held in cold water for up to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Drain them well before cooking so the oil does not spit.
• •Finished nikujaga keeps 3 days refrigerated. Reheat it gently in a covered pot with a spoonful of water or dashi if the glaze has tightened too much.
• •For the best weeknight rhythm, make the dish earlier in the day and let it rest. Bring it back just to a gentle warmth before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 400g)