Meat and potatoes, simmered sweet — Japan's home cooking.
What it is
Nikujaga is thinly sliced beef (or pork), potatoes and onions simmered in a sweet soy-and-dashi broth until meltingly soft. A cornerstone of katei ryori (home cooking) and a warm staple of the izakaya menu.
What it means
If any dish is ofukuro no aji — 'the taste of mum's cooking' — it's this one. Said to have begun as a navy stew, it became the meal every household makes its own; in Kanto it's beef, in Kansai often pork.
Why it's wonderful
Humble and deeply comforting: sweet-savory broth soaked into soft potato, tender meat falling apart. Like many simmered dishes it's even better the next day, once the flavors have settled.
What to order
- A side at an izakaya
- With rice and miso soup
- Beef (Kanto) or pork (Kansai)
- Often better the next day
