Nikujaga

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Nikujaga

Nikujaga or nikujyaga (Japanese:肉じゃが) (meaning meat-potato) is a Japanese dish of meat, potatoes and onion stewed in sweetened soy, sometimes with ito konnyaku and vegetables. Thinly sliced beef is the most common meat used, although minced/ground beef is also popular. Pork is often used instead of beef in eastern Japan.

It is a common home-cooked winter dish, served with a bowl of white rice and miso soup. It is also sometimes seen in izakayas. Nikujaga is considered comfort food, and many Japanese claim they crave it if they don't eat it for a long period of time^{[citation needed]}.

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.^{[citation needed]}