Nikujaga (肉じゃが) is a Japanese dish of meat, potatoes, and onions stewed in dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar, sometimes with ito konnyaku and vegetables like carrots. Nikujaga is a kind of nimono. It is usually boiled until most of the liquid has been reduced. Thinly sliced beef is the most common meat used, although minced or ground beef is also popular. Pork is often used instead of beef in eastern Japan. Nikujaga is a common home-cooked winter dish, served with a bowl of white rice and miso soup. It is also sometimes seen in izakayas.

History

Nikujaga was invented by chefs of the Imperial Japanese Navy in the late 19th century. One story is that in 1895, Tōgō Heihachirō ordered naval cooks to create a version of the beef stews as served in the British Royal Navy. Tōgō was stationed in Maizuru, Kyoto, which established this Imperial Japanese Navy base as the birthplace of nikujaga. The municipal government of Kure, Hiroshima, responded in 1898 with a competing claim that Tōgō commissioned the dish while serving as chief of staff of the Kure naval base.

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