Nikuzyaga

Nikuzyaga ( Japanese 肉 じ ゃ が ) is a Japanese dish that consists of meat stewed with potatoes and onions, seasoned with sweet soy sauce, sometimes also with the addition of amorphophallus cognac and vegetables ^[1] . The basis of the dish is potatoes, while meat, usually added in not very large quantities, serves primarily to give the dish a taste and aroma. It is usually boiled until most of the liquid boils away. The most common meat for nikujag is thinly sliced ​​beef, although beef or other minced meat is also periodically used. In eastern Japan, pork is often used instead of beef for cooking. Nikujaga is a traditional “winter” Japanese dish, often cooked at home and served with a bowl of white rice and a bowl of misosiru soup.

It is believed that the dish was invented by the chefs of the Navy of Japan at the end of the XIX century; the initiation of its creation is attributed to Togo Heihatiro , who commanded to come up with an alternative to beef stew , which was widespread in the British Navy. There is debate over which one of the bases of the Japanese Navy was the first to cook this dish ^[2] .