Japanese recipe

Pork nikujaga

Name: Pork nikujaga
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japanese cuisine
Ingredients: 300 g thinly sliced pork shoulder, cut into 3 cm pieces; 500 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 cm chunks; 220 g onion, cut into 2 cm wedges; 150 g carrot, cut into 3 cm rangiri chunks; 200 g shirataki konnyaku noodles, rinsed and cut into 5 cm lengths; 1 L cold water for soaking the potatoes; 1 L water for blanching the shirataki; 15 ml neutral cooking oil; 300 ml dashi or water; 45 ml Japanese soy sauce; 45 ml mirin; 30 ml sake; 18 g granulated sugar

Thin pork, chunky potatoes, onion, carrot, and shirataki simmer in a sweet soy broth until tender.

Japan

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 35 min
Total: 55 min
Servings: 4

Pork nikujaga in a red bowl with thin pork, chunky potatoes, onion, carrot, and shirataki noodles, tightly cropped away from side dishes — **Real finished-dish photograph**Photograph by yoppySource page · Original file · CC BY 2.0Cropped, resized, and compressed by Recipe Nest Vault.

Ingredients

300 g
thinly sliced pork shoulder, cut into 3 cm pieces
500 g
potatoes, peeled and cut into 4 cm chunks
220 g
onion, cut into 2 cm wedges
150 g
carrot, cut into 3 cm rangiri chunks
200 g
shirataki konnyaku noodles, rinsed and cut into 5 cm lengths
1 L
cold water for soaking the potatoes
1 L
water for blanching the shirataki
15 ml
neutral cooking oil
300 ml
dashi or water
45 ml
Japanese soy sauce
45 ml
mirin
30 ml
sake
18 g
granulated sugar

Method

01
Cut and soak the vegetables
Cut the potatoes into 4 cm chunks, carrots into 3 cm rangiri pieces, and onion into 2 cm wedges. Soak the potatoes in cold water for 5 minutes, then drain well.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
02
Blanch the shirataki
Rinse the shirataki, boil it in fresh water for 2 minutes, drain, and cut the noodles into 5 cm lengths so they are easy to portion.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
03
Portion the pork and broth
Keep the pork chilled until cooking, cut any long slices into 3 cm pieces, and measure the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar before heating the pan.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
04
Brown the pork
Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan over medium heat. Stir-fry the pork for 3–4 minutes until no pink remains; check the thickest piece with a thermometer and continue until it reaches 71°C.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
05
Coat the vegetables
Add the drained potatoes, onion, and carrot to the pork. Stir gently for 3–4 minutes so the oil coats the vegetables without breaking the potato chunks.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
06
Sweeten and simmer
Pour in the dashi, sake, mirin, and sugar. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover with a drop lid or parchment round, and simmer gently over low heat for 10 minutes.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
07
Add soy and shirataki
Add the soy sauce and blanched shirataki. Cover and simmer over low heat for 8 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the thickest pork remains at least 71°C; uncover for the last minute if the broth needs reducing.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph
08
Rest and serve
Turn off the heat, cover, and rest for 8 minutes so the vegetables absorb the broth. Ladle only the pork, chunky vegetables, and shirataki into a red bowl and serve without peas, scallions, rice, or extra garnish.
Cooking-step illustration, not a photograph

Practical notes

Tips

Use a wide pan and a drop lid so the broth reaches every piece while the potato chunks stay intact.
Let the covered stew rest for 8 minutes; the residual heat carries flavor into the potatoes and onion.

Common mistakes

A hard boil can break the potatoes and make the shirataki tangle; keep the liquid at a quiet simmer.
Adding soy sauce before the sweet simmer can slow flavor absorption; add it after the first 10 minutes as written.

Substitutions

Replace pork shoulder with 300 g thinly sliced pork belly; still cook the thickest piece to 71°C.
Use 300 ml water instead of dashi and add 2 g kombu powder only if it is already part of your pantry; do not add a visible garnish.

Storage

Cool within 2 hours, refrigerate the stew in a sealed shallow container for up to 3 days, and reheat until steaming hot with the pork at least 74°C.

Cultural context

Nikujaga is a Japanese simmered home-style dish named for meat and potatoes; pork, soy seasoning, and vegetable choices vary among regional and family versions.

Sources and photo credit

This standardized method was independently rewritten after cross-checking the references below. Recipe Nest Vault does not claim that the credited photographer cooked from this exact version.

Recipe references

Niku jaga by yoppy — Photograph by yoppy; CC BY 2.0.

Step illustrations: Original illustrations created by Recipe Nest Vault with OpenAI image_gen.

Back to Japanese recipes

Pork nikujaga

Ingredients

Method

Cut and soak the vegetables

Blanch the shirataki

Portion the pork and broth

Brown the pork

Coat the vegetables

Sweeten and simmer

Add soy and shirataki

Rest and serve

Sources and photo credit

Recipe references

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