— AKA “Marry Me Beef” — is a comforting Japanese home-style stew made with thinly sliced beef, potatoes, onions, and carrots simmered in a sweet and savory sauce of soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. It’s often called the Japanese version of “Marry Me Chicken” — because the saying goes, if you cook really good Nikujaga, your partner might just propose!
Simple to make yet full of flavor, this cozy dish is the ultimate comfort food for a chilly evening or an easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients:
- Shaved beef steak: ½ lb (225 g)
- Onion: 1 medium
- Yukon Gold potatoes: 1 ½ lbs ( 665 g)
- Carrot: 1 medium (about 3 oz / 80 g)
- Green beans: 8–10
Seasonings:
- Sake: 3 Tbsp
- Mirin: 1 Tbsp
- Sugar: 1 Tbsp
- Soy sauce: ⅓ cup
- Water: 1 cup
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
1. Prepare the vegetables
Trim the ends of the green beans and cut them into 2-inch pieces. Slice the onion into thin strips (about ¼ inch thick). Then peel the carrot and cut it into bite-sized chunks (½ to 1 inch). Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch wedges.
2. Combine the seasonings
In a large pot or Dutch oven, combine sake, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, and water. Stir well to dissolve the sugar, but don’t turn on the heat yet.
3. Add the beef and onion
Add the shaved beef to the pot, gently loosening the slices as you place them in so they don’t clump together when cooked. Then, add the sliced onions on top.
4. Start cooking
Turn the heat to medium and cook for 3–5 minutes, or until the beef is mostly cooked. Occasionally skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface. This helps create a clean, smooth flavor.
5. Add potatoes and carrots
Add the potatoes and carrots to the pot. Stir gently to coat everything in the sauce, making sure the vegetables are submerged. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
6. Check doneness and simmer
Open the lid and check if the potatoes are tender by piercing them with a fork. Once they’re soft, lower the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for another 5 minutes with a drop lid (otoshibuta*). *Please see “Recipe Tips”
7. Add green beans and finish cooking
Add the green beans and cook over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, or until they turn bright green and tender.
8. Serve and enjoy
Serve warm, ideally with a bowl of steamed rice.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t skip the “otoshibuta” (drop lid): A drop lid helps the ingredients absorb flavor evenly while keeping the surface from drying out. If you don’t have one, you can make it with parchment paper, foil or kitchen paper cut into a round shape with a small cross in the center for steam escape. My recommendation is kitchen paper as it fits gently over the ingredients, helps distribute the sauce evenly, and prevents the top layer from drying out. It also absorbs foam and impurities on surface, so you can skip the skimming
- Loosen the beef before cooking: When adding beef to the pot, gently separate the slices in the sauce before turning on the heat. This helps prevent clumping.
- Make ahead for deeper flavor: Nikujaga tastes even better the next day after the flavors meld together overnight.
FAQ
Thinly sliced ribeye, chuck, or shaved beef steak works perfectly for Nikujaga. Look for “shabu-shabu” or “sukiyaki”style beef at Japanese or Asian grocery stores. They stay tender and soak up the flavor beautifully. You can also make this recipe with ground beef, which gives it a heartier, slightly different texture but is still delicious and easy to find.
Yes! You can substitute pork slices, chicken or even ground beef if that’s what you have. For a vegetarian version, use firm tofu and mushrooms for a similar umami depth.
NIKUJAGA (JAPANESE BEEF AND POTATO STEW)
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- ½ lb shaved beef steak
- 1 onion / medium size
- 1&½ lb Yukon gold potatoes
- 1 carrot / medium size
- 8-10 green beans
Seasonings
- 3 tablespoon sake
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetablesTrim the ends of the green beans and cut them into 2-inch pieces. Slice the onion into thin strips (about ¼ inch thick). Then peel the carrot and cut it into bite-sized chunks (½ to 1 inch). Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch wedges.
- Combine the seasoningsIn a large pot or Dutch oven, combine sake, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, and water. Stir well to dissolve the sugar, but don’t turn on the heat yet.
- Add the beef and onionAdd the shaved beef to the pot, gently loosening the slices as you place them in so they don’t clump together when cooked. Then, add the sliced onions on top.
- Start cookingTurn the heat to medium and cook for 3–5 minutes, or until the beef is mostly cooked. Occasionally skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface — this helps create a clean, smooth flavor.
- Add the potatoes and carrots to the pot. Stir gently to coat everything in the sauce, making sure the vegetables are submerged. Cover with a lid and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Check doneness and simmerOpen the lid and check if the potatoes are tender by piercing them with a fork. Once they’re soft, lower the heat to medium-low and continue cooking for another 5 minutes with a drop lid (otoshibuta).
- Add green beans and finish cookingAdd the green beans and cook over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, or until they turn bright green and tender.
- Serve and enjoyServe warm, ideally with a bowl of steamed rice.
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