Cooking Japanese Potato and Meat Stew (Nikujaga), Grilled Smelts, and Exploring Korean Town in Tokyo

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🕑 Time table:
0:00 - Intro
0:25 - Preparing Potato and Meat Stew (Nikujaga) (marinating meat in shio koji) the Night Before
1:43 - Going Out for a Walk the Next Day
3:14 - Korean Town
5:27 - Cooking Potato and Meat Stew (Nikujaga)
9:49 - Cooking Grilled Smelts (Shishamo)
10:28 - Finishing Up Potato and Meat Stew (Nikujaga)
11:19 - Eating
12:07 - Home Bar

Japanese meat and potato stew (“nikujaga” (肉じゃが) in Japanese) is one of my ultimate comfort foods. There is something about that gentle sweetness and softness of the potatoes and the meat in this dish that relaxes me and calms me down as if somebody is wrapping me around with a blanket and telling me that everything is okay.

There are two important goals in this recipe: (i) the meat should come out soft after cooking, which we will achieve by marinating the meat in shio koji for a long time (preferably 24 hours); and (ii) the veggies (especially the potatoes) have thoroughly absorbed the soup, which we will achieve by cooling down the nikujaga once it’s cooked. I’ll explain these in more detail in the recipe below.

As for the meat, I recommend using slices of beef or pork with nice marbles of fat. The fattier the meat is, the softer and more flavorful it will be. Fattier meat is healthier for us too. For this reason, I prefer shoulder loin or belly of the animal.

Shio koji is a fermented mixture of rice koji, salt, and water. Shio koji contains enzymes called “proteases” which are created by koji mold. Proteases break down proteins into amino acids. This reaction severs the fibers in the meat and makes it softer. Also, amino acids created by this reaction increase umami (savoriness). Plus, the salt in shio koji will give an undertone of saltiness to the meat.

Because shio koji will tenderize the meat during marinating, you don’t need to use expensive, super-fatty meat for this recipe. In fact, I have used expensive wagyu beef (very fatty) one time, and unfortunately most of it melted away during cooking because shio koji overworked on the meat. So I recommend using normal-grade meat from the supermarket etc.

Smelts (“shishamo” (ししゃも) in Japanese) are little river fish that are widely sold in the supermarkets all year round. They are cheap, super easy to prepare, delicious, and very good for you because you get to eat all of it, from head to tail! Good source of protein and calcium.

You can cook them any way you like. Sometimes they are deep fried with some breading. But I always like to just simply grill them, which is the most common way of cooking them here in Japan.

If you grill them, they come out crunchy on the outside, especially around their heads. I love their heads! They are amazing, so don’t throw them away. Smelts are rather light because they are not fatty. So they are more suitable as a snack or a starter than as a main dish.

🔷 What Is Shio Koji?:

Video:    • What Is Shio Koji? (Japanese Cooking) - Sa...  

Blog Post: https://sakurayubi.com/what-is-shio-k...

🔷 How to Make Shio Koji (Recipe):

Video:    • How to Make Shio Koji (Recipe - Japanese C...  

Blog Post: https://sakurayubi.com/how-to-make-sh...

🔷 Shio koji products:

Shio koji products (if you are outside of Japan):

200g: https://geni.us/8vWX0vj

500g: https://geni.us/tIoxH2b

Shio koji products (if you are in Japan):

500g x 2: https://geni.us/Kbbw0C

Rice koji: https://geni.us/ONfJ

🔸Dashi powder:

If You Are Outside of Japan: https://geni.us/LD7XA
If You Are in Japan: https://geni.us/AI3Btb

These dashi powder products are not exactly the same as the one I used in the video but are similar.

🔸Soy Sauce: https://geni.us/KEexB29

🔸Mirin: https://geni.us/0vuSTf

🔸Sugar: https://geni.us/jwxiC

🔷 About Me
Tokyo-based Japanese home cook and food writer, sharing easy, low-carb recipes featuring Japanese staples like shio koji. I also explore the city’s dining scene through honest restaurant reviews and food adventures. Learn more at https://sakurayubi.com/about/

Website: https://sakurayubi.com/

Instagram:   / sakurayubi  

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