Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Nikujaga


March 29: After a full day of training, I felt tired. But while everything was simmering in the Japanese pot, I had a good scrub in the shower. Missed swimming in the morning because of training. I had to be at the training venue at 8:30 am.

Nikujaga is a very delicious and easy-to-cook dish. Cut up potatoes and carrots (I always believe in cutting them neatly) and blanch 'shirataki', or 'itoo konyaku' (arrowroot starch vermicelli). Boil some peas if desired. Thaw your packed sukiyaki or paperthin beef. Slice some onion rings.

Fry the sliced onions until aromatic. Add in carrots. Stir well, followed by the potatoes. Add in shirataki, then water, mirin (sweet rice wine, which I usually omit), sake, and finally soy sauce. Simmer all. When the ingredients are cooked, flavour them with beef. Many add in sugar but I don't.

Garnish with peas. The dish is ready to be relished with piping hot Japanese rice - for a day or two!

This was also the first time I had Saumer with it. And it is really a weird but interesting wine. Very good with cheese, as I found out on the next day.

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