Pressure Cooker Nikujaga — Japanese Beef & Potato Stew

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Japan's ultimate comfort dinner: tender beef, sweet onion and potatoes that soak up a savoury-sweet dashi and soy broth. On the stove it's a 40-minute simmer; under pressure it's four minutes, and the potatoes come out creamy instead of collapsing. One pot, one cycle, spoon it over hot rice.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 lb thinly sliced beef sirloin or chuck (shabu-shabu style), cut into bite-size strips
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into thick wedges
• 1.5 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5-inch chunks
• 2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch diagonal chunks
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp instant dashi granules
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sugar

Instructions

1. Set the pressure cooker to Sauté on high and heat the oil until it shimmers, about 2 minutes. Add the beef in a single layer and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, just until it loses its raw colour — it does not need to brown deeply.
2. Add the onion wedges and cook 2 minutes more, stirring, until they start to turn glassy at the edges. This sauté step is what gives the broth its depth, so don't skip it.
3. Turn Sauté off. Add the potatoes, carrots, water, dashi granules, soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Stir once and scrape the bottom of the pot so nothing is stuck, then push the potatoes down so most are submerged (they don't all have to be covered).
4. Lock the lid, set the valve to Sealing, and pressure cook on High for 4 minutes. It will take roughly 10–12 minutes to come up to pressure.
5. When the timer beeps, let the pressure drop naturally for 5 minutes, then carefully release the remaining steam. Open the lid away from your face.
6. Stir gently — the potatoes are soft, so fold rather than beat. Let it sit uncovered 5 minutes to thicken slightly, then ladle into bowls with plenty of broth and serve over hot steamed rice.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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