As part of our effort to educate you on our dishes, today I want to give a little background on our one of our most popular winter dishes–our Nikujaga.
Nikujaga, directly translated as meat-potato, is a hearty stew of potato, onions and meat in a light broth. Commonly found in Nikujaga are also ito konyaku noodles as well as a variety of mixed vegetables such as carrots and peas. It may be no surprise that this warm stew is most commonly enjoyed during the cold winters in Japan, but what many may not realize is that Nikujaga is actually a form of Japanese comfort food.
Nikujaga is a dish that has been around since the 19th Century and was invented by Imperial Japanese naval chefs. The story goes that famous Naval Admiral, Togo Heihachiro, wanted a stew similar to that of the beef stews consumed by the British Royal Navy. The creation of this dish served two purposes: to promote the city of Maizuru in Kyoto and to tackle a problem of Vitamin B deficiency in the Imperial Navy’s diet at the time.
Today, we hope that we can continue spreading what Togo Heihachiro had started and familiarize LA culture with Japanese comfort food that has been enjoyed for centuries.
Peace, Love and Asian Soul
Hugh:)
