Nikujaga

Name: Nikujaga
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: Lean beef shin; Waxy potatoes; Onions; Carrots; Green beans; Dashi stock; Light soy sauce; Mirin; Caster sugar; Sake

378 kcal a serving, against 435 for the traditional version. That is 57 kcal off, or 13%, with 28.4g of protein. Serves 4. .

What the traditional version is

Thinly sliced fatty beef is quickly simmered with potatoes, onions, carrots and shirataki noodles in a sauce of dashi, soy, mirin and sugar. The potatoes soak up all the stock until they're tender, and the beef turns silky. Usually served with white rice, it's the family staple for a reason.

What changed, and what each change costs

Swap fatty beef for lean beef shin, sliced thin

Beef shin's lean and holds up to simmering. It's not as buttery as rib, but you still get real beef flavour and a bit of bite.

What it costs you. You lose that near-dissolving texture and the lush mouthfeel from all the fat. This is stew, not velvet. If you want it melting, you'll need a longer simmer or a nostalgia filter.

Cut sugar in half and up the mirin a touch

Classic nikujaga is far sweeter than you remember. I've cut the sugar and nudged up the mirin, so it still tastes right but doesn't masquerade as dessert.

What it costs you. If your childhood memories are as sweet as the stew, you're going to notice. The broth's a bit less candied, but the beef and veg speak louder.

Double the carrots, add green beans, and cut back the potatoes

More colourful veg means more on the plate and more chew for fewer stodge points. Green beans keep their bite, which the potatoes absolutely do not.

What it costs you. You get less of that soft, collapsing potato that's the first thing everyone goes for. If you want a pure carb-fest, add rice.

Skip shirataki noodles

Shirataki bring bounce but almost no protein. I've ditched them for more veg and beef - your stomach will cope.

What it costs you. Texture fiends will miss the slither. If you're wedded to rubbery noodles, add them back. Otherwise, move on.

Lean beef needs a little longer and more seasoning

Fatty beef is forgiving. Lean beef can be stubborn, so let it go low and slow or slice even thinner.

What it costs you. If you rush it, you get dry bits and sulks. Give it time and it behaves itself.

What goes in it

The ingredients, without the quantities. The weights are what the figures below are computed from, and they are in the book.

Lean beef shin
Waxy potatoes
Onions
Carrots
Green beans
Dashi stock
Light soy sauce
Mirin
Caster sugar
Sake

How it starts

Slice the beef across the grain as thinly as you can.
Peel and chunk the potatoes and carrots, slice the onions, and trim the green beans.
Heat a large pan or casserole over medium heat.

The rest of the method, and every weight, is in Authentic-ish Japanese.

The numbers

Per serving	Traditional	Lightened
Calories	435	378
Protein	27.6g	28.4g
Fat	12.1g	8.8g
Saturated fat	4.9g	2.9g
Carbohydrate	52.2g	43.1g
Protein per 100 kcal	6.4g	7.5g

Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Japanese prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked. How every number is computed sets out the method.

Allergens. fish, gluten, soybeans.

The method is in the book

This nikujaga won't win any prizes for luxury, but it still manages "comfort" in a bowl. The lean beef makes things a bit firmer, but you get a beefy base note and plenty of veg to keep things interesting. The lower sugar means you taste more than just syrup, and there's enough left in the broth for nostalgia. Would I serve this to a homesick obaasan? Maybe not. But if you want a lighter dinner that still counts as real food, this is about as close as you'll get without lying.

The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Japanese, along with 48 more. Buy the paperback