Nimono (煮物), Traditional Japanese Root Vegetable Dish

Name: Nimono (煮物), Traditional Japanese Root Vegetable Dish
Yield: This recipe makes a lot. Maybe 6 people!
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: Chicken thigh, thinly sliced; Pork chop, thinly sliced; No meat is fine too!; 2 carrots; 4 potatoes; 1 ft stick burdock root (optional but would be nice to have); 8 shiitake mushrooms (optional); 100 g lotus root (optional but would be nice to have); 130 g konjac (optional because it’s hard to find outside of Japan!); 1-2 cups water; 1/4 cup sake; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 1 tbsp salt; 5 tbsp sugar; 3 tbsp hondashi powder; 2 tbsp chicken broth powder (optional); 3 tsp mirin (optional)

hughluotatebe @cook_20868881

This is one of the simplest yet most flavourful and healthy Japanese dishes out there. I grew up eating this and my mom made it looks so easy every time she made it. She always used “whatever was in the fridge” but I know that traditionally, there is an actual set of ingredients for this dish. The way my mom cooks it isn’t incorrect and isn’t that different from the traditional Japanese dish. Just improvising everyday!

hughluotatebe @cook_20868881

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Ingredients

This recipe makes a lot. Maybe 6 people!

Meat (choose one)
Chicken thigh, thinly sliced
Pork chop, thinly sliced
No meat is fine too!
Vegetables
2carrots
4potatoes
1ft stick burdock root (optional but would be nice to have)
8shiitake mushrooms (optional)
100 glotus root (optional but would be nice to have)
130 gkonjac (optional because it’s hard to find outside of Japan!)
Soup (but it’s not a soup)
1-2 cupswater
1/4 cupsake
3 tbspsoy sauce
1 tbspsalt
5 tbspsugar
3 tbsphondashi powder
2 tbspchicken broth powder (optional)
3 tspmirin (optional)

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Steps

1

Cut all vegetables into bite size pieces. The potatoes are okay being a tiny bit bigger than the rest of the vegetables.
2

Cut meat into thin bite size slices. Grab a large pot that will fit everything in. In that pot, on medium heat and with a little bit of oil, cook the sliced meat.
3

Once the meat is cooked, throw all of the vegetables and water into the pot. Rise the heat to high.
4

We don’t need that much water because we aren’t boiling the vegetables, we will be simmering/steaming them. In the hot water, add in all the seasonings like soy sauce, sugar, sake, etc.
5

Give the pot a toss to mix everything evenly. Then, close the lid keep the heat on high. The vegetables are only simmering on the bottom where it is in contact with the liquid, so use something like a large wooden spoon to mix everything around, but not too vigorously or else the vegetables will begin to crumble and break.
6

After some time, the vegetables will absorb the liquid and a lot of it will also be evaporated. When you notice that the liquid is getting low, add about half a cup of water again, to continue simmering the dish.
7

Once all the vegetables are super soft (potatoes get sliced by a wooden spoon with ease), the dish is ready!
8

Serve, and enjoy.