Nikkorogashi is a simple yet scrumptious dish, involving little more than new season’s potatoes and onion cooked in dashi stock. As the stock evaporates, the onion becomes meltingly soft and caramelized, making a wonderful sauce that coats the potatoes.
SERVES FOUR
INGREDIENTS
15ml/1tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 kg/2 1/4lb baby new potatoes, unpeeled
200ml dashi stock, or the same amount of water with 5ml/1stablespoon dashi-nomoto
45ml/3tablespoons shoyu
METHOD
1.Heat the sesame oil in a wok or large pan. Add the onion slices and stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the potatoes. Stir constantly, until all the potatoes are well coated in sesame oil.
2.Pour on the dashi stock and shoyu and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, turning the potatoes every 5 minutes so that they are evenly cooked.
3.Uncover the wok or pan for a further 5 minutes to reduce the liquid. If there is already very little liquid remaining, remove the wok or pan from the heat, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Check that the potatoes cooked, then remove from the heat.
4.Transfer the potatoes and onions to a deep serving bowl. Pour the sauce over the sauce over the top if there is any sauce remaining in the wok, and serve immediately.
Coo’s tip
Japanese chefs use toasted sesame oil fro its distinctive strong aroma. If the smell is too strong, use a mixture of half sesame and half vegetable oil. You can also use only vegetable in stead of using sesame oil.
