Konnyaku Jaga Wasabi Stew
Meat-Free | Contains Dairy | Contains Egg | Contains Gluten
According to my Japanese friends, there is a category of cooking known as ofukuro no aji (mother’s flavour) — it’s something simple, homely and evokes strong feelings of nostalgia. Nikujaga or stewed potatoes with meat is one such mainstay. Traditionally, this meat and potato dish only contains a small amount of meat which is added more for flavour than substance. It is typically simmered in a soy, mirin and sugar broth with vegetables. The finished dish, a hearty stew, is both sweet and savory and thoroughly comforting. Our visit to Daio Wasabi Farm in Nagano was an eye-opener but I was heartbroken when I found out that what we have been getting back home is the western horseradish, a cousin of the Japanese horseradish with a similar profile.
I knew then that I wanted to create a hearty Japanese beef stew with a twist, adding the wasabi element. I have used seiyo wasabi or western horseradish as I really still wanted that element of nostril-clearing fiery taste that is similar albeit less sharp than the real deal. To tame down the soup, there is a touch of cream for luxury and konnyaku for its almost zero-calorie miracle diet goodness. And of course, Quorn’s meat-free balls are perfectly at home in this stew — filling, juicy, tasty. Taste it to believe it.
Ingredients: Vegetable stock (water, carrots, onions, leeks, herbs), Quorn mycoprotein (contains egg white, wheat flour, barley), potatoes, carrots, konjac, cream, white radish, shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, chestnuts, onions, leeks, enoki mushrooms, snow pea sprouts, sugar, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, wasabi powder, corn starch, salt
Condiment: Spring onion