Here's a simple and and delicious Japanese beef and potato stew recipe for niku-jaga(肉じゃが), literally"meat-potatoes" in Japanese. The broth is rich and a little sweet, great on cold days or anytime. Serves 4 Ingredients: 5oz.(150g) thinly sliced beef 4 potatoes 1 carrot 1 onion 2 cups water 4 Tbsp. soy sauce 2 Tbsp. sugar 3 Tbsp. mirin(sweet cooking sake Directions: Peel potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces and wash them in cold water(to remove excess starch). Cut carrot and onion into small chunk pieces. Heat some oil in a pan and brown the meat and vegetables. Add the water and bring to a boil. Add soy sauce, sugar and mirin to the pan and reduce the heat. Cook for about 15 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally. Serve in individual medium sized bowls. Variations: Ground beef is often substituted for the sliced beef. It's also popular to add green beans or peas for a little green, or shirataki, the clear, gelatinous noodles often put in sukiyaki