Japanese Beef Stew

Like many people, some of my favorite childhood memories come from family and food. In Japan, when you wanted to go out for non-traditional food, family restaurants (“fami-resu”) are where you’d often go. Menus at fami-resu, like this Japanese beef stew, tend to be Japanese Western food (“yo-shoku,” with a long “o” sound), which is European and American dishes developed for Japanese palates.  

There are several popular fami-resu chains in Japan, but the one we would always go to was Denny’s. Yup, that Denny’s! But it’s a whole different experience in Japan than here in the States – they serve the most amazing beed stew (and other yo-shoku dishes). Denny’s in Japan is a “not too casual, not too fancy” mid-range restaurant – not a haven for drunk and hungover post-nightclub-goers, nor for the Sunday pancake crowd.  

Denny’s in Japan is really more for the lunch / dinner family dining crowd. Want to peek at their menu? Check out https://www.dennys.jp/pdf/menubook-st.pdf?0524 – you’ll probably be surprised at how different it is from any Denny’s location you’ve ever visited in the US. 

This beef stew (which is different from Japanese Pot Roast, aka Nikujaga) is really close to the one I remember from their menu. It’s incredibly rich, because you use a demi-glace sauce as the base. Demi-glace is like a super-elevated sauce, made in a very different way than the “pan drippings thickened with flour” method we’re used to here for gravies. It’s a completely different thing!  

Professional chefs will say demi-glace is “espagnole sauce + brown stock,” but if you’re not a pro, think beef broth + beef stock + vegetable stock + red wine + tomato paste, cooked down to a thick sauce, in terms of flavor.  

In Japan, when you say “gravy,” most of the time it’s demi-glace sauce. For home chefs, especially in Japan, making it from scratch is near-impossible in smaller kitchens, so pre-made demi-glace is very easy to get in supermarkets. In the States, I’ve found it easily in Japanese markets, but it’s not a “staple” ingredient found in most American supermarkets. You can definitely also get it online. 

In Japan, beef stew is served with steamed white rice. If that’s not your thing, this is delicious with some crusty French bread. Whichever you choose, don’t leave any of the delicious sauce behind!  

This recipe is also another “Rice Cooker Recipe” – perfect for solo diners, date night, college students and recent grads, or anyone who doesn’t really want to cook a stew on their stove. This is even faster than using a pressure cooker / InstaPot! I think you’ll really, really like this recipe. It brings back so many pleasant memories for me. 

For other Rice Cooker Recipes, check out my Nikujaga and Daigaku Imo recipes!

Ingredients

• 1/3 – 1/2 lb stewing beef (boneless short ribs / chuck) 
• Salt & pepper 
• 1/2 sweet onion, thickly sliced 
• 1 – 2 carrots 
• 1 – 2 small potatoes (Yukon Gold / Russet) 
• 2/3 cup demi-glace sauce (Heinz is the most popular in Japan) 
• 1/2 tbsp ketchup 
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1/4 cup red wine (not the expensive stuff) 
• Crème fraiche or sour cream 
• Parsley for garnish 
• Steamed white rice or bread 

Directions

Trim and cut beef into bite-size pieces. Don’t go for the best / most expensive cut of beef for this; short rib and chuck roast are my favorite cuts for this. I also wouldn’t really go for super sinewy cuts, like the traditional “stewing beef” you find at the supermarket, since you’re not cooking this for hours to break down that connective tissue. 

Salt and pepper beef pieces. 

Cut onions, carrots, and potatoes into larger-than-bite-size pieces (remember, they’ll shrink as they cook down). Set aside. 

In a frying pan, add butter and caramelize the outside of the beef pieces, and add to rice cooker bowl. 

In the now-empty frying pan, add onions and caramelize. Add to rice cooker bowl. 

Add a little more butter and repeat with carrots and potatoes, and add to rice cooker bowl as well. 

In the rice cooker bowl, add the demi-glace sauce, ketchup, water, and red wine. You may omit the red wine or use a non-alcoholic red wine if you’re avoiding alcohol (it will cook off as well). 

Lightly combine everything and turn the rice cooker on, on the “white rice” (standard) setting. 

Once the cooking cycle is done, check to see if the beef pieces are cooked through and tender (hint: it’s 100% ALWAYS better after a second cooking cycle – the meat will fall apart). If not, run another cooking cycle. Top with crème fraiche or sour cream, and garnish with a parsley sprig. 

Serve alongside a bowl of steamed white rice and/or bread, and enjoy!