Simmered Vegetables with Potato
野菜の煮物（じゃがいも） · Yasai no Nimono
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Nimono, vegetables simmered in seasoned dashi, is one of the most everyday side dishes in Japanese home and school cooking. This version pairs carrot and daikon with potato and finishes with a scattering of green peas for color. The vegetables are cut a little thick and simmered under a drop lid until fully soft, so they soak up the mild, slightly sweet broth and are gentle enough for small children to chew. Seasoning is kept light, letting the natural sweetness of the root vegetables come through.
Wheat-free, but uses soy sauce (made with wheat). Japanese school-lunch allergy menus usually allow it, so check with your doctor. How to read the labels
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 16.5 gcarrot
- 11.3 gdaikon radish
- 33 gpotato
- 3.3 gfrozen green peas
Seasonings
- 1.5 gvegetable oil
- 49.5 gdashi stockJapanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
- 1.2 gsugar
- 1.5 gsoy sauce
- 0.2 gsalt
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- dashi stock (だし汁)
- Japanese soup stock, usually made from kombu (dried kelp) and/or bonito flakes; the base of most Japanese soups and simmered dishes. Substitute: Instant dashi granules dissolved in water, or a mild unsalted chicken or vegetable stock.
Directions
- 1
Cut the carrot into rangiri (irregular bite-size chunks, turning the carrot as you cut). Cut the daikon and potato into thick quarter-rounds.
- 2
Heat the oil in a pot, add the carrot and daikon, and stir-fry. Add the potato and stir-fry briefly.
- 3
Add the dashi stock and sugar, cover with a drop lid (otoshibuta, or a round of parchment paper laid directly on the surface) and simmer until the vegetables are tender. Once tender, add the soy sauce and salt, cover again with the drop lid and continue simmering.
- 4
To finish, add the green peas and simmer briefly.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 51 kcal | 102 kcal | 51 kcal |
| Protein | 1.2 g | 2.4 g | 1.2 g |
| Fat | 1.5 g | 3 g | 1.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9.8 g | 19.5 g | 9.8 g |
| Fiber | 3.9 g | 7.8 g | 3.9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.3 g | 0.6 g | 0.3 g |
| Calcium | 12 mg | 24 mg | 12 mg |
| Iron | 0.2 mg | 0.3 mg | 0.2 mg |
| Potassium | 255 mg | 510 mg | 255 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Fiber | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | Potassium | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 51 kcal | 1.2 g | 1.5 g | 9.8 g | 3.9 g | 0.3 g | 12 mg | 0.2 mg | 255 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 102 kcal | 2.4 g | 3 g | 19.5 g | 7.8 g | 0.6 g | 24 mg | 0.3 mg | 510 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
