I've written about Nikujaga (肉じゃが), or "meat and potatoes" before, it's one of my favorite Japanese comfort foods and it's super easy to make. I recently stumbled across a way to make it even easier and tastier. A definite win-win! The traditional way to make nikujaga is to simmer beef, potatoes, onions and carrots in dashi, a type of Japanese soup stock. It gives the dish the signature Japanese flavor with an intense umami and a mild smoky flavor from the dried bonito. While <a href="http://norecipes.com/recipe/dashi-recipe">making dashi</a> isn't hard, it does require some extra time. In this version, I've replaced...