The menu for Osechi Ryori (Japanese New Year cuisine) is all about preserving traditional recipes and celebrating the auspicious occasion. Every dish plays a role in wishing for prosperity and good health in the new year, with the simmered stew called nishime (煮しめ) or Chikuzenni (筑前煮) served for its auspicious significance.
While I’ve shared my stovetop Chikuzenni recipe before, I decided to speed things up this year with this Instant Pot Nishime recipe. The pressure cooker function makes a big batch in a short time—perfect for entertaining family and friends!
What is Nishime?
Nishime (煮しめ) is a traditional Japanese one-pot stew of root vegetables and chicken simmered in dashi broth seasoned with soy sauce, sake, and mirin. It’s the most popular nimono (煮物, simmered dish) and a classic Japanese home-cooked meal. It’s also served on special celebratory occasions like Japanese New Year because the ingredients have different meanings to symbolize joy, happiness, prosperity, and cleansing.
The traditional Japanese vegetable stew commonly includes root vegetables, starchy potatoes, konnyaku (konjac), kombu, deep-fried tofu, sometimes chicken, fish cake (chikuwa and kamaboko), and occasionally fish depending on the region.
What’s The Difference Between Nishime and Chikuzenni?
The cooking method where you simmer ingredients for a long time to reduce the cooking liquid is called nishimeru (煮しめる), and shortened to nishime (煮しめ). Why is nishime also called Chikuzenni? It was named after the old Chikuzen Province in Northern Kyushu that’s part of modern-day Fukuoka Prefecture. This dish originated there; however, it’s now enjoyed throughout Japan under both names.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Nishime
- water – for the dashi; or use Awase Dashi or Vegan Dashi and skip the dashi packet
- dashi packet
- dried shiitake mushrooms – for the dashi and the stew
- snow peas
- konnyaku (konjac)
- bamboo shoot
- lotus root (renkon)
- carrot
- Japanese taro (satoimo)
- gobo (burdock root)
- boneless, skinless chicken thigh – I used chicken tender today; you can also mix different cuts; use plant-based meat or mushrooms for vegan/vegetarian
- toasted sesame oil – for frying
- sugar, mirin, sake, kosher salt, and usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce – for the seasonings; use regular soy sauce
Auspicious Japanese Vegetables
We include the following vegetables in nishime for auspicious reasons:
- carrot – Welcome spring by cutting carrot slices into a plum (ume) flower.
- lotus root – The holes of the lotus root present a clear and unobstructed future; you can cut it into a flower shape called hana renkon.
- burdock root (gobo) – A skinny, long root vegetable that grows straight down into the ground; it symbolizes stability for the house and family.
- shiitake mushroom – It represents longevity when you cut the edges of the mushroom into a hexagon to resemble a turtle shape.
- taro – It symbolizes fertility or descendants’ prosperity as you can find a lot of baby taro on one root.
Why Make Decorative Cuts on Nishime Ingredients?
We often cut the ingredients into fancy shapes when making this vegetable stew for the Osechi Ryori meal on Japanese New Year and other celebratory occasions. Whether you want to use decorative cuts or not is entirely up to you. I have two reasons why it can be a nice thing:
- Dresses up a new year’s dish. This is a special time when we put on fancy clothing and decorate our homes, so why not do it for the Osechi, too?
- Adds a “wow” factor to this humble dish of common Japanese root vegetables and other low-key ingredients.
Too much work? I agree, especially when you have to make so many other dishes for the New Year. But hey, that’s why I’m introducing this Instant Pot version!
How To Make Instant Pot Nishime
If you will include this dish in your Osechi meal, I recommend cooking it 2 days before you plan to serve.
- Make the dashi.
- Prepare/cut the ingredients.
- Sauté the chicken in the Instant Pot in sesame oil.
- Add the vegetables, dashi, and seasonings.
- Pressure cook for 3 minutes under High pressure. Let the pressure release naturally.
Substitutions for Japanese Ingredients
Vegetables: You can find many nishime ingredients in Chinese and/or Korean grocery stores and sometimes Southeast Asian markets. Some major grocery stores like Whole Foods or local co-ops may carry these unique vegetables, too.
Konnyaku (Konjac): Konnyaku, on the other hand, may be difficult to find. But, you can skip it as konjac is included more for the texture and auspicious symbolism.
Dashi Packet: I used a dashi packet in this recipe to show how quickly you can make dashi. You can buy dashi packets on Amazon from my favorite brand Kayanoya (or use a less-expensive option). I really want to encourage you to ditch the dashi powder and start using dashi packets instead for a delicious flavor that’s important for nishime and other dishes in Japanese cooking.
Dashi from Scratch: Of course, it’s best to make dashi from scratch. It is so simple and takes only 30 minutes or less to make. You can’t make authentic Japanese food without dashi, so please try your best to make dashi instead of using another type of stock (unless I mention it).
May the New Year bring you and your family lots of happiness and new inspiration as you enjoy this Instant Pot Nishime together.
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Instant Pot Nishime
Ingredients
- ¾ lb boneless, skinless chicken thigh (or use chicken tenders like I did, or combine different cuts; use plant-based meat or mushrooms for vegan/vegetarian)
- 5 taro (satoimo) (9 oz, 250 g)
- 1 gobo (burdock root) (8 oz, 220 g)
- 1 carrot (6 oz, 170 g)
- 1 lotus root (renkon) (6 oz, 170 g)
- 1 bamboo shoot (6 oz, 170 g)
- ½ block konnyaku (konjac) (4.5 oz, 130 g)
- 10 snow peas (1 oz, 30 g, for garnish)
- 1½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil
For the Dashi (Japanese Soup Stock)
- 5 dried shiitake mushrooms (for the stock and the nishime)
- 1 dashi packet (or use dashi powder in a pinch)
- 1 cup water (or use Awase Dashi or Vegan Dashi and skip the dashi packet)
For the Seasonings
- 3 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce (or use regular soy sauce)
- 2½ Tbsp mirin
- 1 Tbsp sake
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
Before You Start
- If you will serve this in your Osechi meal, I recommend cooking it 2 days before you plan to serve. For more helpful tips on planning your Japanese New Year feast, please read my A 5-Day Osechi Cooking Timeline blog post.
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Make the Dashi
- Add 1 cup water and 1 dashi packet to a small saucepan. Slowly bring it to a boil on medium-low heat, gently shaking the packet a few times to release more flavor. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute and turn off the heat.Nami's Tip: If you don't have a dashi packet, you can make stock using dashi powder.
- Squeeze out the liquid and discard the packet. Add 5 dried shiitake mushrooms to the dashi and soak for 15 minutes to rehydrate and release flavor into the dashi.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- Remove the stem ends and tough strings from 10 snow peas.
- Slice ½ block konnyaku (konjac) crosswise ⅛ to ¼ inch (3 to 6 mm) thick. Here, I'll show you an optional step of How to Make Tazuna Konnyaku or auspicious braided horse reins. Cut a 1½-inch (3.8-cm) lengthwise slit in the center of each slice.
- Push one end through the slit and pull it out the other side. Either side of the slit will be twisted to resemble horse reins. Pull gently on both ends so it lays flat. Repeat with the remaining slices.
- Boil water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add a pinch of salt and blanch the snow peas for 30–60 seconds until crisp-tender. Scoop them out to drain in a sieve or transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. Keep the water boiling.
- Add the konnyaku to the pot and boil for 2–3 minutes to remove the odor. Drain.
- Cut 1 bamboo shoot lengthwise into quarters, then cut each crosswise in half so the tip end is 1½ inches (3.8 cm) long. Slice it lengthwise ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Slice the bottom end ¼ inch (6-mm) thick.
- Peel 1 lotus root (renkon) with a vegetable peeler. Cut it crosswise in half.
- To make optional lotus root flowers, follow my guide How to Make Hana Renkon.
- Slice it crosswise ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Soak the slices in water.Nami's Tip: To make the lotus root whiter, soak it in 2 cups water + 1 tsp vinegar.
- Peel 1 carrot. To make optional carrot flowers, slice the top 2 inches (5 cm) of the carrot into ¼-inch (6-mm) coins and set aside until the next step. Cut the rest of the carrot using the rangiri Japanese cutting technique: Slice diagonally while rotating the carrot a quarter turn between cuts.
- For the optional carrot flowers, punch out a plum flower shape from the carrot coins with a vegetable cutter.Nami's Tip: Repurpose the carrot scraps by mincing and adding them to fried rice or soup.
- Thickly peel the tough skin carefully from 5 taro (satoimo)with a sharp knife. I cut the ends off, then peel around the sides. Ideally, the top view of the taro should resemble a hexagon with six sides.Nami's Tip: Taro skin is tough, so I don’t recommend a vegetable peeler. It's not considered wasteful to remove taro skin thickly with more flesh attached.
- Cut the taro crosswise in half and soak in a bowl of water to remove the starch and astringency.
- Lightly scrape off the skin of 1 gobo (burdock root) with the back of your knife. Cut the gobo in rangiri irregular rolling cuts. Soak in water to remove the starch and astringency.Nami's Tip: Scrape the gobo skin minimally, unlike taro. Gobo's flavor is right beneath the skin, so preserve as much of this flesh as possible.
- Squeeze the liquid from the soft, hydrated shiitake mushrooms into the dashi soaking liquid. Strain it through a fine-mesh sieve over a measuring cup. Measure 200 ml (about 1 cup minus 2 Tbsp) of this dashi.
- Cut off the tough stems of the shiitake mushrooms. Optionally, cut the edges of the shiitake caps into a hexagon, which resembles a turtle shape and symbolizes longevity.
- Cut ¾ lb boneless, skinless chicken thigh into slanted pieces using the sogigiri Japanese cutting technique: Angle your knife back nearly parallel to the cutting board and slice the chicken into pieces of equal thickness.Nami's Tip: The even slices and increased surface area help the chicken cook faster and absorb seasoning.
To Cook in an Instant Pot
- Press the Sauté button on your Instant Pot. When the inner pot is hot, add 1½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil.
- Add the chicken and stir to coat with the oil.
- Stir and cook for 2–3 minutes. Once the surface is opaque and no longer pink, add the lotus root, taro, gobo, and bamboo shoot.
- Add 1 Tbsp sugar, 2½ Tbsp mirin, 1 Tbsp sake, 3 Tbsp usukuchi (light-colored) soy sauce, and ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt.
- Stir to combine. Add the carrot, konnyaku, and shiitake mushrooms.
- Press Cancel to stop the Sauté mode. Close and lock the lid. Select Pressure Cook mode and cook for 3 minutes under High pressure.
- Point the steam release handle to Sealing and not Venting. The float valve will rise when pressurized. When it’s done, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode. Release the pressure naturally.
To Serve
- Open the lid and gently stir. Divide among individual bowls or transfer to a large serving bowl. Halve each snow pea diagonally and arrange on top as garnish.
To Store
- Transfer to an airtight container and cool completely. Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The flavor will intensify over time, so consider reducing the seasoning if you plan to serve it later. You can also freeze it for up to 1 month, but remove the konnyaku since its texture changes when frozen. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat in a pot on the stove until warmed through.
Nutrition
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Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on December 25, 2018. It’s been republished in 2019.