Japanese Beef Tendon Stew

1. Gather all the ingredients.
2. To an Instant Pot, add 1 lb beef tendon (rinsed and cleaned) and 4 cups water. Add more water to cover the tendon, if necessary.
3. Press the Sauté button and change to your setting to More by pressing the Adjust button.
4. Once boiling, press the Keep Warm/Cancel button on the Instant Pot to stop cooking. Take out the inner pot and discard the water.
5. Put the inner pot with the tendons back in the Instant Pot and add 4 cups water.
6. Peel the skin of 1 knob ginger with the back of a knife or spoon and cut it into thin slices. Cut 3 green onions/scallions in half, reserving the white bottom part.
7. To the Instant Pot, add the sliced ginger and green part of the green onions.
8. Cover and lock the lid. Press the Manual button on the Instant Pot. Set High pressure for 30 minutes by pressing the + (plus) or - (minus) button to change the cooking time. Make sure the steam release handle points at Sealing and not Venting. The float valve goes up when pressurized. [For stovetop cooking, bring the water to boil and lower the heat to simmer and cook for 3 hours.]

To Prep the Other Ingredients

1. Using a spoon to cut ⅔ block konnyaku (konjac) into bite-size pieces.
2. Sprinkle ½ tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt over the konnyaku and rub with your hands. Salt helps the konnyaku release unwanted odor and absorb flavors later on.
3. Bring water to a boil and cook the konnyaku for 5 minutes.
4. Peel and cut 3 inches daikon radish into quarters lengthwise. Then, cut into ½-inch (1.25-cm) slices.
5. Using the back of the knife, remove the thin layer of skin from ½ gobo (burdock root) (but do not peel as the gobo flavor is right under the skin). Then, diagonally cut the gobo into ⅛-inch (3-mm) slices. Soak in water to prevent it from changing colors.
6. When it’s finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode. Let the pressure release naturally, about 15–20 minutes. Open the lid and take out the inner pot.
7. Drain the cooking liquid and rinse under warm water. Discard the spent green onions and ginger.
8. Rinse every part of the tendons with warm water. Drain well and cut the tendons into small pieces. Put them in a bowl and set aside.
9. Quickly rinse and dry the inner pot and place it back in the Instant Pot. Add 2 cups dashi (Japanese soup stock), 3 Tbsp sugar, and 3 Tbsp sake in the pot.
10. Add 4 Tbsp soy sauce and 2 Tbsp miso, and mix well together.
11. Put the cleaned beef tendons into the pot and mix together with the sauce.
12. Cover and lock the lid. Press the Manual button on the Instant Pot. Set on High pressure for 10 minutes by pressing the - (minus) button to change the cooking time. Make sure the steam release handle points at Sealing and not Venting. The float valve goes up when pressurized. [For stovetop cooking, bring the sauce to boil and lower the heat to simmer and cook for 1 hour.]
13. When it’s finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode. Let the pressure release naturally for 15–20 minutes or proceed with the quick release by turning the steam release handle to the Venting position to let steam out until the float valve drops down. Hold a kitchen towel and do not place your hand or face over steam release valve.
14. Add the konnyaku, daikon, and gobo.
15. Cover and lock the lid. Press the Manual button on the Instant Pot. Set on High pressure for 10 minutes. Make sure the steam release handle points at Sealing and not Venting. The float valve goes up when pressurized. [For stovetop cooking, bring the sauce to boil and lower the heat to simmer, and cook for 1 hour.]
16. When it’s finished cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to the Keep Warm mode. Let the pressure release naturally for 15–20 minutes.
17. Chop the reserved white part of the green onions into thin rounds. Serve the Japanese Beef Tendon Stew in a bowl and garnish with the chopped green onion. Serve warm.

To Store

1. You can store the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I don‘t recommend freezing as konnyaku will change the texture.