Take a deep dive with me into ichiju sansai, the guiding ideas to create concord in conventional Japanese meals. I’ll stroll you thru the important thing components and share sensible ideas for how one can construct balanced on a regular basis meals at residence, too.
Have you ever ever puzzled how I construct on a regular basis meals which can be balanced but easy? It’s all about ichiju sansai (一汁三菜), the guiding ideas for creating concord in conventional Japanese meals.
It’s straightforward to comply with this straightforward and adaptable framework so as to add steadiness, selection, concord, and seasonality to your property desk. I’ll present you the way!
What’s Ichiju Sansai?
Ichiju sansai (一汁三菜) actually means “one soup, three dishes” and is a set of guiding ideas for creating concord in a conventional Japanese meal.
The three dishes embrace one predominant dish and two sides, so the essential Japanese meal set consists of rice + soup + predominant dish + two facet dishes.
Ichiju sansai dates again greater than 600 years. Nowadays, it’s thought of a versatile framework for conventional and trendy Japanese delicacies, Asian and Western cuisines, and past.
4 Core Rules of Ichiju Sansai
At its coronary heart, ichiju sansai values 4 components:
- BALANCE – Maintain the parts and vitamins in test. Ask your self: Too many carbs? Are there sufficient veggies?
- VARIETY – Make meals enjoyable with numerous meals, textures, and cooking strategies. Combine it up: Should you serve rooster someday, use fish the following. Bake in the present day, stir-fry tomorrow!
- HARMONY – Goal for a wedding of flavors, textures, and colours. My mother says, “Examine all the colours earlier than serving.” My trick: I maintain a tomato helpful so as to add a contact of pink.
- SEASONALITY – Prepare dinner native, in-season components with peak taste. Take pleasure in peas in spring, tomatoes in summer time, kabocha in autumn, and daikon radish in winter.
Rice: The Coronary heart of the Japanese Meal
In Japan, rice isn’t a facet dish—it’s the heart of the meal that brings consolation, nourishment, and a way of residence. In reality, the phrase gohan (ご飯) means each “rice” and “meal.”
The three dishes in ichiju sansai are known as okazu (おかず)—“meals that accompany rice”—and spotlight rice’s key position.
Rice is at all times current within the conventional food regimen and is an emblem of Japanese tradition and identification.
Methods to Prepare dinner Good Japanese Rice
Soup: A Bowlful of Soul
As rice’s humble but important companion, soup completes the meal and makes it really feel complete. A comforting bowl of soup promotes digestion, heat, and steadiness.
Soup is extra than simply meals—it’s a each day ritual in Japan. Every family has its personal private type, and it’s stated you may acknowledge a household by their miso soup. It’s a real style of residence.
In Japan, we take pleasure in totally different dashi bases, seasonal greens, and proteins in hearty soups like Tonjiru or gentle and clear broths like Osuimono.
Newbie-Pleasant Soup Recipes
Important Dish: The Star of the Desk
The principle dish (shusai, 主菜) is the star of the present that brings pleasure and retains steadiness and focus in your menu.
The principle dish is the meal’s major supply of protein to assist construct and energize the physique. It additionally units the tone for the menu, inspiring your selection of soup and sides.
In an ichiju sansai meal, the rice and soup type a easy basis whereas the principle dish provides focus and substance. Along with two sides, they create a harmonious, balanced meal the place no single dish dominates.
4 Steps for Selecting a Important Dish
Choose your predominant dish with 4 components in thoughts:
- PROTEIN – Deal with protein. Maintain meals thrilling: Rotate proteins all through the week—fish or seafood one night time, meat or rooster the following.
- SEASONALITY – Help the protein with contemporary, native produce at peak harvest. Undecided what’s in season? See what’s ample or on sale on the grocery retailer, or test your farmers’ market.
- COOKING METHOD – Range the way you cook dinner so it by no means feels repetitive. Swap it up: Bake someday and stir-fry the following. Steadiness yesterday’s hearty stew with a light-weight steamed dish in the present day.
- BALANCE – Don’t let the principle dish overpower the perimeters. Every dish serves an vital position in a balanced meal. Professional tip: Complement flavors, textures, and colours. Lighten a wealthy and heavy predominant dish with crisp or tangy sides. If it’s gentle and delicate, pair it with a daring and hearty facet.
Important Dish Recipes To Strive
Facet Dishes: The Colourful Sidekick
The facet dishes (fukusai, 副菜) deliver concord and pleasure to the Japanese desk and play an important supporting position.
Whereas the principle dish offers protein and substance, the facet dishes spherical out the meal with selection, vitamin, colour, and steadiness.
There’s no strict rule for the 2 sides; nevertheless, the steadiness works finest when one is hearty and cooked and the opposite is gentle and refreshing.
7 Steps for Selecting Sides
I’ll stroll you thru how I choose my sides. It comes naturally when you get right into a rhythm!
- Choose the principle dish. Resolve in your protein first.
- Steadiness the flavors. Use sides to range seasonings and richness. Pair wealthy, heavy mains with gentle and refreshing sides, or gentle mains (simmered fish) with strong-flavored sides (kinpira gobo).
- Distinction the textures. Introduce sides with totally different textures from the principle. Steadiness tender mains with a crunchy facet; crispy mains (deep-fried dishes) want a young facet (potato salad).
- Range the colours. Add colourful accents for a extra vigorous, interesting meal. Rice and protein are sometimes white or brown, so add inexperienced (cucumber, broccoli, lettuce), pink (tomato, carrot, kabocha), and yellow (egg, corn) within the sides.
- Complement vitamin. Sides present vitamins that the principle dish lacks. Superior: Examine for tactics so as to add extra nutritional vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
- Coordinate with the soup. Use totally different components within the soup vs. sides to extend selection and vitamin.
- Examine the portion dimension. Make the 2 sides collectively about half the quantity of the principle dish. For a 150 g (⅓ lb) predominant dish, serve two sides which can be 75 g (2½ oz) mixed.
- Don’t fear, I by no means measure it. Simply have a look at it and ensure it’s proportional.
Pickles: The Taste Reset
Whereas not one of many “three dishes,” pickles (tsukemono, 漬物) are an important participant on the Japanese desk and generally served with a meal.
Japanese pickles are greens preserved in salt, rice bran, miso, sake lees, koji, vinegar, or soy sauce. Every technique brings distinctive flavors, aromas, and textures, and Japan has a whole bunch of types, from grocery store staples to regional specialties.
Pickles primarily refresh the palate after wealthy or heavy dishes, cleaning the mouth so it’s prepared for the following chunk. Pickles additionally:
- add colour
- deliver texture and pleasure
- supply gut-friendly advantages of lactic acid micro organism in long-fermentation pickles
- protect seasonal greens for year-round enjoyment
Fast Pickles for Dwelling Cooks
Widespread pickles like umeboshi (pickled plums), takuan (daikon radish), and nukazuke (rice bran pickles) require lengthy fermentation, so it’s handy to buy them ready-made.
At residence, Japanese residence cooks typically make gentle pickles for the night’s meal. Referred to as asazuke (浅漬け), they’re quick, straightforward, and don’t require particular gear.
Asazuke takes simply 1–3 hours! I typically put together them with on a regular basis veggies like cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, turnips, eggplant, and daikon radish.
How To Apply Ichiju Sansai in Actual Life
You may marvel, “How do I weave ichiju sansai into my each day life?”
The way you apply it’s actually as much as you! Listed below are some methods to begin:
- Create a routine. Take pleasure in an everyday “Ichiju Sansai Day” as soon as every week.
- Adapt to your individual type. Strive it together with your favourite delicacies—e.g., minestrone soup, herb grilled rooster, roasted root veggies, and sautéed mushrooms with garlic.
- Begin small. Go together with “one soup, two dishes” as a substitute of three. You possibly can additionally serve a easy reduce fruit for a straightforward “facet.”
- Batch cook dinner forward. Refrigerate or freeze soup, rice, mains, and sides for fast meals on busy days. Simply cook dinner one or two contemporary dishes, and dinner is served!
- Combine store-bought with do-it-yourself. It’s superb to go to the deli counter for ready meals to pair together with your home-cooked dishes. Convey all of it along with a fantastic presentation.
Bear in mind, ichiju sansai is a information, not a strict rule. Make it work to your life-style and benefit from the course of!
To get your inventive juices flowing, think about these menus.
I typically swap up the soup and sides with what’s on the market and in my fridge. Add your selection of rice and pickles, and also you’re set!
- Miso Sea Bass (above)
- Japanese Salted Salmon (non-obligatory one-plate type)
- Teriyaki Hen (non-obligatory one-plate type)
- Japanese Hamburger Steak (Hambagu) (non-obligatory one-plate type)
Nami’s Closing Suggestions
Deal with steadiness and concord, and the remainder will fall into place! At all times keep in mind:
- Begin small;
- Maintain it easy;
- Make it your individual;
- Add colour with tableware; and
- Have enjoyable!
As you benefit from the ichiju sansai meal, take a second to recognize the wonder, care, and thoughtfulness that went into planning and creating this harmonious eating expertise.
Earlier than you start, keep in mind to say “Itadakimasu” (いただきます) to specific your gratitude for the meal, and say “Gochisosama deshita” (ごちそうさまでした) to thank the one that ready it and the meals itself.
Ichiju Sansai Creations by You
Check out the great ichiju sansai meals created by our superb neighborhood!
I’d love to listen to how your Ichiju Sansai meal seems! 💛 Ship us your photograph alongside together with your title (or nickname) so we may give you credit score.
Editor’s Be aware: This submit was initially revealed on February 25, 2018, and was republished on October 14, 2025, with extra useful and in-depth content material as a part of our e-newsletter sequence.
