How to Make a Full Ichiju-sansai Meal in Less than 30 Minutes
Ichiju-sansai is a term used to describe the way traditional Japanese meals are constructed. It literally translates to “one soup, three sides” (or 「一汁三菜」) and is one of the main principles guiding Japanese healthy eating and nutrition.
This style of eating allows for us to eat healthily without compromising our favorite foods– unlike elimination diets or strict dogmatic eating rules, it serves more as a philosophy on how we can enjoy food and eat more of the vegetables, meats, and seasonings we love to heal and nourish our bodies. To read more about ichiju-sansai and the Japanese art of eating healthily, you can check out my previous writing here.
Ichiju-sansai meals can look intimidating, but with the right knowledge, ingredients, and a bit of foresight and preparation, you can definitely make a full traditional Japanese meal in less than 30 minutes. Here’s how–
Ingredients To have Beforehand
- Rice
- Red miso paste (I use Marukome’s Dashi Ryotei No Aji)
- Dashi (I use Ajinomoto Soup Stock Hondashi)
- Japanese pantry staples: sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar
- Tofu (silky or firm)
- Spinach (fresh or frozen)
- Shimeji mushrooms (shiitake, enoki, oyster works as well)
- Eggplant
- Ginger
- Salmon filet
- *Dried katsuo flakes– optional
- *Dried wakame– optional (hijiki, nori work as well)
The Base: Rice and Miso Soup
Rice Instructions:
Make the rice first– I highly recommend investing in a high quality rice cooker and following the instructions that come with the device, especially if you find yourself eating lots of rice at home. It is the easiest way to make perfect rice every time, saves you a lot of time, and the rice cooker can be adapted to many other dishes, such as stews, soups, and slow cooker meats.
In fact, almost every Japanese household will have a rice cooker — some spending up to $200 and up — because if you’re going to eat rice often, it’s worth investing in the quality. The one I use at home is Zojirushi’s Induction Heating Pressure Rice Cooker & Warmer NP-NVC10/18.
“Make the rice first, put it in the rice cooker and move on to the side dishes.”
The easiest addition to a traditional Japanese meal is the miso soup, and often what I cook last, as it only takes about 5 minutes.
Miso Soup Instructions:
- Heat up water, hot but not boiling.
- Add in favorite add-ins, such as dried wakame and tofu.
- Dissolve in red miso paste– about 2 tbsp per 400ml of water, but it is very easy to adjust the taste as you go.
- Serve into small bowls
*Tip: Scoop miso using a ladle, add in a bit of hot water from the pot into the ladle, and dissolve it in the ladle first. Once the miso paste is more liquid, add it into soup– this ensures that there are no miso clumps in the soup and everything is thoroughly dissolved.
Okazu 1: Spinach and Mushroom Ohitashi
*Okazu = side dish in Japanese
- For 4 servings: 2 spinach bundles (300g), 1 bag of shimeji (150g), 200ml dashi, 5 tsp of soy sauce, 5 tsp of mirin, katsuo flakes to taste
- Wash and cut spinach into lengths about 4 cm long. For shimeji, cut off the bottom and separate into pieces.
- Medium heat. Cook shimeji mushrooms, and then spinach in a small pot. Cook until wilted.
- Low heat. Add dashi, soy sauce, mirin to the pot. Heat for about 1 minute until warm.
- Serve into small plates, top off with katsuo flakes.
- *Tip: Feel free to skip the pan and cook everything in the microwave– steam the vegetables for 3-4 minutes in a microwave until wilted, add the seasonings, and serve.
Okazu 2: Steamed Miso Eggplant
- For 4 servings: 2 large or 4 small eggplants, 1/2 tsp of grated ginger, 1 tbsp miso, 1 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp sugar, katsuo flakes to taste.
- Cut eggplants into 1/2 inch thick half moons (or shape of your choosing).
- Medium heat. Cook eggplants, add ginger, miso, sake, and sugar.
- Serve into small plates, top off with katsuo flakes.
- *Tip: Feel free to skip the pan and cook everything in the microwave– add the diced eggplants and seasonings into glassware and microwave for 5 minutes until soft, and serve.
Okazu 3: Teriyaki Salmon
- For 4 servings: 4 salmon filets, 4 tbsp soy sauce, 4 tbsp mirin, 4 tbsp sake, and 2 tbsp sugar
- Medium heat. Place salmon skin-side down on the pan. Let it cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar. Reduce the heat and cook until fish is cooked through.
- Serve onto small plates.
- *Tip: Let the skin get a bit crispy first, and then add alcohols (mirin and sake) for 1-2 minutes, then soy sauce and sugar after. Put a lid on the pan to steam. The order of ingredients helps to maximize flavor and the way it’s incorporated in the salmon.
By learning the basic skills and seasonings behind Japanese cooking, you can easily bring delicious and nutritious food into your daily meals. In fact, the ingredients you use, the shape you cut your vegetables, and the exact seasoning measurements don’t really matter to get a wonderful Japanese meal on your table. Swap your vegetables, change the protein, use honey instead of sugar, or add an extra splash of dashi– cooking traditional Japanese meals does not need to be intimidating, and once you have the staple ingredients it’s very easy to make colorful, full Japanese meals at home.
“Don’t get caught up in the small details — season to taste, use vegetables you love, and experiment with Japanese cooking.”
Enjoy the process, experiment a bit with your own style, and I hope to have inspired you to take on a bit of Japanese home cooking!
If you enjoyed this article please let me know at kokumura@kakikata.space! In addition, if you have any questions or comments for me please don’t hesitate to reach out– I would love to hear from you and help you in your health journey in any way I can 🌱
Warm regards,
Kaki
