The beauty of Japanese cuisine is in its wide variety of ingredients and cooking methods. The various ways of preparing the many different categories of ingredients combine to create healthy, nutritionally well-balanced meals. Here is an introduction to some of the principal categories of Japanese cuisine. Once the characteristics of each category are understood, Japanese cooking can be more fun and healthier.

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Indispensable supporting players in Japanese cuisine.

A traditional menu in Japanese cuisine is "ichiju-sansai", or "one soup and three dishes". Ichiju-sansai is regarded as the basic daily meal, originally consisting of one soup and three dishes including a raw food such as sashimi, a stewed dish and a grilled dish accompanied by rice. Today's ichiju-sansai is a well-balanced Japanese style meal composed of a staple food such as rice, a main dish with fish, meat, egg or a soy bean product as the principal ingredients and side dishes with vegetables, potatoes or seaweed as the main ingredient.

This is the reason there are so many kinds of vegetable side dishes such as salads and boiled vegetables served with the main dish in a typical Japanese meal.

Side dishes that are rich in vitamins, minerals and dietary fibers should be incorporated when making a Japanese meal and should be as nutritionally balanced as possible.

related recipes

Steamed Bean Salad

60kcal / per person

An easy recipe with various beans cooked in a pot. Just add them one after another so that they are done at the same time.

Boiled Pork with Fresh Onion Sauce

175kcal / per person

Simmer defat pork for about 1 hour until tender and use the boiling liquid to blanch carrot and soy sprouts as garnish. The light and refreshing sauce is prepared with grated onion, which helps keep the vascular system healthy.

Potato Salad with Apple

61kcal / per person

Potato salad is a family meal but also a must-have item at delicatessens.