How to Plan Japanese Meals at Home: The Ichiju Sansai System

One of the most useful things about Japanese home cooking is that it operates on a template. The template is called ichiju sansai (一汁三菜) — "one soup, three sides" — and it provides a complete structural framework for every meal.

Understanding the template means you can plan a week of Japanese meals without looking at recipes. The ingredients rotate; the structure stays the same. This is how Japanese home cooks have operated for centuries.

The Template: Ichiju Sansai

A standard Japanese meal consists of:

• Gohan (ご飯) — steamed rice (implicit, always present)
• Shiru (汁) — soup (one type, served alongside rice)
• Okazu (おかず) — side dishes, three in number:
  • One main side (主菜, shusai) — the protein component
  • Two secondary sides (副菜, fukusai) — vegetable preparations

Minimal version (ichiju issai, one soup, one side): Rice, miso soup, one vegetable side. A valid Japanese meal, often used for light dinners or when time is short.

Extended version (ichiju gosai, one soup, five sides): Formal occasions, traditional kaiseki, special dinners. More complex, but still the same template.

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Building Each Component

The Soup

Miso soup covers most situations. It takes 5-10 minutes from dashi to table.

The components of miso soup:

• Dashi base (kombu + katsuobushi, or dashi powder)
• Miso (white/shiro for delicate, red/aka for richer, mixed for everyday)
• 1-3 added ingredients (rotate weekly):
  • Tofu + wakame seaweed (most classic)
  • Daikon + aburaage (fried tofu puffs)
  • Clam + green onion
  • Mushroom + green onion
  • Potato + onion (more substantial)

Weekly rotation principle: The miso soup ingredient changes every 2-3 days. This creates variety without changing the structural component.

Clear soups (suimono) — kombu dashi with a few clean ingredients — substitute for miso soup at formal meals or when something lighter is needed.

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The Main Side (Shusai) — Protein

The main side rotates between fish, meat, tofu, and egg. This is the highest-calorie and highest-protein component.

Fish options (rotate by week):

• Shio yaki (salt-grilled mackerel, salmon, tai)
• Teriyaki (salmon, yellowtail/hamachi)
• Nitsuke (simmered fish in sweet soy sauce)
• Sashimi (for special occasions or quick meals)

Meat options:

• Teriyaki chicken thighs
• Kakuni (braised pork belly — weekend dish, takes 2 hours)
• Gyudon (beef simmered in sweet soy sauce — quick weeknight)
• Chicken karaage (requires advance marination but quick to fry)

Tofu options:

• Agedashi tofu (deep-fried silken tofu in dashi broth)
• Hiyayakko (chilled silken tofu with soy sauce, ginger, green onion)
• Dengaku (tofu grilled with miso paste)

Egg options:

• Tamagoyaki (rolled omelet — can be made in 10 minutes)
• Dashimaki (richer egg roll with dashi incorporated)
• Chawanmushi (steamed egg custard — takes 20 minutes)

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The Secondary Sides (Fukusai) — Vegetables

Two vegetable preparations per meal. These come from a rotating stock of pre-made or quickly assembled dishes.

Category framework for secondary sides:

• One cooked vegetable preparation (nimono, goma ae, aemono)
• One pickled or fermented element (tsukemono, kimchi, or quick-pickled vegetable)

Quick secondary sides (15 minutes or less):

• Spinach with sesame dressing (goma ae): blanch spinach, squeeze dry, dress with ground sesame + soy sauce + mirin
• Cucumber quick-pickle (kyuri no tsukemono): sliced cucumber salted 10 minutes, squeezed, dressed with rice vinegar and sugar
• Blanched green beans with soy sauce and bonito flakes
• Edamame (purchased fresh or frozen — just season with salt)
• Stir-fried lotus root (kinpira renkon) — make a large batch and use for 3 days

Make-ahead secondary sides (prepare Sunday, use all week):

• Simmered burdock root (kinpira gobo): julienned burdock and carrot in soy-sake-mirin, last 5-7 days refrigerated
• Kabocha simmered in dashi: lasts 4-5 days
• Hijiki cooked in soy sauce and dashi: lasts 5-7 days
• Tofu dengaku topping (miso paste for grilling): lasts 2 weeks

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A Weekly Japanese Meal Plan

Monday

• Gohan (steamed rice)
• Miso soup: tofu + wakame
• Main: teriyaki salmon
• Side 1: spinach goma ae
• Side 2: cucumber quick-pickle

Tuesday (use leftover sides)

• Gohan
• Miso soup: daikon + aburaage
• Main: tamagoyaki
• Side 1: leftover goma ae spinach
• Side 2: hijiki salad (from batch prep)

Wednesday

• Gohan
• Miso soup: mushroom + green onion
• Main: chicken karaage (marinate Tuesday night, fry Wednesday)
• Side 1: kinpira gobo (from batch prep)
• Side 2: shredded cabbage with ponzu

Thursday

• Gohan
• Clear soup: kombu dashi + clam + mitsuba
• Main: shio yaki mackerel
• Side 1: blanched green beans with bonito flakes
• Side 2: tsukemono (store-bought or leftover pickle)

Friday (quick, end-of-week meal)

• Gohan
• Miso soup: potato + onion
• Main: hiyayakko (cold tofu with toppings — no cooking required)
• Side 1: edamame
• Side 2: leftover kinpira

Saturday (more time available)

• Gohan
• Miso soup: clam + green onion
• Main: kakuni braised pork belly (start Saturday morning)
• Side 1: kabocha nimono (from batch prep)
• Side 2: pickled plum (umeboshi, bought)

Sunday (batch prep day)

• Gohan (make extra for Monday's onigiri or ochazuke)
• Miso soup: pork + potato + ginger
• Main: gyudon (beef bowl — quick, satisfying)
• Side 1: fresh batch of goma ae
• Side 2: batch of hijiki

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Batch Cooking for Japanese Meals

Five things made in larger quantities on Sunday that carry the week:

1. Dashi: Make 2 liters at once. Refrigerate. Use for miso soup, simmering liquid, and sauces all week.

2. Kinpira (burdock and carrot): A large batch (400g vegetables) keeps 5-7 days and serves as a default secondary side multiple times.

3. Hijiki salad: Rehydrated and cooked hijiki in soy sauce + dashi + sesame, mixed with carrots and aburaage. Keeps 5 days.

4. Steamed rice: Japanese rice keeps well refrigerated 3-4 days. Reheat in a covered bowl with a damp cloth over it in the microwave.

5. Tamagoyaki: A full tamagoyaki pan (4-6 egg roll) can be made on Sunday and sliced for 2-3 days of lunch boxes or side dishes.

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The Pantry Behind the System

The ichiju sansai system requires a working pantry:

Essential:

• Dashi powder or kombu + katsuobushi
• Miso (at least one type)
• Soy sauce
• Mirin
• Sake (cooking sake)
• Rice (Koshihikari or Calrose)
• Sesame seeds (white and black)
• Rice vinegar

Frequently used:

• Dried wakame seaweed
• Aburaage (fried tofu pouches)
• Dried shiitake mushrooms
• Sesame oil
• Potato starch (for karaage, agedashi)

Once these are in rotation, the week's meal planning reduces to choosing which proteins rotate through the main side position and which vegetables rotate through the secondary side positions. The structure stays constant; the ingredients cycle through seasonality and preference.

Related reading: Japanese Healthy Food Guide | What Is Dashi? | Japanese Pantry Starter Guide