Japanese Breakfast: Structure, Components and Weekly Plan
A traditional Japanese breakfast consists of a bowl of rice, a miso soup and small side dishes like grilled fish, tamagoyaki, natto and pickled vegetables. It follows the principle of ichijū sansai, "one soup, three sides", and tastes savory rather than sweet.
The ichijū sansai principle
Ichijū sansai (一汁三菜) describes the structure of a classic Japanese meal, at lunch and dinner as well as in the morning. Rice and pickled vegetables are the foundation and don't count. On top of them come:
- one soup (汁, shiru): usually miso soup,
- one main side (主菜, shusai): fish, egg or tofu,
- two small sides (副菜, fukusai): vegetables, seaweed, natto.
Each component goes in its own small bowl. The portions stay small, so you taste everything and get full without stuffing yourself. During the week, many families in Japan eat a shortened form with rice, soup and one side. Toast with coffee is also common there today.
The components
Rice
Steamed Japanese short-grain rice, unseasoned. Allow 70 to 80 g of uncooked rice per person. With a timer on the rice cooker, it is ready in the morning. The basics in a pot are shown in How to Cook Rice.
Miso soup
Dashi, miso and one or two add-ins like tofu cubes, wakame or scallions. The miso soup with shiitake and tofu is a good start, and Butajiru with pork and root vegetables is more filling. You find the right paste for each soup under Miso Types. Start the dashi cold the evening before: 10 g kombu and 10 g bonito flakes in a liter of water in the fridge overnight, strained in the morning. Dashi and Dashi Powder describes alternatives.
Grilled fish
Salted salmon or mackerel is part of breakfast at a ryokan. Salt the fillet the evening before, put it covered in the fridge and pan-fry it for 4 to 5 minutes per side in the morning. Recipes: Shioyaki Saba, grilled mackerel with salt, or Teriyaki Salmon for a sweeter variant.
Tamagoyaki
The rolled omelet of several thin layers of egg, lightly sweet or seasoned with dashi. A rectangular pan helps, though a round one works too. Instructions: Tamagoyaki. It tastes good cold as well, so you can cook it the evening before.
Natto
Fermented soybeans with sticky strands and a strong smell. Stir them vigorously with the included sauce and mustard and spoon them over the rice. You can buy natto frozen at an Asian grocery store, or make it yourself with this natto recipe. If you don't like natto, replace it with cold tofu with soy sauce and ginger.
Tsukemono and small extras
Pickled vegetables like Kyuri Asazuke, cucumbers in a soy and sake marinade, an umeboshi or yellow radish (takuan). Add a small bowl of Goma-ae, spinach with sesame dressing, and a few sheets of toasted nori to pick up rice with.
Quick variations
For rushed mornings, Japan has classics made from a few ingredients:
- Tamago Kake Gohan: hot rice with a raw egg and soy sauce. Use only fresh eggs that you have kept refrigerated. Raw egg is not suitable for pregnant people, small children and older people.
- Zosui: day-old rice in broth with egg, ready in ten minutes.
- Shokupan: the soft milk bread, toasted thick with butter. Many Japanese people eat breakfast like this day to day.
Weekly plan idea
With a little prep on the weekend, you need 15 to 20 minutes in the morning. Cook rice for two days, dashi for three and tsukemono for five to seven days.
| Day | Soup | Main side | Small sides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | Miso with tofu and wakame | Salted salmon | Cucumber tsukemono, nori |
| Tuesday | Miso with scallion | Tamagoyaki | Natto, spinach with sesame |
| Wednesday | Tamago kake gohan instead of soup | Raw egg on rice | Umeboshi, nori |
| Thursday | Miso with mushrooms | Mackerel | Cucumber tsukemono, cold tofu |
| Friday | Zosui | Egg in the soup | Spinach with sesame |
| Saturday and Sunday | Butajiru | Salted salmon and tamagoyaki | Natto, tsukemono, nori |
Shopping
You can buy Japanese short-grain rice, light and red miso, wakame, nori and kombu at an Asian grocery store and in well-stocked supermarkets in the Asian aisle. Sushi rice from Italy or Spain works just as well for breakfast, because it also belongs to the japonica group. Natto, umeboshi and takuan are found almost only at an Asian grocery store with a Japanese range or online, natto usually in the freezer in small cups with sauce and mustard. For the fish, a salmon or mackerel fillet from the fresh counter is enough. For a basic pantry, buy rice, miso, kombu, bonito flakes, wakame and soy sauce in bulk. They keep for weeks to months in the cupboard or, once opened, in the fridge.
Preparation and common mistakes
- In the evening: wash the rice and set the rice cooker timer, start the dashi cold, salt the fish.
- First thing in the morning: heat the dashi and briefly cook the add-ins in it.
- At the same time: pan-fry the fish, roll the tamagoyaki or take it out of the fridge from the day before.
- Last: stir the miso into the soup once it is no longer boiling and plate everything in small bowls.
- Miso boiled: If the soup boils after you stir in the miso, the miso loses aroma and separates.
- Portions too big: The breakfast lives on many small bowls. A plate with everything on it mixes the flavors.
- Sweet sides: Jam, muesli and juice don't fit the savory pattern. Drink green tea instead.
Allergens: The breakfast usually contains soy (miso, soy sauce, natto, tofu), fish (dashi, salmon, mackerel), egg and sesame. For a vegan version, make dashi only from kombu and shiitake and replace fish and egg with pan-fried tofu.