Sanma Teishoku (Japanese set meal)

Hi, everybody!
Thank you for visiting our food blog.
We had a stunning morning sky in Tiong Bahru this morning.

The sky especially of sunrising fascinates me as it is nothing same whenever I see.
I hope you all are well and stay safe.

Today we are going to share the very traditional Japanese Teishoku meal, which was constructed by Japanese cuisine’s philosophy, Ichiju-Sansai (一汁三菜).

Washoku, or Japanese cuisine, has been recognized by UNESCO as an item of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The foundation of Japanese cuisine since ancient times has been meals made up of one type of soup and three other dishes (one main dish and two sides). In fact, ichi means one and jumeans soup, while san is three and sai refers to dishes—so ichiju-sansai literally means, “One soup, three dishes.” Rice and pickles are always served as well, but the soup and other dishes are free to change depending upon the season and what you’d like to eat.

But why we Japanese people put a high value on Ichiju-Sansai?
One reason is how healthy it is. This set menu allows people to eat rice for energy-giving carbohydrates and soup for hydration, while the nutrition of the accompanying dishes balances everything out. Through the many nutritious substances mixing in the stomach, your digestion and ingestion improve, which has the effect of letting you discharge excess fat, sugar and salt. That’s why it’s so healthy for you!

Finally we are going to open our sample images for Ichiju-Sansai that we cooked the other day.

That is composed of grilled Sanma fish with grated Daikon citrus dip, Oyster mushroom Takikomi Gohan (vegetable & seaweed mixed rice), Prawn Dashi Miso Soup, Vinegared Wakame Seaweed Salad, Spinach with Lemon Miso Dressing.

I just wanted my children learn these our great heritage and tradition.
And I showed them how to eat fish neatly using only chopsticks 🙂

Lastly this might be for your extra information, we purchase the frozen Sanma which was transported from Japan directly at the fishmonger which is called Song Fish in China town.

To be honest, their Sanma is more affordable than other Japanese grocery shops.
If you have a chance to pop in them, it’s worth trying their Sanma.

Well, it’s going to be time for my work.

Stay strong, Stay positive, Keep smiling.

Have a lovely day everybody!

Naoko xx

About Naoko Kashiwagi 1021 Articles
Japanese chef, Culinary artist