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Home » Recipes » Side Dishes

Side Dish Recipes

Explore our easy Japanese side dish recipes that are full of flavor and simple to make. Try classics like goma-ae (sesame spinach), kinpira gobo (braised burdock), or tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet) to complete your meal.

Serve up small bites like pickled vegetables, edamame, or miso-glazed eggplant. These tasty sides pair perfectly with rice, noodles, or any main dish—and they’re great for lunch, dinner, or bento boxes.

An oval Japanese plate containing Japanese rolled omelette, Tamagoyaki, placed over a bamboo leaf. An oval Japanese plate containing Japanese rolled omelette, Tamagoyaki, placed over a bamboo leaf.
Try this!
3-Ingredient Simple Tamagoyaki (Video) 玉子焼き

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All Side Dishes Recipes

  • Three grilled triangular rice balls (yaki onigiri) with a golden-brown crust are arranged on a green leaf in a rectangular plate, accompanied by pickled vegetables on the side. The setting is on a wooden table.
    Yaki Onigiri (Grilled Rice Ball) (Video) 焼きおにぎり
    82
    30 minutes
  • An indigo round plate containing chopped cabbage dish called Yamitsuki Cabbage served with a pair of chopsticks and small dishes and sake cups and the table.
    Yamitsuki Cabbage やみつきキャベツ
    128
    5 minutes
  • A round red bowl containing Simmered Shiitake Mushrooms (Fukumeni) garnished with green leaves.
    Simmered Shiitake Mushrooms (Fukumeni) 椎茸の含め煮
    3
    25 minutes
  • Blue and white bowls containing ramen with soup topped with seared sliced chicken chashu, soft boiled egg, and blanched bok choy, and garnished with pickled ginger.
    Chicken Chashu 鶏チャーシュー
    3
    1 hour
  • Sushi oke (Hangiri) containing sushi rice made with cooked Japanese short-grain rice, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt.
    How to Make Sushi Rice (Video) 酢飯
    498
    1 hour 30 minutes
  • A ceramic donabe pot containing Japanese chestnut rice (kuri gohan); peeled chestnuts beautifully laying over steamed rice in a single layer.
    Chestnut Rice (Kuri Gohan) 栗ご飯
    13
    2 hours 35 minutes
  • A white plate containing okra with ginger soy sauce.
    Okra with Ginger Soy Sauce オクラの生姜醤油和え
    16
    15 minutes
  • An oval fluted plate containing Stir-Fried Bitter Melon and Eggplant topped with julienned ginger.
    Easy
    Stir-Fried Bitter Melon and Eggplant with Miso
    1
    15 minutes
  • A white plate containing Bean Sprout Salad, seasoned with sesame oil and mixed with (ground) sesame seeds and green onions.
    Bean Sprout Salad もやしのナムル
    52
    7 minutes
  • A plate containing Onsen Tamago (Japanese hot spring egg) made with a microwave.
    Easy
    2-Minute Microwave Onsen Tamago
    7
    3 minutes
  • A round ceramic plate containing napa cabbage stir-fry with shiitake mushrooms and bacon seasoned lightly with soy sauce.
    Easy
    Napa Cabbage Stir-Fry 白菜の炒め物
    30
    20 minutes
  • A blue and white bowl containing Simmered Ganmodoki topped with yuzu zest and served with dashi soy broth and komatsuna greens.
    Simmered Ganmodoki がんもどきの含め煮
    2
    35 minutes
  • A white bowl containing Onsen Tamago (Japanese Hot Spring Egg) drizzled with dashi-based broth and garnished with sliced green onion.
    Onsen Tamago (Video) 温泉卵
    174
    30 minutes
  • Japanese plates containing Ganmodoki (Japanese fried tofu patties).
    Ganmodoki (Japanese Fried Tofu Patties) がんもどき
    6
    40 minutes
  • A rice bowl containing Hijiki Rice (Takikomi Gohan) served with pickles on the side.
    Hijiki Rice (Takikomi Gohan) ひじき炊き込みご飯
    25
    1 hour
  • A glass picking jar containing my favorite and go-to Japanese pickles made with colorful vegetables seasoned with salt, kombu, and sugar.
    Asazuke (Japanese Lightly Pickled Vegetables) 浅漬け
    12
    15 minutes
  • Perfectly cooked Japanese short-grain rice being served in the Japanese rice bowl.
    How to Cook Japanese Rice in a Pot on the Stove (Video)
    171
    30 minutes
  • An oval Japanese plate containing Japanese rolled omelette, Tamagoyaki, placed over a bamboo leaf.
    3-Ingredient Simple Tamagoyaki (Video) 玉子焼き
    8
    15 minutes
  • A white and blue enamel bowl containing Crispy Baked Potato Wedges with ketchu in a mini container.
    Crispy Baked Potato Wedges
    4
    1 hour
  • A black bowl containing Namasu (Japanese Daikon and Carrot Salad).
    Namasu (Daikon and Carrot Salad) 紅白なます
    51
    15 minutes
  • A green plate containing Datemaki, Japanese sweet rolled omelette, enjoyed during the New Years.
    Datemaki (Japanese Sweet Rolled Omelette) (Video) 伊達巻
    25
    40 minutes
  • A white and red Japanese bowl containing Kuromame, sweet black soybeans, topped with gold leaf for the Japanese new year's celebration.
    Kuromame (Sweet Black Soybeans) 黒豆
    18
    4 hours 35 minutes
  • Fresh homemade mochi made with a stand mixer.
    How to Make Mochi with a Stand Mixer (Homemade Mochi) お餅の作り方
    276
    2 hours
  • A blue plate containing menma, seasoned bamboo shoots for ramen.
    Quick Menma Recipe (Seasoned Bamboo Shoots)
    7
    40 minutes
  • Japanese spinach salad dressed in sesame sauce served in a bowl
    Japanese Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing (Gomaae) (Video) 胡麻和え
    249
    15 minutes
  • A rice cooker containing freshly cooked brown rice.
    How to Cook Short-Grain Brown Rice in a Rice Cooker 玄米
    8
    1 hour 30 minutes
  • A fluted bowl containing Pickled Watermelon Rind.
    Pickled Watermelon Rind (Video) スイカの漬物
    50
    20 minutes
  • A glassware containing Japanese cold tofu topped with green onion and grated ginger and drizzled with soy sauce.
    Japanese Cold Tofu (Hiyayakko) 冷奴
    47
    10 minutes
  • A white plate containing zucchini corn stir fry seasoned with miso butter.
    Zucchini Corn Stir Fry
    23
    15 minutes
  • A white bowl containing Easy Chrysanthemum Salad.
    Chrysanthemum Greens Salad 春菊のナムル
    10
    10 minutes
  • A white ceramic plate containing Napa Cabbage Pickles (Tsukemono).
    Pickled Napa Cabbage 白菜の浅漬け
    17
    10 minutes
  • Black and white round ceramic plates containing roasted kabocha slices.
    Japanese Roasted Kabocha Squash
    20
    30 minutes
  • A Hario donabe (Japanese clay pot) containing Japanese Mushroom Rice topped with butter, chives, and sea salt flakes.
    Japanese Mushroom Rice きのこご飯
    66
    1 hour
  • Weck jars containing fresh kimchi.
    Quick Korean Fresh Kimchi 即席キムチ
    21
    30 minutes
  • Green bean gomaae in a Japanese ceramic mortar.
    21 Popular Japanese Vegetable Dishes
  • A rectangular plate containing three flavors of mochi (sweet red bean, sweet soybean flour, and soy sauce and nori seaweed).
    Easy
    How to Enjoy Mochi (Japanese Rice Cake)
    22
    12 minutes
  • Japanese New Year dish Kuri Kinton is served in the lacquer bowl.
    Kuri Kinton (Candied Chestnuts and Sweet Potatoes) 栗きんとん
    18
    1 hour
  • White flower-shaped ceramic containing candied sardines (tazukuri)
    Tazukuri (Candied Anchovies) (Video) 田作り
    17
    20 minutes
  • Assortment of mushrooms are wrapped and cooked in foil with miso and butter.
    Miso Butter Mushrooms in Foil きのこのホイル焼き
    48
    30 minutes
  • A classic Japanese style meal consists of multiple dishes on a wooden tray.
    Senmaizuke (Japanese Pickled Turnip) 千枚漬け
    12
    15 minutes
  • A baking sheet pan containing Roasted Miso Garlic Cauliflower.
    Roasted Miso Garlic Cauliflower
    51
    43 minutes
  • A rice bowl containing Sweet Potato Rice (Satsumaimo Gohan) sprinkled with gomashio (salt & black sesame seeds).
    Japanese Sweet Potato Rice さつまいもご飯
    9
    1 hour 10 minutes
  • A white plate containing Spicy Japanese Pickled Cucumbers sprinkled with white sesame seeds.
    Spicy Japanese Pickled Cucumbers ピリ辛きゅうりの浅漬け
    36
    15 minutes
  • A white ceramic plate containing ramen eggs.
    Ramen Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago) (Video) 味付け玉子
    543
    15 minutes
  • A ceramic rice container filled with Okowa (Japanese Mixed Glutinous Rice).
    Japanese Sticky Rice with Chicken and Vegetables (Okowa) 五目おこわ
    33
    1 hour 30 minutes
  • A rice bowl containing Myoga Yukari Mazegohan.
    Myoga Yukari Rice (Mazegohan) ミョウガとゆかりの混ぜご飯
    4
    10 minutes
  • A plate containing thinly shredded egg crepe/omelette called Kinshi Tamago.
    How to Make Kinshi Tamago (Shredded Egg Crepe) 錦糸卵
    14
    20 minutes
  • A donabe pot containing Japanese Corn Rice (Butter Shoyu Flavor) topped with melted butter.
    Japanese Corn Rice (Video) バター醤油とうもろこしご飯
    95
    1 hour 20 minutes
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