The Complete Morning Table: Ichiju Sansai
The pinnacle of Japanese morning cuisine, this traditional breakfast set brings together one soup and three sides alongside perfectly steamed rice. Grilled salted salmon, simmered vegetables, and delicate pickles create a harmonious balance of flavors and textures that nourishes body and soul.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Japanese short-grain rice (uncooked)
- 2 salmon fillets (about 4 oz each), skin-on
- 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt (for salmon)
- 2 cups dashi stock
+ 11 more ingredients
Instructions
Rinse the rice in cold water until the water runs clear, about 4-5 washes. Cook in a rice cooker with the appropriate amount of water according to your machine.
Salt the salmon fillets generously on both sides and let them rest on a wire rack in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes. Pat dry with paper towels before cooking.
Prepare the spinach ohitashi: blanch spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds, shock in ice water, squeeze out all excess moisture, and chop into 2-inch lengths. Toss with soy sauce, sesame seeds, and sesame oil.
Heat the dashi stock in a saucepan over medium heat. Rehydrate the dried wakame in warm water for 5 minutes, then drain.
Preheat the broiler to high. Place salmon skin-side down on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil for 8-10 minutes until the top is golden and the fish flakes easily.
While the salmon broils, add tofu cubes to the simmering dashi. Dissolve the miso paste in a small amount of hot dashi, then stir back into the pot. Add the wakame. Do not let the miso soup boil after adding the miso.
Arrange each serving on a tray in the traditional layout: rice at the bottom left, miso soup at the bottom right, grilled salmon as the main dish at the top center, spinach ohitashi at the top left, and pickles at the top right.
Garnish the rice with nori strips and serve the umeboshi on a small dish alongside the pickles.
Nutrition Estimate
Per serving • Estimated by Blinner AI