Craving an authentic taste of Japan? Beyond sushi, ramen, and tempura, you’ll find a treasure trove of delectable side dishes.
I’m sharing 15 of the most delicious and easy-to-make Japanese sides that will elevate any meal!
1. Japanese Potato Salad
This Japanese potato salad has a mouthwatering combination of flavors and textures, thanks to the mashed potatoes loaded with cucumbers, carrots, and eggs. If you want to switch up your regular mashed potatoes, you need to try this version.
The somewhat mashed potatoes combine with the crunchy veggies to create a wonderful texture. Seasoned with mayonnaise and a splash of rice vinegar, this salad is extremely satisfying and delicious.
2. Japanese Green Beans
These are Japanese green beans combined with silky crumbled tofu and flavored with miso and sesame seeds. Beans have never been so tasty.
The nutty flavor of ground sesame seeds and the sweet and salty flavors of miso make the humble green beans absolutely wonderful. The aroma alone is sensational!
3. Japanese Cabbage Pancakes
These okonomiyaki are Japanese pancakes made with shredded cabbage, flour, eggs, and bacon. They might not sound as delectable as traditional fluffy pancakes, but they’re certainly worth a try.
These pancakes are perfectly crisp and savory, surprisingly tasty considering they’re made with cabbage instead of a sweet batter. You really can’t go wrong with bacon.
4. Spicy Bean Sprout Salad
In many Asian cultures, bean sprouts, also called moyashi, are a staple appetizer and soup garnish.
The crisp sprouts in Japan are flavored with a spicy sauce made from sesame oil, and the result is perfect. Bean sprout salad is frequently served alongside ramen and rice meals to give a great flavor to any dish.
5. Japanese Fried Rice
Yakimeshi is a fried rice that is packed with eggs and meat and seasoned with soy sauce, salt, pepper, sesame oil, and scallions. In addition to the flavor, the combination of colors makes this side dish even more impressive.
Like other fried rice dishes, Yakimeshi is very easy to make. Just stir all the ingredients together in a big frying pan, and dinner is served!
6. Japanese Spinach Salad
Gomae, a Japanese spinach salad, is a simple side dish that is big on flavor.
The rich dressing, made with sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and toasted sesame seeds, is what makes this dish so special. Together, the ingredients create a tart, sweet, umami-packed dressing that makes even the most boring vegetable appealing.
7. Teriyaki Tofu
If you think tofu is boring and bland, you haven’t tasted this dish. This teriyaki tofu has so much flavor that you won’t even miss the meat.
Who could say no to pan-fried tofu in a savory and sweet teriyaki sauce? It only takes four ingredients, too. What could be better?
8. Japanese Grilled Eggplant
Dengaku is all about grilled eggplant covered with a sweet glaze. This traditional Japanese dish is bursting with flavor, and I’d enjoy it at my dinner table anytime.
Because it’s grilled, the dish has a delightful smoky flavor that the sweet miso sauce pairs incredibly well with. It’s often served as an appetizer, but it’s so good I’d eat it as a main dish with rice.
9. Kani Salad
Resting on a bed of lettuce, shredded cucumber, sweet corn, and imitation crab meat are dressed with mayonnaise and ponzu sauce. This is one salad I can get behind.
With the amazing texture combinations of corn, cucumber, and crab meat (kani), kani salad is difficult to say no to. It’s sweet, creamy, crunchy, colorful, and everything I want in a salad.
10. Pickled Daikon Radish
Takua is a sweet and crunchy side dish guaranteed to tickle your taste buds. This pickled daikon radish is sun-dried before being pickled in a mixture of rice wine vinegar, sugar, turmeric, and water for several months.
That gives it that unique, sweet/tart/savory flavor. It’s the best palate cleanser at the end of the meal.
11. Japanese Chicken Wings
If you’re bored with your usual buffalo and garlic parmesan wings, give your crispy fried chicken a Japanese twist!
These chicken wings are oozing with a sweet and savory glaze made even better with ginger, garlic, and pepper. They also have incredibly crisp skin.
What’s the secret? The chicken is coated in potato starch instead of flour to give the skin maximum crunch.
12. Japanese Turnips with Miso
These are small, sweet, crunchy turnips mixed with greens and cooked in miso butter and mirin (rice wine).
The contrasting flavors of light veggies, rich butter, and sweet wine make this dish truly amazing. The flavors and textures play off each other so well that you won’t even realize you’re eating something healthy.
13. Cold Tofu
This is another tofu recipe that will wow you: Hiyayakko. It’s chilled soft tofu garnished with fresh ginger, scallions, and bonito flakes.
You might be asking, what are bonito flakes? They’re the greatest garnish ever.
These dried-up flakes of a fish called bonito have a wonderful salty flavor and melt-in-your-mouth consistency that pairs perfectly with the tofu.
14. Japanese Simmered Squash
Kabocha is Japan’s take on butternut squash, but it’s even more flavorful. Sure, its skin is tougher, but the flesh is softer and sweeter.
This traditional Japanese side dish enhances the kabocha by simply cooking it in a mild broth, called dashi. The dashi broth does a wonderful job of bringing out the sweet flavor of this humble squash.
15. Japanese Coleslaw
This Japanese coleslaw is a bright and refreshing side dish that will make any meal even better.
Piles of shredded cabbage are drizzled with a simple mixture of soy sauce and lemon juice. It only takes that to make the most flavorful and surprisingly irresistible side.