Teishoku Time: Five kinds of Japanese set meals you should try!

Today we’ll be going back to basics, and instead of talking about a regional dish or specialty, go through the concept of a meal that you can find in virtually every Japanese restaurant on the planet—teishoku!

Teishoku (定食) is basically a way of referring to a Japanese set meal. The kanji used literally translate to Set (定) and Meal (食), but unlike the wide and varied types of set meals you can find in western restaurants, teishoku have a very distinct identity, even if the ingredients are different each time.

It is common budget travellers’ wisdom that if you wanna save money on your trip, you can get your lunches or dinners off a shelf at a konbini (convenience store). But really, you deserve good, hearty and nutritionally balanced meals to replenish the daily calories needed to trog through your itineraries, and teishoku are the perfect economical means to do that!

What’s in a Teishoku?

All four components of this setup are mandatory to have an authentic teishoku experience!
(Image Credit: JAPAN RAIL CAFE)

A complete teishoku will usually feature a main dish on a wooden tray as the centrepiece, alongside a bowl of steaming rice, miso soup, a main dish and at least a couple of side dishes or pickled vegetables. This main dish can be almost any protein or filling food that goes well with the rice. Popular mains include quintessential Japanese staples like grilled salmon, chicken namban, pork shogayaki and many more.

The side dishes, while normally there to complement the main, can be equally as important in completing the teishoku experience. They break up the flavour as a palate cleanser, and ensure that the entire meal is well-balanced and filling. With such a vast smorgasbord of different tsukemono, it is its own topic for another time, but most places will generally limit your choices from two to no more than eight.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at five types of teishoku sets you can easily find in Japanese restaurants everywhere!

1. Chicken Namban Teishoku

Did you know that July 8th is designated as Chicken Nan(7)Ban(8) Day? No better time to dig into a plate of one of these! (Image Credit: photoAC)

One of the most common types of teishoku mains found in almost every teishoku-ya. Chicken Namban is a soul food of Miyazaki Prefecture (宮崎県 Miyazaki-ken) where it can be traced back to the 1950s as a western-style dish. The “Namban” in the name apparently refers to the Portuguese, who traded with Miyazaki Prefecture back in the old feudal days and brought along their unique method of marinating food in sweet vinegar and chilli peppers.

Now it is an incredibly popular dish favoured by children and adults alike, and is eaten as an everyday meal at home and in restaurants. Succulent deep-fried chicken thigh, marinated in sweet vinegar and served with a dollop of tartar sauce on top—hard to go wrong with that!

2. Shogayaki Teishoku 

Allegedly, this recipe came about due to the use of ginger to suppress the gamey smell of pork.
(Image Credit: photoAC)

Shogayaki (生姜焼き, ginger fry) is another classic Japanese dish prepared by cooking thinly sliced pork with soy sauce, sake, mirin, and of course, ginger. Simple and quick to prepare, this dish becomes an instant comfort food when served with a hot bowl of rice, making it an obvious choice to round out any teishoku menu. The second-most popular pork dish in Japan after tonkatsu, if you feel overwhelmed with choice and are craving something simple yet delightful, this is the dish for you!

3. Kaki Fry Teishoku 

Nothing evokes the memory of the seaside quite like the taste of freshly-prepared, breaded, fried oysters. (Image Credit: photoAC)

Oyster Fry (カキフライ Kaki Furai) is another must-try teishoku found at many places across Japan, featuring oysters breaded and deep-fried to a crispy golden brown. There is an abundance of oyster hotspots dotted across the many bays and seas of the country, but the type usually used for deep-frying are magaki (Pacific Oyster), commonly found in Hiroshima Prefecture (広島県 Hiroshima-ken) and the Seto Inland Sea (瀬戸内海 Seto Naikai).

Owing to the powerful and sometimes pungent flavour of the oyster, these teishoku are usually balanced out with fresh shredded cabbage and salads, and go extremely well with tartar sauce, much like the aforementioned chicken namban.

4. Udon Teishoku 

Udon know what you’re missing out on if all you eat is ramen and soba! (Image Credit: photoAC)

Here’s a recommendation you might not have expected for your teishoku—Udon Noodles! While it may sound counterintuitive to pair two carb-heavy bowls together in your set meal, the chunky, refreshing nature of udon can go well with rice if prepared with good toppings. Bukkake Udon (ぶっかけうどん) is one variation of this dish made famous in Kagawa Prefecture (香川県 Kagawa-ken),  Japan’s capital of Udon. In the udon shops which line its streets, it’s common for people to buy a bowl and add on a side plate of tempura or other fried food to complete their own “teishoku” of sorts!

5. Saba Teishoku

Many Japanese eateries and restaurants include teishoku in their menu, especially during lunchtime
(Image Credit: photoAC)

Our last feature for this list is the ever humble Saba Teishoku (鯖定食), a traditional meal featuring grilled mackerel (saba) as the main dish. Seasoned with salt (shioyaki) and served with a wedge of lemon and grated daikon radish to enhance the flavour, this light and simple meal is perfect as a breakfast to start the day, or for someone who does not want something too heavy.

Saba fish is caught pretty much off every coast in Japan, and is so ingrained in Japanese culinary history that there’s even a famous trading route connecting Fukui Prefecture (福井県 Fukui-ken) and olden Kyoto called the Saba Kaido, or the Mackerel Road.

Enjoy the full teishoku experience at JAPAN RAIL CAFE Singapore!

With 5 mains and 6 sides available as of time of writing, you could stop by the cafe seventy-five times and still get a different combination every time!
(Image Credit: JAPAN RAIL CAFE)

Good news for all our Singaporean readers with rumblings in their tummies after reading this article: You can enjoy ALL 5 types of teishoku introduced in this article at JAPAN RAIL CAFE Singapore, courtesy of our new Teishoku Menu series launched as of July 1st 2024! Specially developed to cater to our especially voracious and cost-sensitive office crowd customers, these teishoku all come with two sides of your choice from our selection of six:

• Zangi (Hokkaido-style chicken karaage)
• Crab Cream Croquette
• Nasu Agetabashi (simmered eggplant)
• Katsuo Tataki (Bonito sashimi)
• Edamame
• Potato Salad

Which means a whole new world of dining awaits you at your next visit! And to further sweeten the deal (and reward you for making it to the end of this article), we’ll be holding a limited-time giveaway on JAPAN RAIL CAFE's Facebook and Instagram channels, specially for all of our customers!

GIVEAWAY -  WIN a pair of teishoku set meals of your choice for your next visit to JAPAN RAIL CAFE! (15 - 30 July 2024)

(Image Credit: JAPAN RAIL CAFE)

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? To celebrate the new launch of our new Teishoku Menu, JAPAN RAIL CAFE is giving away 2 teishoku set meals to 2 winners each. 

To participate, simply:

1. Make sure you’ve liked/followed @japanrailcafe on Facebook/Instagram.
2. Share a screenshot of the puzzle in the post at the correct timing
3. Tag a friend you’ll be sharing your teishoku with!

Let’s see if you’ve been paying attention, as the key to solving this puzzle lies within this article! This contest ends 30 July, and winners will be contacted via DM. 

Without further ado, get yourself to your nearest Japanese restaurant now, becuase its time for teishoku!

JAPAN RAIL CAFE
Address: 5 Wallich Street #01-19/20 Singapore 078883
Nearest station: Tanjong Pagar MRT
Opening hours: 11am–9pm (Monday–Thursday), 11am–9:30pm (Friday–Saturday), 11am–8pm (Sunday)

Related Articles

• Eki-citing Tokyo: 4 Washoku Restaurants to try this season
• Freshness Explosion! The best places to get Japanese seafood ocean-to-table
• Gastronomical delights: 4 spots for food and experiences in Niigata Prefecture

Header image credit: JR Times