There are so many countries where rice is the staple food. Japan is one of them. Are you aware that each country has its own rice? For example, Indian and Japanese rice are different figures and tastes. Indian rice is thin, long, dry, and light. The Japanese one is short, moist, and a little bit heavy and sweet. Each rice is suitable for each side dish, like curry, or grilled fish. In Japan, there is the expression “ GOHAN SANBAI IKERU” “, which means that you can eat three cups of rice with just this dish. It means the dish is super rich and tasty and sometimes too much. Because you would eat more rice than you wanted. I’ll explain further and more carefully. When you eat some salty and rich taste dishes, you need a lot of rice to soften the taste. If the dish is very rich and tasty, you need three cups of rice, not just one or two. Rice not only softened the taste but also enhances it. Many Japanese feel extreme happiness when eating something a little bit of rich and tasty dish with a large amount of rice. Nowadays rice is deemed to be an enemy of health because of its rich carbohydrate, though. Like this↓
Mentaiko=a little tiny cod roe and plenty of rice, that’s a perfect balance.
The following pictures are a collection of “the great little tiny dish”. We usually call them “Gohan no Otomo”=Great partners with rice. Pickles, Tsukudani=Little fish, seaweed or clam stewed with soy sauce, Mentaiko, etc. Although raw egg and Natto are also should be included, I don’t want to force you to eat them because I’m aware that some people can’t accept them at all. But if you dare to try it, I definitely recommend it.
*These are examples of ”Great partners with Japanese rice”. *
There is a great restaurant where you can enjoy Mentaiko=cod roe, pickles, and rice as much as you want. Please click here for further information. ←Wait for a while! Now in production. Sorry.
This “Dashi-Gohan” is another example of “Gohan no Otomo”. In this case, “Dashi” doesn’t mean fish soup. It is a kind of dialect of Yamagata prefecture. Dashi-Gohan is also the local cuisine of Yamagata. This is minced pickles with soy sauce. It contains several kinds of pickles such as cucumber, okra, radish, etc. This became a popular menu these days across the country, so no more local cuisine.
When you need more cups of rice, you can say “Okawari,kudasai”. In some casual restaurants, such as Teishokuya or Izakaya, you can say it loudly from your table. “Okawari” means one more serving. It might be free in a casual restaurant. In this case, the staff tells you beforehand or is written on the menu. “ご飯おかわり無料＝Gohan okawari muryo=Okawari of rice is free”