Looking for japanese dinner recipes to change up your dinner plans? Start with golden breaded cutlets, a bowl of saucy noodles or salmon with rice.
These dishes give you plenty of inspiration, whether you want everything in one bowl or a few little sides on the table.
You can keep things simple or try something a little different. I especially love the dumplings with their lacy golden edges!
Use these pictures to choose your next dish, then follow a complete recipe for the cooking details.
Japanese dinner ideas worth saving
golden katsu with cabbage
We’re starting off strong with this gorgeous golden cutlet. I love the dark sauce drizzled across the sliced breading, with a big mound of finely shredded cabbage beside it.
Keep the white rice on the side if you want to follow this plate. There’s no need for an elaborate arrangement here.
glazed salmon and vegetables
How good does this salmon look? The browned top has a glossy coating and a scattering of black and white sesame seeds.
White rice, carrots and leafy greens fill out the plate.
If you want to try this pairing, a teriyaki salmon recipe would be a lovely starting point.
sliced chashu
This chashu may just be one of my favorites here. The overlapping slices show off the pale layers and dark browned edges so well.
Try serving your chashu over rice or adding a few slices to a noodle bowl. Those are two ways to turn this platter into dinner.
Read also: 20 New Year’s Day Dinner Ideas From Black-Eyed Peas to Glazed Ham
beef and onion rice bowl
If you love a rice bowl with plenty on top, this one is for you. Thin beef slices and curved onion strips surround an orange egg yolk, with chopped scallions scattered over everything.
I’d keep the extra scallions on the table, just like the little bowl shown above.
curry rice with a fried egg
I am obsessed with this curry plate. There are chunky carrots and potatoes in the brown sauce, plus a fried egg taking up a good part of the rice.
The pink garnish is such a pretty finishing touch. For your own plate, you might add pickled ginger alongside the curry.
chicken and egg over rice
Want another way to bring eggs into dinner? This oyakodon-style bowl has chicken pieces, onion slices and egg layered over white rice.
The thin scallion rings and reddish seasoning on top make it look especially inviting.
cabbage pancake with sauce
How pretty is this savory pancake? I love the cabbage and carrot strands peeking out around the golden edges.
Dark sauce and white zigzags cover the top.
Keep the chopped scallions and sesame seeds if you’re putting together a similar okonomiyaki-style plate. They’re a lovely final touch.
thick noodles and mushrooms
The noodle fans are going to love this! Thick noodles curl around mushrooms, carrot strips, cabbage and browned pieces of meat.
If you’re looking through yaki udon recipes, save this as your serving inspiration. I especially like the generous scattering of scallions rather than just a tiny pinch.
miso black cod with rice
Don’t want a plate piled high with toppings? No problem! This image labels the dish as miso black cod with coconut rice, with the browned fish sitting right in the middle.
The little green garnish is enough decoration for me. I’d leave the rest of the plate simple.
golden shrimp and vegetables
These golden shrimp really do deserve the middle of the plate. The tails point upward above the coating, with curved squash slices and other vegetables tucked behind them.
Try keeping your dipping sauce in a small bowl on the side, as shown here, rather than pouring it over everything.
chicken and scallion skewers
I love these yakitori-style skewers with alternating chicken and thick scallion pieces. The glossy coating and dark char marks look so good together.
To build a dinner around them, you could add rice and a cucumber side. Let the skewers stay the main event.
hamburger steak and egg
If you want something beyond a noodle bowl, take a look at this hamburger steak plate. A dark sauce covers the browned patty, with a fried egg, white rice and lettuce beside it.
Read also: 20 Main Dish Dinner Recipes and Ideas to Inspire Your Next Meal
That egg overlapping the rice is my favorite part of the arrangement. Save this for a hambagu-inspired dinner.
sesame-topped rice bowl
This is another rice bowl worth a closer look. Browned slices and onion strips sit over white rice, with a generous sprinkle of sesame seeds across the top.
I love the deep red bowl here. If you’re serving a similar dish, keep the topping gathered in the middle so a little rice shows around the edges.
gyoza with a lacy skirt
Okay, that golden lace is gorgeous. The dumplings sit in a flower-like circle beneath a thin, hole-filled skirt that reaches almost to the edge of the plate.
Look for a gyoza recipe specifically made with a skirt if you want to try this version. The picture alone doesn’t show the mixture needed for that finish.
beef tofu and mushrooms
If you are looking for a dish with lots of different things to choose from, then this one is for you. Thin beef slices, rectangular tofu pieces, enoki mushrooms and tomato wedges sit together in brown broth.
I especially love how each ingredient has its own little section. You could follow that arrangement for a sukiyaki-inspired dinner.
omelet-covered rice
Who else loves the look of an omelet draped over rice? This omurice-style plate has a long yellow omelet with bold red zigzags across the top.
The rice still peeks out all along the bottom. Try a ketchup drizzle like this if you want the same playful finish.
chilled zaru soba
Don’t want another hot rice bowl? This zaru soba is a different direction.
The collage shows the noodles being cooked, cooled with ice and served on a round tray with shredded seaweed.
Keep the dipping sauce and garnishes beside your noodles so you can add them as you eat.
karaage with lemon
These golden karaage pieces look so inviting piled together. I love all the little ridges in the coating, with lemon wedges tucked around the chicken.
For a dinner plate, you could pair them with rice and shredded cabbage. Keep a lemon wedge for each serving if you like that addition.
salmon with little side dishes
This is one of my favorite dinner arrangements on the list. The salmon has its own small plate, while rice, soup and several vegetable sides fill the tray.
You don’t have to copy every bowl. Start with your fish, rice and soup, then choose a vegetable side you’d enjoy.
glazed bites over rice
Last but definitely not least, we have this generously topped rice bowl. I love the dark glazed pieces with white sauce drizzled over them.
Sesame seeds and a mound of chopped scallions finish the top.
For a similar dinner, you could choose a glazed chicken or tofu recipe and borrow this serving idea.