Japanese dishes explained

Japanese food in Australia ranges from takeaway sushi rolls to bowls of rich tonkotsu ramen and delicate seasonal set meals. These guides explain the dishes you'll meet most often, how they differ and how to enjoy them, along with the food culture behind them.

Guides in this section

• Sushi and sashimi explained Nigiri, maki, hand rolls, inari and how to eat them.
• A guide to ramen Shio, shoyu, miso and tonkotsu, toppings and etiquette.
• Udon and soba noodles Wheat and buckwheat noodles, hot and cold.
• Washoku: traditional Japanese food Seasonality, dashi and the shape of a meal.

Sushi and sashimi

The NSW Food Authority describes sushi as cold, cooked rice acidified with vinegar and topped with raw or cooked fish, or rolled with fish, egg, meat or vegetables in nori. Sashimi is sliced raw fish served without rice. JNTO's sushi guide says you can eat sushi with chopsticks or your hands, and advises dipping the topping, not the rice.

Ramen

JNTO describes ramen as casual, inexpensive and convenient, and lists four of the most common types: shio, shoyu, miso and tonkotsu. Shops usually specialise in one or two soups, and slurping is perfectly normal.

Udon and soba

JNTO explains that udon is made from flour and salt, while soba is made from buckwheat, sometimes with flour. Both can be served in hot broth or cold with a dipping sauce, such as zaru soba on a bamboo tray.

Washoku

UNESCO inscribed washoku, traditional Japanese food culture, on its intangible cultural heritage list in 2013. JNTO names fresh, seasonal ingredients and dashi, an umami-rich stock, as defining features of Japanese cuisine.

Small dishes worth trying

Beyond the big four, Japanese menus are full of small dishes worth exploring: edamame, gyoza, karaage, agedashi tofu, chawanmushi (savoury egg custard), takoyaki and okonomiyaki. Our menu terms guide explains them.

Five things worth knowing

1. Sushi is about the rice, and doesn't have to contain raw fish.
2. Dip the topping, not the rice, and never stand chopsticks upright in a bowl.
3. Dashi usually contains fish, and most soy sauce contains wheat.
4. Eat store-bought sushi straight away, and avoid raw fish if you're pregnant or have a weakened immune system.
5. Always tell staff about allergies before ordering. Menus don't have to list allergens.

A simple way to explore Japanese food

If you're new to Japanese food, start with dishes that are familiar in shape: a bowl of udon or ramen, a donburi rice bowl, karaage or a bento set. Then try a few pieces of nigiri with cooked toppings such as prawn, eel or tamago, before moving on to raw fish. At an izakaya, order several small dishes to share, so everyone can try a little of everything. At a counter restaurant, ask the chef what's in season. Over time, the menu words will become familiar, and you'll find the styles you love most.

Common mistakes to avoid

A few mistakes come up often. Pouring a big pool of soy sauce and soaking the rice drowns the flavour and makes sushi fall apart. Mixing a large amount of wasabi into soy sauce hides the taste of the fish. Leaving takeaway sushi in a warm bag for hours increases food safety risks. Assuming a vegetable dish is vegetarian can be a problem, because dashi stock usually contains fish. And assuming a dish is gluten free because it's rice-based overlooks soy sauce, which usually contains wheat. Each of these is easy to avoid once you know.

Japanese food in Australia

Japanese restaurants are found in every Australian capital city and in many regional towns, from food courts and shopping centres to dedicated ramen bars, izakaya and fine dining counters. Many restaurants adapt dishes to local tastes and ingredients, such as rolls with avocado, chicken or Australian seafood, while others aim to recreate the food of a particular region of Japan. Both have their place. Our guides focus on what the dishes are, how to enjoy them and how to eat safely, rather than on particular restaurants.

Questions to ask staff

Staff at Japanese restaurants are usually happy to explain dishes. Useful questions include: what do you recommend, and what is in season? Which dishes are raw and which are cooked? Does this contain dashi, soy sauce, sesame or egg? Is this made to order? Can it be adapted for my dietary needs? Asking is never rude, and it often leads to a better meal.

About these guides

Japanese Restaurants is an independent information site about Japanese food and dining in Australia. We aren't a restaurant, booking service, directory or health authority, and we don't review, rank or recommend restaurants. Our guides are general information written in our own words, with official sources listed on every page. They're not medical, dietary or allergy advice.

How we keep these guides current

We review each guide against its sources and show the date it was last checked. Food safety advice and allergen rules are updated from time to time. If you notice something out of date, please tell us through our contact page, and we'll check and correct it.

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