1.
make-ahead side dish; prepared dish kept on hand
Side dishes prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator for several days. A practical approach to meal preparation, allowing busy people to have ready-made side dishes throughout the week.
週末に常備菜を作る。
I make prepared side dishes on the weekend.
常備菜があると毎日のお弁当作りが楽になる。
Having make-ahead dishes makes daily bento preparation easier.
きんぴらごぼうやひじきの煮物は定番の常備菜だ。
Kinpira gobo and simmered hijiki are classic make-ahead side dishes.
Composed of 常備 (always keeping on hand) + 菜 (dish, vegetable). A key concept in Japanese home cooking (家庭料理). Typical 常備菜 include 切り干し大根 (dried daikon strips), きんぴらごぼう (braised burdock), and 煮豆 (simmered beans). 常備菜 recipes have become extremely popular online and in cookbooks, especially among working parents. Also called 作り置き (meal prep).