[Latest Edition] 5 Select Side Dishes From the Top Three Japanese Convenience Stores - From Niku Dofu to Hamburger Steak!

1. Japanese-style Hamburg Steak (7-Eleven)

Open the package up to the dotted line, take out the sauce inside and then heat the package in the microwave for the length of time indicated on the label. Now, pour the sauce over the hamburger that smells like it has been grilled over charcoal, and you’re done! The hamburger is thick and plump and oozing with juice. The soy-based sauce perfectly matches the taste of the meat to give you a delicious taste that exceeds expectations. It’s also quite convenient that you can use its tray as dish for the burger.
Price: 218 JPY (incl. tax) for a 1-piece pack

2. Seven Premium Gold Beef Stew (7-Eleven)

7-Eleven’s Beef Stew is made with beef that has been slowly cooked to make it so tender that it will almost crumble when you bite into it, and melt-in-the-mouth potatoes to get a kind of deep, bold flavor that will make you feel like you are actually eating beef stew at a specialty restaurant. The “Gold” series really is obsessed about the use of premium ingredients. Even the soup uses generous amounts of Japanese Black beef and red wine to add sharpness and richness to the flavors. The secrets behind its delicious taste are soy sauce and mirin (a type of seasoning with alcohol that is used for teriyaki and other Japanese dishes). This beef stew goes well with rice, as well as bread, such as baguette. You can place the entire pouch in the microwave oven to cook.
Price: 388 JPY (incl. tax)

3. Saba no Shioyaki (FamilyMart)

The Saba no Shioyaki (Grilled Mackerel with Salt) from FamilyMart is boneless Norwegian mackerel that has been seasoned with fish sauce (a kind of seasoning that is made by fermenting fish). The saltiness is just right and it brings out the delicious taste of the mackerel that is loaded with fat. You can heat and eat the fish, or arrange it as a part of more elaborate dish. Put the grilled mackerel (even without heating it) on lightly toasted bread, put lettuce on top and add mayonnaise and you’ll have a delicious sandwich that can hold its own with sandwiches in Turkey. It also tastes great with a sprinkle of lemon. You have to try it.
Price: 298 JPY (incl. tax)

4. Niku Tofu (FamilyMart)

Niku Tofu (Meat and Tofu) is a part of FamilyMart’s “Okasan Shokudo (Mom’s Diner)”, a series of side dishes that will remind you of the taste of dishes cooked by Japanese mothers. It is a dish of meat and tofu that is characterized by the salty-sweet soy sauce-based soup permeating in the meat, tofu, carrots and other ingredients. The soup is delicious as it has the taste of beef and the deep flavors of red wine. If you add the Onsen Tamago (soft-boiled egg, in which the yolk is half-cooked and the whites are half-done) that is also found in the Side Dish Corner in the store, you will get a more luxurious dish. Eat the dish while breaking the egg.
Price of Niku Tofu: 348 JPY (incl. tax)
Price of Onsen Tamago: 81 JPY (incl. tax)

5. Stewed Beef Sinew with Soy Sauce (Lawson)

Stewed Beef Membrane is a side dish of beef sinew that is cooked in a salty-sweet soy sauce-based seasoning that is close to teriyaki. Enjoy the gelatinous jiggle and just-right elasticity of the beef sinew that has been slowly cooked. The sauce is made sweeter by roasted onions is perfect on white rice. Try to pour the stewed beef on rice and then top it with soft-boiled egg to create what will definitely be a delightful masterpiece of a dish!
Price: 258 JPY (incl. tax)

This article features only microwavable dishes you won’t believe that taste just like the real thing. Make sure to try them as is to enjoy their original flavors, or set them as a part of a bigger dish.