How Japan's 5-Color Rule Makes Weeknight Meals More Satisfying

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As proven by sloppy joes, food doesn't have to look beautiful to taste delicious. However, a bit of effort can improve even the simplest weeknight meal. To make your dinners look irresistible, try following the Japanese principle called goshiki, or "five colors" ("go" meaning "five").

Goshiki refers to the colors a meal should display for maximum visual impact: red, yellow, blue (or green), black, and white. It is one of Japan's culinary "rules of five" originally influenced by the Shinto religion, according to "Washoku: Recipes from the Japanese Home Kitchen" by Elizabeth Andoh. Shintoism emphasizes humanity's connection to nature, and its rules for the enjoyment of food are that a meal should display five colors, five flavors, and five cooking methods. It should also stimulate the five senses and be eaten with five ideas in mind, including respect to the cultivation of the ingredients.

Goshiki might sound complicated, but try it once and your eyes, taste buds, and stomach are sure to be satisfied. Diverse colors not only look tasty, but correspond to diverse ingredients, making meals more nutritious and exciting in taste. According to goshiki, red and yellow should be on the table because they're appetizing colors. Think of the striking red hue of spicy fried chicken or yellow takuan, a type of oshinko or pickled Japanese veggie. Blue or green — often green, since naturally blue foods are so rare – have a cooling feel, just like a crisp cucumber or blueberries. White (often supplied by rice in Japanese meals) and black are meant to create an intriguing color contrast.

A few tips make it easy to improve your weeknight standbys with goshiki. For starters, black may seem like the toughest color to include, but according to Elizabeth Andoh, other dark colors like purple or brown can count. If you'd rather use a dark brown sugar glaze or purple radicchio instead of black sesame seeds, go right ahead!

Secondly, take a page from another Japanese rule of five called goho, or the five methods of cooking: cutting, simmering or boiling, grilling, steaming, and frying. Being mindful of how techniques change an ingredient's appearance can make colorful meals easier. If you're simmering a soup, add tomatoes or green beans towards the end of cooking to preserve their color. Lemon juice doesn't have much of a yellow hue, so put a curl of the rind or some fresh slices on top of your one-pan lemon basil chicken recipe. A chili glaze on meat or fish gives it a red color, steamed broccoli looks more vibrant than boiled, and frying any food can create a golden crust.

For an example of a full spread, if you've made a Crockpot stew that's mostly brown, serve it with white mashed potatoes with a pat of yellow butter, plus a green salad with red tomatoes and black balsamic dressing. Your five senses will thank you for passing up on yet another one-note dinner.