noun
bowl of rice; single serving of rice
General term for one bowl or serving of rice, often used in everyday contexts.
朝は一膳飯と味噌汁で十分だ。
A bowl of rice and miso soup is enough for breakfast.
noun
Specifically refers to a bowl of rice offered to the dead in a funeral or wake setting, placed near the head of the deceased.
通夜では、故人の枕元に一膳飯が供えられた。
At the wake, a bowl of rice was placed by the pillow of the deceased.