Bento F.A.Q.!
What are bentos?
They're Japanese lunch boxes.
Bentos can have anything in them, but if you want to go the traditional path there is a formula to stick to: 1/2 of the bento is rice, the main dish is a protein of some sort, the second dish is vegetables and fruit, the third dish is another type of protein in a smaller amount.
Everything in a bento is meant to be eaten at room temperature with just a handful of bites. You're not limited to the traditional formula and can even make your own!
Where can I get a bento box?
Any lunch box with compartments will do! You can look on eBay and Amazon for more traditional bento boxes. A good one is worth the long-term investment. I also use silicone muffin molds to keep food separated.
What are your bento staples?
- Sushi rice. Any short or medium grain rice will do. Cook the rice according to instructions on the package to get sticky rice for rice balls.
- Soy sauce. Any kind with no sugar added will do!
- Mirin. A sweet rice wine. The alcohol content in your bento will be minimal to non-existent if used properly (usually only 1-2 tablespoons for marinating meat). Use honey as an alternative, but reduce amounts by half and add half in water (e.g. replace 2 tsbp mirin with 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp (warm) water).
- Nori. Dried seaweed sheets. Great for crushing and seasoning rice with, or making faces for your rice balls.
- Roasted sesame seeds. I keep adding them to everything!
- Chicken breast. My main meat of choice is always white chicken breast. It's okay to use an alternative such as thigh meat, I just don't like the texture/flavor/fattiness of it.
- Raw and cooked vegetables. Ranging from plain salads to elaborate vegetables for cooking, as long as it tastes good at room temp, I'll make it!
The rest is really just cupboard staples you probably already have in your house. Occasionally I use sake, too, but it's expensive and not something I'd consider a staple.
They're Japanese lunch boxes.
Bentos can have anything in them, but if you want to go the traditional path there is a formula to stick to: 1/2 of the bento is rice, the main dish is a protein of some sort, the second dish is vegetables and fruit, the third dish is another type of protein in a smaller amount.Everything in a bento is meant to be eaten at room temperature with just a handful of bites. You're not limited to the traditional formula and can even make your own!
Where can I get a bento box?
Any lunch box with compartments will do! You can look on eBay and Amazon for more traditional bento boxes. A good one is worth the long-term investment. I also use silicone muffin molds to keep food separated.
What are your bento staples?
- Sushi rice. Any short or medium grain rice will do. Cook the rice according to instructions on the package to get sticky rice for rice balls.
- Soy sauce. Any kind with no sugar added will do!
- Mirin. A sweet rice wine. The alcohol content in your bento will be minimal to non-existent if used properly (usually only 1-2 tablespoons for marinating meat). Use honey as an alternative, but reduce amounts by half and add half in water (e.g. replace 2 tsbp mirin with 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp (warm) water).
- Nori. Dried seaweed sheets. Great for crushing and seasoning rice with, or making faces for your rice balls.
- Roasted sesame seeds. I keep adding them to everything!
- Chicken breast. My main meat of choice is always white chicken breast. It's okay to use an alternative such as thigh meat, I just don't like the texture/flavor/fattiness of it.
- Raw and cooked vegetables. Ranging from plain salads to elaborate vegetables for cooking, as long as it tastes good at room temp, I'll make it!
The rest is really just cupboard staples you probably already have in your house.
Occasionally I use sake, too, but it's expensive and not something I'd consider a staple.Please refer to the FAQ there for a quick intro to bentos.
I will be posting my bentos as I make them, with a brief description of what I put in it. I'll post links to the most commonly used recipes in this post here!Onigiri: Rice balls. Cook sushi rice according to instructions, then shape into a ball or triangle (or use boiled egg molds) with some salt water. There's no right or wrong, but check out this site for some useful tips on how to make them!
Today's bento features:
- Marinated beef strips (soy sauce, mirin, chili powder, freshly grated ginger)
- Blanched bean sprouts and green beans
- A sauce for the vegetables (same as the beef marinade)
- One small rice ball with homemade furikake sprinkled on top
- A sliced kiwi
- 1 egg Tamagoyaki (Japanese omelet)
- Daifuku (mochi with sweet red bean paste filling)
I normally don't eat a lot of beef, but I was really craving it!
Now THIS baby was last Friday's! I received my adorable bento picks from Japan and my nori punch (to make faces out of seaweed with).
- A mixed salad with lettuce, spring onion, cucumber, croutons
- Sweet pointed pepper slices with cheese and cucumber
- Marinated chicken with sesame seeds (soy, mirin, garlic powder, chili)
- Tamagoyaki
- Onigiri
- Sweet Red Bean Mochi
- Apple slices sprinkled with lemon juice
It was delicious! This bento also prompted my group counselor to ask if we can perhaps make bentos at group sometime in the next couple of weeks. I'm collecting easy recipes with ingredients everyone will like.
As onigiri are a bento staple but also extremely versatile (any filling or topping or none at all) I think they will go on the list. Tamagoyaki as well. Maaaaybe some chicken, but we'll see!
The best I've ever had was at a little Korean BBQ hole-in-the-wall, literally it seated about 20 people max unless you doubled up, near my uni.
So good. beef bulgogi, kimchi, and a slew of other Korean styled sides (of course 'sticky rice' accompanied the meals.
Now I'm hungry. Drat.
So good. beef bulgogi, kimchi, and a slew of other Korean styled sides (of course 'sticky rice' accompanied the meals.
Now I'm hungry. Drat.