Hi All~~
Bento’s are getting popular all around the world these days so this blog is an introduction to making a bento box for lunch, or a picnic etc.
I have stories about bento, when I was at Junior High School we had to take bento box as we didn’t have a cafeteria or tuck shop like western schools. My mother had to wake up early and make my bento for me, my father, and my brother. Her bento style didn’t use colourful foods like reds, greens, or yellows and was mostly just brown. Don’t get me wrong it tasted good but I complained to my mother that other kids lunch box were so colourful and mine wasn’t! She didn’t get upset and just laughed.
One day, my mum had to go to work really early so my aunty made bento for us. They were so colourful, there was yellow, green, red and it looked great. I was very proud of my bento at school that day so after school I told my mother all about it and said I wished my aunty made me for me every day and again she didn’t get angry just laughed.
After that I felt so bad because I maybe hurt her feeling. My parents worked 6 days a week and long hours then she had to take care of my father, my brother and me. She didn’t have time to make a bento pretty but she made them for us every day instead of doing what she wanted to do. I never complained again and felt thankful to my mother. Now I think I should help my mother more.
Another story is one day my mother made bento for my lunch on a day I was off from school. I was cleaning the house because she was at work and I opened all house to change the air. I was washing dishes in the kitchen and my bento was on the dining table when a cat snuck in ate my bento!!!!! I was so upset🤬. I swore at the cat and called him some bad names. Hahahah.
Enough bento stories. Thank you for reading.
Now! I am going to talk about what you need for a good bento.
This will give you an idea for choosing the right bento box for you.
• Choose the right size for you, if you choose too small, you will be hangry soon or if it’s too big you will not be able to drink coffee after lunch 😭 (This is me).
• Choose one you can heat up in with a microwave.
• Choose Thermos so you can bring soup for winter or cold salad for summer.
Ides of guideline for bent box size for men
6-8 yeas old 500ml
9-11 600ml
12-40 900ml
50- 800ml
For woman
6-8 500ml
9-11 600ml
12-17 700ml
18-60 600ml
Next tips,
• Cook ingredients though completely, especialy proteins like fish, meat, egg.
• Remove any excess moisture and using a paper towel.
• Cool down your food completely before packing you lunch.
• Use soy sauce or vinegar as there will naturally kill bacteria.
• When you marinate chicken, marinate extra and make small portions for lunches and freeze them in ziplock bags.
• Cut vegetables for whatever you need.
• Wrap asparagus with bacon the day before. (You can also use green beans)
• Prep salad for your bento before day. (such as cauliflower mayo).
These are some tasty bento ingredients.
• Karaage
• Egg frittata
• Boiled egg
• Carrot salad
• Stir fry capsicum and bacon
• Boiled vegetables.
• Frozen mix vegetables, stir fry with a little and salt and pepper (green, yellow and orange colour)
• Furikake
• Pumpkin
• Chili cone cane
• Corn butter
• Tonkatsu
• Frozen mini spring rolls
• Fish fingers
• Frozen chicken bites
There are lots of ideas for bento menus, above is just the tip of the ice burg. I will make more bento idea videos in the future.
Also, when I cook rice I make extra and them separate it in to small portions and keep it in the freezer. In the morning, lots of people don’t have time especially mothers, so using frozen products or prepping for bento when you make dinner will make it easier for you. Just cook and pack lunch boxes.
Use ice packs or if you have a fridge at work keep your bento in there.
Try not to use nuts because lots of kids are allergic to nuts.
Japanese bento box
Equipment
- Bento box
Ingredients
*Asparagus wrapped with bacon
- 30 g Asparagus Mini
- 50 g Bacon
Cauliflower with curry mayo
- 80 g Cauliflower
- 2 tsp Mayonnaise
- ⅛ tsp Curry powder
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
*Grilled salmon
- 100 g Salmon
- ¼ tsp Salt
Tamagoyaki Japanese omelette
- 3 each Eggs
- ½ tsp Dashi powder
- ½ tsp Soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sake
- ½ tsp Sugar
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Oil Rice oil
*Teriyaki chicken
- 90 g Thigh chicken
- ½ tbsp Soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sake
- 1 tsp Sugar
Cooked rice 150-200g
*1tbsp of Oil for cooking the salmon, the asparagus and teriyaki chicken.
Instructions
- Prep for asparagus wrapped with bacon: wash asparagus and cut in half.
- Use long bacon strips to wrap the asparagus and a toothpick to hold it in place.
- Prep for Cauliflower curry mayo: cut 80g of cauliflower in to bite sized pieces and boil them until the cauliflower is nice and soft but not mushy.
- Cool the cauliflower down and put it into a bowl.
- Add 2 tsp of mayonnaise, ⅛ tsp of curry powder, ¼ tsp of salt and ⅛ tsp of pepper into the bowl mix well.
- Prep for teriyaki chicken: cut the chicken thigh into bite sized pieces and put them into a bowl.
- Add ½ tbsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of sake, and 1 tsp of sugar into the bowl and marinate the chicken.
- Prep for Tamagoyaki: crack 3 egg into a bowl and add ½ tsp of dashi powder, ½ tsp of soy sauce, 1 tsp of sake, ½ tsp of sugar and ⅛ tsp of salt into the bowl and mix well.
- Add the 1 tbsp of oil into a bowl and soak the paper towel.
- Using a Tamagoyaki pan (which you can buy from Daiso), heat up the pan to mid heat and with our oil-soaked lightly coat the surface. Check the temp is correct with a small drop of egg. If it sizzles you’re good to go.
- Pour the ⅓ of the egg mixture into the pan and move the pan to spread the egg mixture evenly. Break any bubbles with the end of a chop stick.
- When the egg’s surface starts to firm up, fold and push the egg into edge of pan.
- Spread the oil again then pour another ⅓ of the egg mixture into empty space in the pan.
- Lift the already folded egg up with chop stick and let the egg mixture run under it.
- Break any bubbles again, cook until it starts to firm up again then fold and push to the end of the pan.
- Repeat this process with the last of the egg mixture.
- Turn off the heat and place the Tamagoyaki on a board to cool down.
- Cooking our prepped ingredients: heat up a fry pan and add 1 tbsp of oil over a mid-heat.
- First, starting cook the salmon and add ¼ tsp of salt.
- Next add the teriyaki chicken in to the same fry pan.
- Next add the asparagus.
- Check the salmon and turn it over. Also check the teriyaki chicken and the asparagus.
- Cook them through and turn off heat.
- Put cooked rice and all cooked ingredients to a bento box.
