This is the second of our Bento menu series. Bento is a portable packed meal, usually eaten for lunch in Japan. You can buy bento at bento shops, convenience stores, grocery stores, train station shops – pretty much anywhere there. However, as we always say, the home-made kind is the best! And it’s not hard to make at all.
If you know you need to bring lunch the next day, just think ahead. Leave some food from dinner aside, and even prepare vegetables before you go to bed. It is busy in the morning for everyone, so keep the Bento making to a minimum in the morning.
We have Genmai brown rice, Karaage, Potato Salad, and Green Beans with Sesame Sauce in our Bento box this time. You could get Karaage done the night before, but it’s best to deep-fry in the morning. Potato Salad and Green Beans should be made in advance. Add some cherry tomatoes and lettuce for splash of color. If you like, you can sprinkle Furikake, seasoning for rice, on your healthy Genmai rice.
One thing you have to be careful about is the temperature: the wrong temperature may induce bacteria growth – yuck! You need to cool the Bento completely before you wrap it up. Also, raw fish or undercooked meat are not suitable for Bento. Try not to let it get too warm. You might want to use an ice pack during the summer. Treat your Bento like your ham sandwich.
For a container, you can use your old tupperware, of course, but there are tons of cute and cool Bento boxes you can get to show off your style out there. Some people also get really artistic and creative with how they cut and arrange food in the box. Faces, animals, nature scenes. Whatever makes you smile and hungry, pack it up – and don’t forget your chopsticks!
Bento Lunch Menu 2
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Ingredients
- Genmai brown rice
- Karaage fried chicken
- Potato Salad
- Green Beans with Sesame Sauce
- cherry tomatoes
- lettuce
- Furikake
Instructions
- Pack Genmai rice with a sprinkle of Furikake , and arrange the other dishes in the bento box.
Video
Edward
August 20, 2014 at 10:37 pmAlright! Thanks for another idea for a bento meal. Sounds good as always.
In the US, I’m trying to find bento boxes. Online, good bento boxes cost $20 and above. Would you recommend online shipping or retail stores?\
Keep up the good work!
Noriko
September 8, 2014 at 10:02 pmEdward,
You can even use Tupperware.
Edward
September 13, 2014 at 1:25 pmThanks for the reply.
I decided to order an actual box instead, holds 750 ml.
Noriko
September 13, 2014 at 1:38 pmEdward,
good for you! Now you’re going to save a lot of money on lunch!