623 replies to this topic

[torakris]

My husband uses a 3 tiered bento everyday, it has one bowl for soup, one for rice and a third for the okazu (main dishes/small dishes). Because it stays warm we have had a couple problems with foods that don't do well for prolonged periods at that temperature and I have now learned what foods to avoid.
My kids have the typical Kitty-chan/shinkansen bento boxes and we have one large one of 3 tiers that I pull out for undokai (sports day) and family outings. That is it.

I will take some pictures tomorrow.....

[torakris]

all I can say is WOW!

some of the most gorgeous bentos I have seen....

[smallworld]

We visited the in-laws on the weekend and were given these hanami-bentos for lunch. We didn't actually go cherry blossom viewing, we just ate the bentos for fun.


Quick quiz:
The bento includes savouries and sweets, but no rice. Why not?

[helenjp]

Smallworld, that hanami bento is lovely! I'm trying to figure out how to fit a little hanami in this busy weekend.

The key question is: is it possible to make a bento that 1)is different from everyday lunches, because right now the whole family are on bento, 2) doesn't exhaust me making it!, and 3) contains things that my FIL, now 87, and his wife can eat.

[Misa]

Oooh. I really wish that I could read Japanese! *sigh*

I wish my mother would have made stuff like that for me when I was a kid! (Of course, she probably had never even heard of bento...)

I'd like to learn how to make creative bento, but I don't know anybody who makes them. Does anybody have suggestions on how to start? Or is more of a practice-makes-better type of thing? I'd love to make some for myself and my husband!

[helenjp]

Smallword's quiz: The bento includes savouries and sweets, but no rice. Why not?

Cos it's basically drinking snacks, and you can't serve two rice products (sake and boiled rice) together....

(Am I right? Yeah? Do I get a sticker?)

Edited by helenjp, 08 April 2005 - 12:06 AM.

[Culinista]

There are a few English language bento books:

Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go -- by Naomi Kijima

Cafe Japan -- by Emi Kazuko

Fun and Fancy Sushi--by Seiko Ogawa and Ine Mizuno shows how to make those fancy panda bear sushi rolls and more unusual decorative sushi. Will probably get your kids to eat shrimp dyed pink .

I also have Ekiben: The Art of the Japanese Box Lunch, but this is a photo book of the packed lunches sold in the bullet train stations, often featuring local specialties in novelty boxes. It is not a cookbook.

[smallworld]

Smallword's quiz: The bento includes savouries and sweets, but no rice. Why not?

Cos it's basically drinking snacks, and you can't serve two rice products (sake and boiled rice) together....

(Am I right? Yeah? Do I get a sticker?)

Yes, you get a sticker, Helen- a big gold star!

I think my MIL bought the those bentos for our lunch because she knows I can't eat rice on my diet. Very sweet of her, and I didn't have the heart to tell her that with all the sugar in each highly seasoned delicacy, the entire bento was likely off-limits. So I had to eat the whole thing (oh, the sacrifices we make for family)...

So did you figure out a good hanami bento to make?

I'm not going to bother for today's hanami. We'll just drop by a depachika on the way and pick something up.

[helenjp]

Misa's probably not reading this, but I thought maybe we could talk about "bento basics".

I remember a friend saying that she thought the absolute basics of a bento were: onigiri (rice balls) with umeboshi, grilled salt salmon, boiled greens with crushed sesame seeds, and maybe a cold omelet.

I guess that's about it...it's a combination which includes contrasting colors and textures, and a grilled dish and a boiled dish. And that in turn has its roots in the most basic of Japanese meals - rice, pickles, miso soup, salt fish, and some kind of dressed vegetable.

So...rice! How do you all prepare your rice for bento? Do you like plain rice? Onigiri? Rolled fancy sushi or inari-zushi?

In winter I add a little mochi rice to my ordinary rice (or use half Milky Queen variety) to make the rice a little softer when it's cold. In summer I drop an umeboshi into the rice cooker along with the raw rice - the rice keeps better and tastes sharp and refreshing.

[Hiroyuki]

My wife got up early enough this morning, so she made a bento for my son. I managed to take a picture of this okazu (side dish) box only. There are two other boxes, one for plain cooked Koshiibuki (not pricey Koshihikari) rice and another for fruit (apple).

The details later.

[helenjp]

Photos too, well done!

Husband's and my bento for today was rice with pickled cucumber and umeboshi, omelet with scallions, leftover Moussaka from last night and boiled daikon sprouts . Can't wait for payday (It's 2 months since my last payday...).

As for Misa...post #73 above!

[helenjp]

Today's bento...nothing fancy with the rice, as husband likes it plain!

Sorry about the giant photo, changed my software and haven't got used to the new one yet...


Umeboshi and shiso-pickled myouga were made during last summer's eGullet blog! Green shiso seed pickle was bought.

Egg rolls with sausage, wakame and small shiitake (cheap at the growers!) stirfried in sesame oil with shoyu/mirin, green pepper dressed with katsuo flakes, pack of concentrated miso soup with freeze-dried spinach to go with it.

Edited by helenjp, 19 April 2005 - 06:48 PM.

[Misa]

Misa's probably not reading this, but I thought maybe we could talk about "bento basics".

I remember a friend saying that she thought the absolute basics of a bento were: onigiri (rice balls) with umeboshi, grilled salt salmon, boiled greens with crushed sesame seeds, and maybe a cold omelet.

I guess that's about it...it's a combination which includes contrasting colors and textures, and a grilled dish and a boiled dish. And that in turn has its roots in the most basic of Japanese meals - rice, pickles, miso soup, salt fish, and some kind of dressed vegetable.

That's very helpful, actually!

So, if you're including an omelet, are the bento boxes insulated? Or is it okay without being kept cold? My mother beat into my head that carrying eggs around for even a few hours was very dangerous to my health.

[helenjp]

Egg for bentos is usually well seasoned, which helps it to keep. Proportions: 2 eggs, 1 tab dashi stock, 1-2 tabs sake, 1 1/2 tsp - 1 1/2 tab sugar, 1/3 tsp salt. Dashimaki (rolled omelet) is more lightly seasoned, atsuyaki (thick baked egg) or a sturdier rolled omelet needs the heavier seasonings.

These omelets are cooked in separate layers, and I think that exposing each thin layer to the higher heat at the bottom of the omelet pan probably helps ensure that the egg is well cooked.

Even so, I use less stock and more seasonings in summer, and I don't include egg at all at the height of summer (when temps are round 100deg.F.)

Summers are hotter in Japan than they used to be, and people use vacuum-sealed plastic lunchboxes (as in my photo), which can keep the lunch at a dangerously warm temperature. Aluminum is better, because the lunch cools more rapidly, and these days, many people pop a frozen handwipe towel (or Kris' favorite frozen edamame in the bag!) or frozen drink on top of the lunchbox to cool it further).

[SusieQ]

I also have Ekiben: The Art of the Japanese Box Lunch, but this is a photo book of the packed lunches sold in the bullet train stations, often featuring local specialties in novelty boxes. It is not a cookbook.

I have that book too, and every once in a while I just look at the pictures and try to imagine living in a country where you buy food in works of art like that at train stations! The book is SO beautiful. The photos are amazing. And the color is fantastic.

SusieQ

[torakris]

I remember a friend saying that she thought the absolute basics of a bento were: onigiri (rice balls) with umeboshi, grilled salt salmon, boiled greens with crushed sesame seeds, and maybe a cold omelet.

this sounds like the perfect bento to me!
To me the simplest beto should have rice (usually with some kind of garnish/seasoning), a protein of either fish or meat, something green and an omelet. The omelet is optional but it does add nice color.
This is usually what I go for when making a bento for the kids, when it comes to my husbands bento anything goes!

[fou de Bassan]

Hi all,
My son's birthday is next week and he loves Japanese food! I'd like to get a bento box and let him take that to school for his lunch. As next weekend will be full of japanese food per his request, what can I make that would start the weekend off well and yet be just an opener for the weekend?
I should tell you that he's pretty adventurous and can and will eat anything(except shrimp).
Also, forget decent seafood as it isn't really an option here. I can get frozen fish however.
Thanks in advance

[Hiroyuki]

My wife got up early enough this morning, so she made a bento for my son.  I managed to take a picture of this okazu (side dish) box only.  There are two other boxes, one for plain cooked Koshiibuki (not pricey Koshihikari) rice and another for fruit (apple).

The details later.

Here are the details:
At my son's elementary school, they have a special food-related program called ozora chushoku 大空昼食 (lunch under the great sky); once a month (except the wintertime), students must bring a lunch with them, which they eat at lunchtime instead of a regular school lunch.
According to the interviews conducted by members of the kenshu bu (training division) of the PTA (I am the head of that division this school year), 75 to 80 percent of the students prefer ozora chushoku mainly because they can have a lunch they like with friends they like at a place they like. Others prefer a regular school lunch mainly because it is hot and tastes better.
I have been busy preparing for the workshop to be held on June 25. The main theme of the workshop is tanoshiku taberu (eat joyfully). I hope I can report on it when it's over.
Lunch boxes of four third-graders:

[halalsushi]

Hi everyone. I just finished reading the thread and checked out some of the websites. Wow! The mothers that prepare this for their kids are awesome. I started preparing obento lunches for my mother recently, as she works hard during the day and doesn't have much time in the morning to prepare lunch for herself. I was reading this one Japanese cooking magazine (trying to, since I just started learning kanji ) and it had an advertisement for an obento design competition. To those living in Japan, have you guys seen anything like this? Sounds pretty cool, I'd like to be able to make cool designs like these moms can. Oh yeah, are there any good obento recipe books in either English or Nihongo that are really good? Thanks.

[torakris]

There are tons of bento making/design contests put on by various groups, cities, food companies every year.

As to bento books, There are hundreds of them and this is one of the best times to be looking for them as it is the beginning of the school year. All the bookstores currently have special displays of them and some can be very specific. Bentos for high school girls, bentos for pre-school boys, bentos for a newlywed wifr to make for her husband....
If you have access to a Japanese bookstore you should be able to find a couple.

There don't seem to be too many in English but I did find

Bento Boxes: Japanese meals on the go

Cafe Japan

[jeniac42]

I thought I would add some photos of the bento I made for lunch today. It's not very good, but it was my first try. I have a little tiny bento box, which I think is for little kids - it has Nyago on it. This is the outside:



Inside I have some rice, which I totally messed up (too much water, not enough rinsing), with some nori on top. Also salmon, pan-fried onions, carrots, and the kyuuri no kyu-chan from Hiroyuki's recipe - these are delicious! The picture doesn't look very good, though.

[torakris]

  The picture doesn't look very good, though.

As long as it tastes good...
My nine year old daughter was just looking over my shoulder and commented that it looked delicious! So now you have the Japanese kid stamp of approval, congratulations!

[Hiroyuki]

torakris's daughter is quite right. It looks delicious! One question: How did you cook the salmon?

[jeniac42]

Woohoo! Thanks

I just sauteed the salmon. I used some Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (a commercial spice blend) and cooked it in the same pan I had used for the onions. I admit this is my fallback easy-to-prepare meal.

I think tomorrow I am going to make omuraisu for my bento I've never had it but it actually sounds pretty good.

[torakris]

yesterday we had the elementary school undokai (sports day), the bento:

[Soup]

Its amazing how some picture can really bring back memories. When I saw these bento boxes, memories of childhood lunches and picnics with my grandmother came back. Good tread.

Soup

[helenjp]

That's a model bento, Torakris!

Out of curiosity...which were the most popular items when people actually sat down to eat?

(I'm secretly pleased that I missed the undokai bento routine this year, but I'm paying for it - son missed the school lunch order, so I have two weeks' of teen-sized bento to make instead...)

[anzu]

Here's a question about the actual containers people are using. In particular, I want to know how good their seal is.

I've been giving my husband a bento (mostly consisting of leftovers ) for years. Since we came to Germany, where I bought new plastic containers, he's been complaining that the containers leak and so it's a problem every time he's carrying anything with even the tiniest trace of liquid.

I accused him of probably hurling the containers around with great force as soon as I'm not looking , but he says he's been handling them carefully. He does have to commute on the subway, so clearly there will be more jostling than placing them on the passenger seat on the car...

Then, upthread, I read that Torakris is even giving soup to her husband, and I'm thinking: how can she do that??!! I can't even manage with giving solid food.

So, if you are happy with the seal of your containers: what brands of containers are you using, where did you buy them, and how much liquid is there in the contents you are packing in them? Is it perhaps the case that all the brands in Japan are actually okay as far as leakage is concerned? (I don't recall leaking ever being a problem when I lived in Japan earlier).

Recommendations for Japanese brands in Japan are fine, we're meant to be visiting later this year, and if I learn of a brand that will suit my purposes, I'll buy them then.

TIA.

[Sid Post]

yesterday we had the elementary school undokai (sports day), the bento:

Those look really good.

Reading this thread has my curiosity up so, I guess I will need to find a Bento box and do some experimenting.

Canned soups and sandwiches at work are boring. This thread has me thinking I should give it a try and eat something healthy for a change. The 3:1:2 rule and the box size rules seem to be a useful addition to my meal planning. While I am not overweight, I generally over eat because I eat the entire "cans" worth of soup or beans which can be anywhere from 2 to 3 servings.

[torakris]

That's a model bento, Torakris!

Out of curiosity...which were the most popular items when people actually sat down to eat?

definitely the teriyaki chicken! the kids also love teh kochujang-miso dip for the vegetables and I reserve this dish for family bento days only so it is sort of a special treat. We had no leftovers.
While we were eating I was looking around and no one had a bento anywhere near the size of ours... Most families had just one layer and a bag for some onigiri.