Japanese Bento Lunch Box Recipe Video
Today, we are making well-balanced bento using a cute bento box. Bento box has gained a lot of popularity these days due its balanced nutritional content. Many Japanese students and workers carry bento box to schools and offices. The key to making a balanced bento is using ingredients of 5 colors, red, yellow, green, black and white. Remember not to pack the box until the ingredients become cool or the food will easily become bad. So, let’s see how to make bento box perfectly and carry it while going out.
Summary
Difficulty LevelEasyHealth IndexAverage
Ingredients
- Potato Salad -
40g Potato (1.41 oz)
10g Carrot (0.35 oz)
400cc Water (1.69 u.s. cup)
1/2 tsp Salt
4cm Cucumber (1.57 inch)
A pinch of Salt
1 tbsp Sweet Corn
1/2 tsp Vinegar
A pinch of Sugar
A pinch of Black Pepper
1 tsp Mayonnaise
1 Cherry Tomato
- Chicken Karaage -
50g Chicken (1.76 oz)
2/3 tbs Kimchi Base
or 1/2 Soy Sauce + 1/2 Sake + Grated Garlic
1 tsp Potato Starch
Frying Oil
- Honey Glazed Pumpkin -
40g Pumpkin (1.41 oz)
Honey
Toasted Black Sesame Seeds
1/8 Apple
- Onigiri -
140g Fresh Steamed Rice (4.94 oz)
Noritama Furikake - Egg & Seaweed
Yukari Furikake - Red Shiso Leaf
2 sheets of 19×5cm Toasted Nori (7.5x2 inch)
- Spinach Tamagoyaki -
1 Egg
40g Spinach (1.41 oz)
1 tsp Soy Sauce
1 Vienna Sausage
1/2 tsp Oil
**Trick to make bento in the busy morning is preparing the ingredients the night before or using premade ingredients from the market.
** Recently, bento regained its popularity in Japan for its safe and balanced diet and many Japanese bring their own bento to school and work.
Directions
1. Slice the cucumber vertically into half.
2. Slice the cucumber in half moons.
3. Take the cucumber slices in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and toss to coat evenly.
4. Scrape off the skin of the potato with a knife.
5. Slice the potato into quarter moons.
6. Make a cross shaped cut in the carrot and make thinly slices the carrot into quarter moon.
7. Cut the spinach in half, separating the leaf part from the stem part.
8. Cut the pumpkin slice into 4 pieces.
9. Cut the apple into rabbit shape.
10. Remove the core of the apple and cut a deep “V” shape into the skin of the apple. Peel the rabbit ears but leave the rabbit ears attached. Remove the skin in between the rabbit ears.
11. Cut both ends of the apple so it fits the bento box.
12. Add little salt to a bowl of water and let the apple sit in it.
13. Cut the sausage in the shape of an octopus.
14. Cut the sausage halfway to create 8 tentacles.
15. Cut the chicken in half, put in a bowl and add kimichi base. Toss to coat.
16. To cook the vegetables, prepare a pot of water and add salt.
17. Put in the potato and carrot, cover and turn on the burner.
18. When the water boils, cook the stem part of the spinach.
19. Add the leaf part next.
20. Let the water boil again, remove the spinach and let it cool in ice water.
21. Drain the spinach and place it on a plate.
22. Pour soy sauce over the spinach and lightly squeeze.
23. Cook the potato and carrot for 10 more minutes. When they are cooked, drain well with a wired sieve.
24. Put them in a bowl and mash the potato half way through when the potato is still hot.
25. Add a little vinegar and sugar. Sprinkle some black pepper and stir evenly.
26. Drain the cucumber off its liquid with a paper towel.
27. Add the cucumber, sweet corn and mayonnaise to the mixture.
28. To prepare the spinach tamagoyaki, coat the frying pan with vegetable oil.
29. Break the egg into a bowl and beat it well.
30. Check if the surface is hot enough and pour the egg in the pan.
31. Swirl the pan to spread the egg evenly. Cook until the egg is half done and place the spinach on the surface. Rollup the fried egg with the chop stick.
32. Place it on the cutting board.
33. Re-oil the pan and fry the sausage. When the tentacles open up remove the sausage.
34. Cut the spinach tamagoyaki to the size of the bento box.
35. Place the pumpkin in an oiled deep pan. Turn on the burner.
36. Add potato starch to the chicken and toss to coat.
37. When the pumpkin starts to sizzle, gently place the chicken in the oil.
38. Rotate the pumpkin and the chicken in the oil to fry evenly.
39. When the pumpkin and the chicken turn golden brown, remove and place on a wired rack.
40. Dip the pumpkin in honey and place in a paper cup. Garnish with black sesame seed.
41. To prepare onigiri, wrap a bowl luke warm steamed rice in a plastic wrap and gently shape it into a triangle.
42. Coat the onigiri with Noritama Furikake.
43. Wrap the onigiri with a sheet of toasted nori and place it on the bento box divider.
44. Prepare another onigiri and coat with Yukari Furikake, wrap the onigiri with a sheet of toasted nori and place it on the bento box divider.
45. Place the rabbit shaped apple in the edge and octopus sausages at the center.
46. Add sesame seed eyes to the octopus sausage.
PACK THE BENTO BOX
1. Place the spinach tamagoyaki, honey glazed pumpkin, potato salad, cherry tomato and the fried chicken.
2. Put the divider on the bento box.
3. Cover the bento box and hold the lid with a rubber band.
2. Slice the cucumber in half moons.
3. Take the cucumber slices in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and toss to coat evenly.
4. Scrape off the skin of the potato with a knife.
5. Slice the potato into quarter moons.
6. Make a cross shaped cut in the carrot and make thinly slices the carrot into quarter moon.
7. Cut the spinach in half, separating the leaf part from the stem part.
8. Cut the pumpkin slice into 4 pieces.
9. Cut the apple into rabbit shape.
10. Remove the core of the apple and cut a deep “V” shape into the skin of the apple. Peel the rabbit ears but leave the rabbit ears attached. Remove the skin in between the rabbit ears.
11. Cut both ends of the apple so it fits the bento box.
12. Add little salt to a bowl of water and let the apple sit in it.
13. Cut the sausage in the shape of an octopus.
14. Cut the sausage halfway to create 8 tentacles.
15. Cut the chicken in half, put in a bowl and add kimichi base. Toss to coat.
16. To cook the vegetables, prepare a pot of water and add salt.
17. Put in the potato and carrot, cover and turn on the burner.
18. When the water boils, cook the stem part of the spinach.
19. Add the leaf part next.
20. Let the water boil again, remove the spinach and let it cool in ice water.
21. Drain the spinach and place it on a plate.
22. Pour soy sauce over the spinach and lightly squeeze.
23. Cook the potato and carrot for 10 more minutes. When they are cooked, drain well with a wired sieve.
24. Put them in a bowl and mash the potato half way through when the potato is still hot.
25. Add a little vinegar and sugar. Sprinkle some black pepper and stir evenly.
26. Drain the cucumber off its liquid with a paper towel.
27. Add the cucumber, sweet corn and mayonnaise to the mixture.
28. To prepare the spinach tamagoyaki, coat the frying pan with vegetable oil.
29. Break the egg into a bowl and beat it well.
30. Check if the surface is hot enough and pour the egg in the pan.
31. Swirl the pan to spread the egg evenly. Cook until the egg is half done and place the spinach on the surface. Rollup the fried egg with the chop stick.
32. Place it on the cutting board.
33. Re-oil the pan and fry the sausage. When the tentacles open up remove the sausage.
34. Cut the spinach tamagoyaki to the size of the bento box.
35. Place the pumpkin in an oiled deep pan. Turn on the burner.
36. Add potato starch to the chicken and toss to coat.
37. When the pumpkin starts to sizzle, gently place the chicken in the oil.
38. Rotate the pumpkin and the chicken in the oil to fry evenly.
39. When the pumpkin and the chicken turn golden brown, remove and place on a wired rack.
40. Dip the pumpkin in honey and place in a paper cup. Garnish with black sesame seed.
41. To prepare onigiri, wrap a bowl luke warm steamed rice in a plastic wrap and gently shape it into a triangle.
42. Coat the onigiri with Noritama Furikake.
43. Wrap the onigiri with a sheet of toasted nori and place it on the bento box divider.
44. Prepare another onigiri and coat with Yukari Furikake, wrap the onigiri with a sheet of toasted nori and place it on the bento box divider.
45. Place the rabbit shaped apple in the edge and octopus sausages at the center.
46. Add sesame seed eyes to the octopus sausage.
PACK THE BENTO BOX
1. Place the spinach tamagoyaki, honey glazed pumpkin, potato salad, cherry tomato and the fried chicken.
2. Put the divider on the bento box.
3. Cover the bento box and hold the lid with a rubber band.
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