My lovely wooden bento box just showed up yesterday so I was super excited about packing lunch today. I had a nice wooden one when I used to pack bento lunches back when I lived in Seattle, but it disappeared when we moved recently. I found this wooden bento box by KOSOX on Amazon. It’s made in China and has a finish on it. My original box was unfinished. I prefer the finish because it makes it less susceptible to staining. In any case, I use a sheet of parchment paper in my wooden bento boxes. I prefer wood because the bento stays moist but it can still breathe and the steam tends to absorb into the wood. I also think there’s something aesthetic and romantic about it.
Teriyaki Salmon Bento
Teriyaki Salmon, Tamagoyaki, Simmered Kabocha, Chrysanthemum Turnip, Stir Fried Mushrooms and Turnip Greens with Shirasu, all of these are placed over steamed rice mixed with a bit of black sesame seed, and some orange slices for dessert.
My husband is a pickier eater than me, so I am working on things for him that are simple. The base formula for his bento are a meat, a vegetable, a starch, and a fruit. In contrast, the base formula for mine are a protein, 2 vegetables, 1 salad or pickle, and a starch.
Hamburger and Asparagus Bento
Blanched Asparagus with Japanese Mayo, Hamburger with Glaze, Rice with Sesame Gomasio, and some orange slices for dessert.
Miso Pork and Sauteed Vegetables Bento
Chrysanthemum Turnip; Persimmon; Miso Pork Chop; Sauteed Eggplant, Bell Pepper, and Kabocha Squash; Homemade Ginger Kimchee; Onigiri with Umeboshi paste and Shiso
When I was in Tokyo, I picked up a few Onigiri for the airplane. They had these clever plastic wrappers around the nori such that you pulled the corners in a certain order and voila, crispy nori on your Onigiri! I was so shocked to find these on Amazon, I just had to order them to try them out. They turned out to be really easy to use and super handy. I highly recommend these if you like making Onigiri for your lunch.
I recently went on a trip to Tokyo for work (and also did some sight seeing). I ate so much amazing Japanese food! When I got back, I was inspired to start packing bento again. I currently telecommute, although I’ve been thinking about joining a coworking space just to get out of the house.
The big reason I want to pack bento again is portion control, but also so when it’s time for my lunch break I don’t have to worry about cooking anything for lunch. In the process of moving a few times I’ve lost my bento box collection 😦 But the good news is I get to start from scratch! I think one really doesn’t need that many. I have a nice wood one to replace the one I can’t seem to find and a small plastic one with little compartments.
Today I packed a lunch in the small plastic one and discovered that while amazing, it’s pretty small. I got this onigiri kit that came with a little onigiri case and in the future I’ll just make an onigiri to go with whatever I’m packing in this bento if I’m having rice. Otherwise it will be good for mixed noodle or rice dishes where the protein and some veggies are mixed in and can sit easily in the large compartment.
First Bento After Hiatus!
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I had moved my bento blog to blogspot but ended up removing it I guess. At some point I may post pictures here and backdate them. In the meantime, after a long hiatus, I’ve decided to start packing bentos again! So please look forward to more photos 🙂
Filed under: Bento
Hamburger, Zucchini, Fried Rice
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Vegetable Yakisoba and Kielbasa
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Kielbasa and Baby Bok Choy
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Broccoli Brown Rice Bento
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Pork Fried Rice and Friends
leggo my obento! the bento blog 