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.
seared giant scallop, shrimp, shiitake, salmon roe, mango, tofu salad, green beans
my bento
fish ball stir fried with green onion; green beans wrapped in bacon; kabocha; hard boiled eggs with mayo (deviled egg); fried rice with dried shrimp and takanazuke (i love that stuff!!)
japanese mayo is perfect for making deviled eggs. traditionally americans make deviled eggs by mixing the egg yolk with a little mayo, a little mustard, and a little white vinegar. since japanese mayo is made with rice vinegar and is sweeter than american mayo, the extra flavor additives are unnecessary. just pop out the egg yolks and mix with a little mayo. deviled eggs is a good alternative solution to bento lovers that don’t like traditional hard boiled eggs…! although i love both… it’s a nice treat every now and again.
his bento
fire roasted corn; ground chicken sauteed in sugar, soy sauce, and ginger; chopped spinach; fish cake tubes with mayo; imitation crab with mayo; shiitake mushrooms
my bento
rice with takanazuke and dried shrimp; cherry tomato; takoyaki w/ mayo and nori; tamagoyaki with imitation crab; kabocha simmered in soy sauce, dashi, and sugar
his bento
tamagoyaki with spinach and smoked cheese; stewed kombu; sweet roasted corn; basmati rice; chimichurri salmon (from trader joe’s); brownie for dessert
Filed under: Fish
his bento
basmati rice; teriyaki salmon with pineapple (from trader joe’s); broccoli cooked in leftover teriyaki marinade; tamagoyaki with mozzarella cheese
his bento
rice with umeboshi; marinated and pan fried ahi tuna; broccoli stir fried with ginger, sesame oil, and soy sauce; tamagoyaki with soy sauce, sake, and mozzarella cheese filling
his bento
top: smoked salmon and green onion tamagoyaki, sweet simmered shiitake, stir fried green beans, and fish cake with mayo
bottom: daikon rice with furikake
my bento
left: salted cucumber salad with sesame seeds, apple slices, adzuki beans
right: smoked salmon donburi
i love donburi but he hates it. he doesn’t like egg on rice or sweet egg or hard boiled egg!!! so i made him a tamagoyaki with some smoked salmon and green onion, a dash of soy sauce and a dash of sake.
daikon rice: this recipe was taken from naomi kijima’s bento book. marinate daikon in soy sauce for about 10 minutes, drain, and stir into cooked rice along with bonito flakes. i topped mine with my favorite furikake which is a mix of bonito flakes, nori, sesame seeds. this was actually leftover from dinner last night..
smoked salmon donburi: this recipe was also adapted from naomi kijima’s bento book. she has a recipe for unagi (bbq eel) donburi and i instead replaced it with the smoked salmon.
the adzuki beans also came from naomi kijima’s bento book. i used canned beans instead, and added about half the sugar since i don’t like mine as sweet.
both of our bentos were packed in green boxes! purely coincidentally (it’s all that was clean heh heh). maybe it will bring us a little extra prosperity!?
his bento
steamed broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots; pork gyoza with sauce bottle; salmon rice with nori
dessert: cherry cheesecake
my bento
clam donburi, stir fried mixed vegetables, pork gyoza with sauce
easiest gyoza sauce: 1 T soy sauce, 1 T rice vinegar, 2-3 drops of sesame oil
clam donburi is pretty easy. donburi is dishes where egg is cooked in a sweet watery sauce and served over rice. this is a variation of naomi kijima’s clam donburi. in my variation i used canned clam and green onions. she also has a bbq eel donburi that i’d love to try with bbq pork! japanese cooking is actually very affordable but you have to make substitutions for items that are cheap and readily available where you live.
salmon rice – also adapted from one of naomi kijima’s recipes (salmon cucumber rice). saute canned salmon and ginger in a frying pan, add hot cooked rice, remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. top with nori. he doesn’t like cucumber (except in cucumber salad) so i didn’t want to make the rice as per her recipe. the nori is my “green” substitution to ensure he gets his vitamins.
his bento
top: rice with salmon teriyaki on top
bottom, from left: spinach marinated in soy/dashi (ohitashi), steamed baby carrots, rolled egg with green onions, dashi, and soy sauce (tamagoyaki), dried apricots and a piece of crystallized ginger
my bento
right: donut peaches for dessert
top: rice with umeboshi
bottom, from left: egg poached in the broiler, steamed baby zucchini, salmon teriyaki, dried apricots, avocado (aguacate)
this is my first time poaching the egg in the broiler like that. naomi kijima in her book “bento boxes” (see cookbooks link on the right) has instructions for doing it in the toaster oven. i love poached egg, so i thought i’d give it a try. here’s how you do it: 1) set the broiler on low, 2) place a foil cup onto a cookie sheet and crack an egg into it, 3) place in the oven/broiler for about 4 minutes or until firm, 4) drizzle a little soy sauce on it.
i didn’t include any dessert with his bento (well i guess if you count the apricots) because he had a little leftover sushi from last night that i wrapped up for him. i know it sounds gross but really it’s not terrible. i took some of the ohitashi and made kijima’s quick mushrooms recipe with some shiitake, and rolled those up for him, so it’s an ohitashi/shiitake roll. the important thing is not to put it in the refrigerator because the rice will harden, which is why this only works with preserved or marinated (non meat) ingredients.
here is the california roll i made for myself last night as a pre-dinner snack:
i’m still not a pro but at least i’m improving. guess i have to practice more!! 😛
leggo my obento! the bento blog 