Build Your Own Bento Box

The Japanese have made bento box meals into an art form. Combining nutritious foods, a variety of textures and flavours, as well as making it beautiful, and exciting to open up your lunch box again. And just in case you were wondering, yes, you can use the bento box style and fill with your favourite foods, Japanese or not.

Bento box ingredients are as varied as their containers. While many think of a bento box as the black and red lacquer tray we get at restaurants, the bento box is simply a visually appealing, home-packed or takeout meal, served in a container.

The bento is primarily a single-portion boxed meal of a carb, protein, and assortment of pickled, raw, and cooked vegetables. It is a convenient way to get balanced nutrition and a portable way to carry lunches or dinners.

A variety of flavours and textures make for a great bento box. The tradition is to include five colours when planning your bento box. White, black (or brown or blue), green, red, and yellow (orange fits here too). A mix of cooked and raw foods. Pickled foods. And, of course, rice or noodles. This foundation means that you have a greater chance of incorporating a wider variety of flavours as well as nutrients, and making it more exciting than just another sandwich.

As you arrange each food in your bento box, use silicone cups, lettuce or cabbage leaves to separate the items. Make sure everything has cooled and your ingredients are packed so there is no movement during transport. Most bentos are designed to be eaten cold or at room temperature without reheating, so it is important to keep that in mind when choosing your components.

One item that must be eaten hot is miso soup. Miso soup has three basic components: dashi (stock), miso (soybean paste) and additions like tofu. Although most of us have only experienced miso soup with tofu and wakame seaweed, you can add any number of ingredients to the basic miso soup. It is also quite easy to make.

Bento considerations for success:

• At what temperature will your bento be eaten?

• Where do the rice/noodles go? To the side or underneath everything?

• Do you want the flavours to touch or do you need dividers?

• Did you incorporate a mixture of textures and flavours?

• Did you make it pretty? This is kind of a bonus but it makes such a difference when you open it and your meal already looks delicious.

Broccoli Goma-ae

Serves 2

100 g broccoli florets

2 Tbs sesame seeds

2 Tbs (30 mL) soy sauce

½ tsp sugar

¾ tsp (3 mL) mirin

1 tsp (5 mL) sake (optional)

1. Trim broccoli into bite size florets.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

3. Meanwhile, prepare a large bowl of cold water filled with ice cubes.

4. When water reaches a roaring boil, add the broccoli. Let cook for 1 minute. Remove broccoli and quickly submerge in ice bath. Once cool, lay broccoli on paper towel to remove the excess water.

5. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry frying pan over low heat constantly moving the seeds. Pour sesame seeds into mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind or pulse the seeds.

6. In a small bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and sesame seeds and combine.

7. In a medium bowl, add broccoli and sauce and stir to combine. Can be served cold or at room temperature.

Japanese Chicken Cutlet (Katsu)

Serves 2

2 chicken thighs or breast

To taste salt and pepper

¼ cup rice flour

1 egg, beaten

½ cup panko

Oil for frying

1. Butterfly the chicken pieces to even out the thickness of the chicken (about 1½ cm thick).

2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

3. Place the flour, egg, and panko each in their own shallow plate.

4. One fillet at a time, coat with rice flour. Then coat with egg. Then coat with panko.

5. Heat oil in a frying pan. When hot, gently place the fillet in the oil making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Depending on the thickness of your chicken, fry approximately 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a tray lined with paper towel to remove any excess oil.

6. Cut chicken into 2.5 cm wide strips.

7. Let cool completely before adding to bento if taking for lunch. Serve immediately if having for dinner.

Miso Soup

Serves 3 - 4

4 cups (1 L) water

1 piece kombu (dried kelp 10 cm x 10 cm)

1 cup dried bonito flakes, packed

4-5 Tbs (60-75 mL) miso

2 pieces dried wakame seaweed, trimmed to 1 cm pieces

3 cm x 9 cm soft tofu, 1½ cm cubes

1 green onion, thinly sliced

1. Add the water and kombu to a medium pot. Slowly bring up to but do not boil.

2. Right before the stock boils, remove the kombu or your stock will be bitter.

3. Add the dried bonito flakes to the pot and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 1 minute. Turn off the heat and allow the dried bonito flakes to simmer until they sink approximately 10 minutes. Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth.

4. Add the stock back to the saucepan and simmer over low heat.

5. In a small bowl, add a ladle of stock and 1 Tbs at a time of miso. Whisk to dissolve and return to the stock. Repeat until all the miso has been added.

6. Add tofu to the soup. Add the dried wakame seaweed. Add the green onion.

Green beans with Yuzu and Miso

Serves 2

½ tsp fresh ginger, peeled

1 tsp (5 mL) white miso

¾ tsp sugar

1 tsp (5 mL) yuzu, or fresh lemon juice

150 g green beans

1. Grate the ginger into a small bowl.

2. Add the miso, sugar, and yuzu to the bowl and stir to combine.

3. Bring water to boil in a medium pot filled ½ full.

4. Trim beans and cut into 1 cm pieces. When water is boiling, add beans. Let cook 1½ minutes. Strain and run under cold water to completely cool.

5. Add the beans to the bowl and toss to make sure all the beans are covered in the sauce.