Bento Food Design by Shirley Teh

Bento food design

You may find it hard to get all the equipment however they all can be found at a local japanese grocerry shop or online.

CONTENT PAGE INTRODUCTION 7 JAPAN . BENTO 9 RICE DESIGN 10 EGG DESIGN 28 SAUSAGE DESIGN 42 VEGE DESIGN 56

BENTO BOOK

Hi my name is Shirley Teh and I have a great passion for Japanese culture and food. Japan is widely known for their famous bento boxes and bento meals which is part of their traditional culture as food which is packaged and brought with them on their journeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Bento has evolved over the years, as what was once a simple meal has now become something more design oriented. Ingredients are created and positioned into shapes or personified into objects, as well as giving the possibility of telling a story or scene.

Bento is all about technique, style and creativity as the designs and possibilities are endless which make every bento a unique experience giving that special touch to make the meal much more enjoyable and pleasing. This book will teach various methods and techniques to make a variety of designs that can be fitted within a bento as well as the ingredients necessary to execute the meal

japan . bento

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tenth largest population with over 126 million people.. In Japan, Bento is a japaneses daily meal which is made from home usually by the wife for the children or husband. It is mostly targeted towards children as the unique and playful designs encourage the children to enjoy their meals

Bento is a single portion takeout or home packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento contains rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box shaped container. Containers can range from disposable mass prodiced to hand crafted designs. Bento boxes are readily available in many places throughout Japan, including convenience stores, bento shops, railway stations and department stores. However, Japanese homemakers often spend time and energy on a carefully prepared lunch box for their family or themselves.

RICE DESIGN

Rice is a cereal grain and is the most widely consumed food for a large part of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s human population, especially in Asia.. Rice is the most important grain with relation to human nutrition and caloric intake as it provides more than one fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by humans. It can create alot of different types of design with the rice itself.

The Rice Dice INGREDIENTS

seaweed

rice

sqaure mould

method

circle stamp

Use a spoon and scoop the rice into the square mould.. Gently squeeze the rice into the mould to form the square shape. Carefully remove the mould. and prevert the rice fall apart. Place rice on aside and use the circle stamp to cut out the circles from seaweed. Place the circles on the square rice and it will form a rice dice.

silly lazy pandas INGREDIENTS

seaweed

rice

oval mould

paw stamp

ear mould

method

Scoop the rice into the oval mould. and ear mould to create the panda shape. Carefully remove the mould. and prevert the rice fall apart. Stick the ear shape onto the oval. ( Rice should be sticky enough to make it hold together. ) Place the rice on aside and use the paw stamp to stamp the pandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paw from seaweed.. Get another seaweed and cut it into the pandaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes, ears, hands and legs shapes. Place them all over the rice and it will transform the boring rice into adorable pandas.

Three sleeping sushi INGREDIENTS

seaweed

rice

prawn

salmon

method

tuna

rectangular mould

ham

Create 3 rectangular rice shape with the rectangular mould.. Carefully remove the mould. and place them into a bento box. Use clean hand, and gently form a small rectangular rice shape. Make 5 of them.. Place salmon, tuna and prawn on top of the rice, grab the small rice shape created before, place it on top of the salmon, tuna and prawn.. Use a seaweed, cut out the eyes and mouth for the sushiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Use ham for the mouth and blushes. Place the seaweed on the rice and three sleeping sushi is done.

the snory bear INGREDIENTS

rice

seaweed

egg

round mould

ear mould

bear face stamp

ham

frying pan

method Use the moulds to create the bear’s head.. and the bear’s ear. Create the bear’s hand shape by using gladwrap. Once the rice is formed, place the ear rice on top of the round rice. Use the bear face stamp to stamp the face out from the seaweed and put it on the rice. Crack two eggs into a bowl and beat them into fine smooth texture, season it with some salt. Heat frying pan on stove and pour the eggs over. Spread the eggs out and cook it to well done. (Try not to break the omelette egg.) Cut a quarter of the omelette egg out and roll it into a square shape. Put everything into the bento box. with the rice bear on top of the quarter omelette, gently put the rest of the egg on top of the bear to make it look like a blanket. Snory bear is done.

choochoo train INGREDIENTS

rice

egg

train mould

small train mould

frying pan

method Create the train rice with the train mould. Once is done, place it into the bento box. Crack an egg into the bowl and beat it firmly, heat the frying pan and cook it until is all cooked. Use the small train mould to stamp the trainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s window pattern out,. Place them all over the train rice and the choo choo train will be done.

3 little buddies INGREDIENTS

rice

seaweed

round mould

emotion stamp

ham

method Use a spoon and push the rice into the round mould to form 3 rice ball. Cut the hair shape from seaweed, stamp the seaweed with emotion stamp too. Cut the ham out for rice ball blushes. Put everything on the rice ball and place it into a bento box. 3 Little Buddies bento is done.

lion rice INGREDIENTS

rice

egg

round mould

ear mould

lion mould

ham

emotion stamp

frying pan

method Use the mould to create the lionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head and ear by using rice. Press the rice into the mould to form the shapes. Use the emotion stamp to stamp the lion face out. Cook the egg into an omelette egg and stamp it with the lion mould. Put everything together and it will form a lion rice.

doggy rice INGREDIENTS

rice

sausage

round mould

ear mould

emotion stamp

method Use a spoon and scoop the rice into the round and ear mould.. With clean hands, gently transform the round shape into a slightly square shape. Use the emotion stamp to stamp the doggy face and place it on the rice. Cook the egg into omelette egg and stamp it with the lion mould. Cut sausage into thin slices and place it on the rice for the dog ear.

piggy rice INGREDIENTS

rice

cheese

round mould

ear mould

seaweed

method Use a spoon and scoop the rice into the piggy and ear mould.. Gently squeeze the rice into the mould to form the shapes. Cut the pigâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes and nose out by using a straw or scissor. Cut the inner ear out with a slice of cheese, Put everything together and it will form a piggy rice.

bunny rice INGREDIENTS

rice

round mould

ear mould

face stamp

seaweed

method Use a spoon and scoop the rice into the round and ear mould.. Gently squeeze the rice into the mould to form the rabbit shape. Carefully remove the mould. and prevert the rice fall apart. Grab the seaweed and use the face stamp to stamp the emotion out. Place it on the rice and the bunny rice will be done.

bear rice INGREDIENTS

rice

seaweed

round mould

ear mould

bear face stamp

ham

method Use a spoon and scoop the rice into the round and ear mould.. Gently squeeze the rice into the mould to form the bear shape. Carefully remove the mould. and prevert the rice fall apart. Grab the seaweed and use the face stamp to stamp the emotion out. Place it on the rice and the bear rice will be done.

egg design

Eggs consist of the egg yolk and egg white. Whole eggs store great amounts of protein and choline and are wdely used in cookery. Eggs can be developed into different types of design, depending on how well the eggs are cooked. There is boiled egg, half-boiled egg, scramble egg, omelette egg, etc.

rip ghost eggs INGREDIENTS seaweed

boiled egg

zig zac knife

RIP sign

method Peel the egg shell off and rince it with warm water. Slice the bottom of the eggs of (the part with egg white), and place it inside the bento box Place the RIP sign behind the eggs. Use seaweed and ham to cut out the face emotion from the stamps. Paste them on the eggs and RIP Ghost Eggs is done.

shinobi ninja eggs INGREDIENTS seaweed

boiled egg

knife toothpick

method Peel the egg shell off and rince it with warm water. Use the seaweed and cut the ninja shape out, paste it on the boiled egg. Use the face stamp to stamp the ninjaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eyes out. Place the egg in the bento box and put the knife toothpick at the back of the boiled egg. Shinobi Ninja Egg is done.

the chicken farm INGREDIENTS quail egg boiled egg

chicken mould

mould

zig zag knife capsicum

cheese

method Peel the shell off for the quail eggs and boiled eggs, rince it well with warm water. Cut the edges of the quail eggs away by using zig zag knife. Carefully seperate the egg white and egg york apart. With the same instruction onto the normal egg.s Use a small knife, slidely cut a small area and place it on the egg white to make it looks like the chickenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hand. Use the chicken mould to form the chicken wings part. Secure the wings by using toothpick. Use mould to cut out the shapes from the capsicum for the chickenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comb. Use chesse and seaweed to create the faces and noses for the chicken. Place all the ingredients properly onto the eggs, the chicken farm is done.

special lovely eggs INGREDIENTS boiled egg

method

egg moulds

Peel the shell off for the boiled eggs, rince it well with warm water. Put two of the eggs into the egg mould and leave it for 15 mins. Fill a bowl of warm water and soak the moulds in warm water. ( The shape will stay and form perfectly. ) Remove the eggs out from the mould after 15 mins. The eggs will have a love heart shape and a star shape. Slice them in half and place it inside the bento box. Special Lovely Eggs is done.

happy egg rolls INGREDIENTS egg

emotion stamp

frying pan

method Crack two eggs into a bowl and beat it firmly. Heat the frying pan on a stove and pour the egg over the pan. When the eggs are half cooked (A little bit runny), turn the heat into low heat and roll the eggs. Leave the egg roll for 2-3 mins, and place it on a chopping board. Cut the egg rolls into 3, use seaweed to stamp the face and place it on egg rolls. Happy Egg Rolls done!

little egg party INGREDIENTS quail egg

emotion stamp

mould

capsicum

cheese

method

round mould

ear mould

Peel the shell off for the quail eggs, rince it well with warm water. Use the mould to cut out the chicken shape from capsicum. Use ham, cheese and seaweed to create the face, eyes and nose. (Egg has got a wet surface the ingredients will stick to it.) Put all of them properly on the eggs and make sure they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t fall apart. Secure them with toothpick to make sure it stays still on the egg.. Place them all in a bento box and the Little Egg Party is done.

sausage design

A sausage is a food usually made from ground meat with a skin around it. Typically, a sausage is formed in a casing traditionally made from intestine, but sometimes synthetic. Sausage can create alot of different shape and different design.

soldier sausage INGREDIENTS red sausage

emotion stamp

ham

toothpick

method Slice the red sausage in half, and slice a small piece out and leave it aside. Use emotion shape to stamp the eyes and face out with seaweed and ham. Use a toothpick and hold the 3 cut sausage together, and place all the cut stuff on top. Make sure the slice part is facing flat so is showing the soldierâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face. Put them all into the bento box and the soldier sausage is done.

three little penguin INGREDIENTS small sausage

emotion stamp

carrot

mould

cheese

method

round mould

Take 3 small sausages, and place it in the bento box. Slidely cut the side of the sausages and create the hand for the penguin. Use round mould to stamp the tummy out from the cheese. Slice carrot into thin slices and stamp it with mould. Place all the ingredients onto the sausage, secure it with a mini toothpick. Some of the items can be cut out by scissors. Lastly, place them into the box and Three LIttle Penguin done.

octOpus sausage INGREDIENTS sausage

cheese

mould

seaweed

method Slice the sausage in half and use the knife to cut the edges. Cut a cross and another cross to create the octopus legs. Boil the sausages in hot water and it will turn into a octopus shape. Press the sausages on a place to make the legs stable Cut the cheese out for the mouth by using the circle mould, also use seaweed for the eyes. Place everything in the bento box and the octopus sausage is done.

trapped sausages INGREDIENTS sausage

cheese

mould

seaweed

emotion stamp

toothpick

method Use the method same as octopus sausage to create the octupus sausages. Create 3 rice square by using the rectangular mould, place the octupus on top and wrap it around with a thin seaweed. Create the emotion by using cheese and seaweed, place it on the sausages. The mouth can be cut out by using a straw. Secure the sausages with a toothpick. Put them into a bento box and the trapped sausages is done.

sunny sausage INGREDIENTS sausage

emotion stamp

ham

cheese

method Cut the sausage into strips and watch out do not cut the whole sausage off. Once the strip shape is cut, pull the sausage and roll it into a circle shape Secure the shape by using a toothpick. Some parts of the sausage my fall apart just becareful with it. Boil the sausages in hot water for 5-10 mins. Cut the round shape out from the cheese by using circle mould. Place all the emotion on it by using ham and stamp to create them. Attached it to the sausages and place it inside the bento. Sunny Sausage is done.

mushroom sausage INGREDIENTS tomato

sausage

emotion stamp

cheese

toothpick

method Slice the tomato and sausages in half. Place the half sausage into the tomato to create the mushroom shaper. Attached them with a toothpick. Cut cheese out into circles by using the mould, place it all on the tomato. Use emotion stamp to stamp the face out with seaweed and place it on the sausages. Put them inside the bento box and the mushroom sausage is done.

vege design

In culinary terms, a vegetable is an edible plant or its part, intended for cooking or eating raw. In biological terms, â&#x20AC;&#x153;vegetableâ&#x20AC;? designates members of the plant kingdom. In Japan, the parents often prepare vege items inside the bento box and make the vege interesting so the kids will eat it, therefore vegetable can create alot of different creative food design.

capsicum apple INGREDIENTS seaweed

capsicum

mince meat

cheese

toothpick

method Marinate the mince meat with some salt and pepper. Cut capsicum into 3 slices, insert the marinate mince meat inside the capsicum.. Steam the capsicum for 10 mins, make sure the meat is cooked through. Use the cheese and cut a 8 shape out, place it on top of the mince meat. Use a toothpick to place it on top and stable the whole thing. Capsicum apple is done.

blah blah white sheep INGREDIENTS red sausage

seaweed

caulif1ower

toothpick

method Place cauliflower into a boiiling water and cook it for 5 mins. Cut the sausages into a sheep head and hands. Use a toothpick to attach everything together and prevent them from falling. Cut the sheep eyes out by using seaweed. Put it inside a bento box and the white sheep is done.

lovely arrow hearts INGREDIENTS tomato

toothpick

method Slice the tomato in half, and flip one of them over to create the love heart shape. (Is better to use roma tomatoes.) Secure the tomatoes with toothpicks. Toothpick can be any patterns, that will make the tomatoes look interesting. Place it inside a bento box and the lovely arrow hearts is done.

christmas tree INGREDIENTS tomato

red sausage

cheese

toothpick

seaweed

brocolli

method Boil the brocolli in hot water for 5 mins, rince well and leave aside to cool down. Use cheese, sausage and tomato, cut out lots of different shapes and leave aside. Use brocolli to create a tree shape, use toothpick to stable the tree. Once the tree is set, place all the cut ingredients on top of the brocolli tree. Lastly place the cheese star on top and Christmas Tree is done.

lovely f lower INGREDIENTS carrot

emotion stamp

cheese

method Cut the carrot into small thin slices. (Carrot can be raw or cooked) Use the mould to stamp out all the flower shapes. Cut cheese into circle shapes and place it over the flower carrot. Use seaweed and stamp out the emotion, place it over the cheese. Put the carrot into a bento box and the lovely flower is done.