Recipes For Bento Lunch

The ese Bento Box is the ultimate meal prep, consumed by millions of ese people every day. Today’s bento recipe is Tonkatsu Bento (ese pork schnitzel). It is intended to be eaten at room temperature, as everyone does in .

Bento (弁当) is a single portion meal packed in a container. The bento box is the container for the meal (so basically a lunch box) and it is called ‘bento-bako” (弁当箱) in ese. The word ‘bako’ is the same thing as ‘hako’ (箱), which also means box (it sounds easier to say ‘bako’). 

Ese people do put a lot of effort into making good looking and delicious bento. If you have travelled , you probably encountered many different kinds of bento boxes sold at supermarkets, bullet train stations, department stores and convenience stores. They are made so pretty and appetising.

Delicious Ideas For Bento Boxes

A home-made bento box is no exception. Small portion of various dishes are packed in a container together with rice. It is meant to contain balanced foods and whoever is making a bento box does it wholeheartedly.

Some home-made bento boxes are works of art, with cartoon characters created using the ingredients in the bento boxes. They were initially made for school kids to try to make bento more interesting and to encourage children to eat food even if they may not be fond of it.

It is called ‘kyaraben’ (キャラ弁) that is a shortened form of character bento expressed in Rōmaji. If you Google search images of ‘kyaraben’, you will be amazed at what people do to bento boxes.

A Week Of Toddler Bento Box Ideas

Bento is usually packed after dinner the day before it is to be eaten. Often, the ingredients are the left-overs from the meal, plus a couple of make-ahead dishes.

From top left clockwise: Gomashio (black sesame seeds and salt), Tonkatsu Sauce in a small plastic bottle, Bento box wrapped in a ese fabric wrapper, Double decker bento box.

Note 1: Gomashio (sesame seeds and salt) is sold at ese/Asian grocery stores. They come in either sachets or a bottle as you can see in the top left photo above.

Healthy Bento Box Lunch Ideas

Note 2: I had a tiny plastic sauce bottle that snuggly fit in the corner of the bento box (see the top right photo above). I bought this at a ese grocery store. Similar small plastic bottles can also be purchased at Daiso. But you can use a small sealed plastic container instead.

Today, I used a double decker bentō-bako (lunch box) that I bought in (see the photos above). There are so many different bento boxes sold at Stores in and some ese people have collection of bento boxes! You can of course use a normal take out plastic boxes instead.

Traditionally, bento is meant to be eaten at room temperature without re-heating. Freshly cooked hot tonkatsu no doubt tastes wonderful. But even if tonkatsu is not hot at all, it tastes great when packed in a bento box with some other dishes.

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I don’t know what it is, but a bento box always gives me a smile when placed in front of me, even before opening the lid to see what’s inside. Finding out what’s inside of the bento box is almost like opening a treasure box.

Bento Box with Tonkatsu as a main is called Tonkatsu Bento. It consists of cooked rice, tonkatsu and a small amount of a few side dishes. It is intended to be eaten at room temperature.

I have written my instructions on how to pack the box to make it look like the photo of the bento box in the post. But you don’t need to place the ingredients in the same way.

How To Make Bento Box Lunches For The Whole Week In One Hour

Because bento is usually made mostly from the left-over dishes or make-ahead dishes, the time indicated in this recipe only shows the time to pack the bento box.

1. It is best to pack cooked rice in a bento box while hot or warm as it is easier to shape the rice into the bento box.

2. The recipe referenced here uses chrysanthemum leaves but I used snow pea shoots instead. Unlike chrysanthemum leaves, it is difficult to align the stems, so I simply spread the blanched shoots and cut to 4cm/1½” long.

Tamagoyaki Bento Box Recipe

Other options include shredded roasted seaweed, furikake (rice seasoning) or umeboshi (pickled salty plum). I mentioned furikake and umeboshi in How to Cook Rice the ese Way.

5. Bulldog is a ese brand that is famous for sauces. Tonkatsu sauce is a thick fruity sauce that goes well with tonkatsu. The details and a photo of Bulldog sauces can be found in my post Yakisoba.

Sauce container - I bought a pack of small plastic sauce bottles from a ese grocery store. It’s like the plastic soy sauce bottle in tiny fish shape that you get at sushi roll shop. Similar tiny plastic bottles are sold at Daiso as well, if you are interested.

Easy & Healthy Bento Box Lunch Ideas

6. When I have two different foods that can easily integrate if placed next each other (e.g. one item is saucy), I often put one of them in a small foil cupcake liner (goma-ae in this case). Instead of a cupcake liner, you can also use a small sheet of aluminium foil to segregate two items.This article may contain links from our partners. We may receive a small commission if you make a purchase through a link. Please readour disclosure and how we make money.

Looking for new lunch recipes? These 6 healthy bento box lunch ideas are packed with a healthy balance of protein, fresh veggies, and whole grains. The best part? The boxes can be enjoyed at room temperature. School lunch and work lunch break approved!

Life can be messy, but lunchtime doesn’t have to be. This collection of recipes features six healthy bento box lunches that are a great way to pack nutritious meals for you and your family, despite your busy schedule.

Bento Boxes For Kids' Lunches 101

When you run out of healthy lunch ideas, this selection of fresh and flavorful meals is an easy way to revamp work and school lunches – no reheating necessary!

Bento-style lunches originated in Japan – and lucky for us, the concept caught on. These cute, creative (and sometimes cartoon characters-themed) lunch boxes are available all over, but what sets a Japanese bento box apart from any old plastic lunchbox?

The goal is to keep each element of the meal simple, healthy, and stored in its own compartment. Bento box lunches take the guesswork out of assembling healthy meals. Typically, the foods require no cooking or cooking that involves minimal effort.

Low Calorie Tips And Recipes For Healthy Bento Boxes On Back To School Or Work Lunches

You can use any reusable airtight container with makeshift dividers (crisp lettuce leaves work great), or store the items the old-school way, in separate containers.

Fruit and veggies provide essential vitamins and minerals. You know better than anyone which fruits and veggies you or your kids enjoy munching on raw.

A medley of foods inspired by Japanese cuisine. You’ll make a tamagoyaki omelet to pack alongside cabbage salad, rice, edamame, and smoked or sushi-grade fish.

Caribbean Inspired Vegan Bento Box Meal Prep + Video + Video

Prepare a quick teriyaki-glazed chicken, spicy edamame, rice, and a simple soy/sesame-dressed salad. Each dish is just as tasty the next day as the night before.

Pack anavocado sandwich, berries, and popcorn, or customize your plant-based meal with your favorite sandwich and snack. This one includes raw, gluten-free options.

This one showcases ingredients inspired by the fresh and fiery flavors south of the border. How amazing does citrus and cumin-spiced dressing with black beans and veggie-loaded Mexican salad sound? Depending on your appetite, Mexican quinoais also a good fit for this theme.

Simple Techniques To Get Started With Bento Lunches

Thisspread of Indian-inspired dishes featureschickpea curry, brown rice, and a spicy cucumber salad withroasted nuts- all of which are plant-based and tasty at room temperature. You can also opt for this creamy butternut squash curry or this delicious coconut lentil curry.

Savor every refreshing bite of dairy-freeMediterranean quinoa saladalongside a hard-boiled egg and a fresh fruit medley. Or try this Panzanella salad as an alternative.

These ideas are geared towards adults and kids with adventurous appetites. The beauty of these lunch ideas is how simple they are to modify with kid-friendly ingredients.

Back To School Easy Bento Box Ideas • Just One Cookbook

You can prepare most of these bento boxes 2 to 3 days in advance and store them in the fridge before eating them.

I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s important! Ensure everything is cooled to room temperature before closing the box to avoid bacteria growth.

If you have a few hours before lunchtime, keep your bento box in the fridge or in an insulated bag with ice packs.

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How to Store: Food safety and properly storing a bento box go hand in hand. The food should be cooled to room temperature before being closed inside the box to prevent bacterial growth and to avoid the food going soggy.Looking to get creative with your lunches? We’ve got some amazing bento box ideas that are balanced and healthy! Best part? They double as kids bento box lunch ideas, too 😀

A few weeks ago we posted some pretty amazing healthy chicken salad recipes. PLEASE tell me that you checked them out and have made one or two of them. There are some of the tastiest and easiest recipes around town and we can’t get enough of them.

Lately, we have been all about repurposing meals

Back To School Bento Box With Rice And Veggies