Kenchinjiru is a clear soup with a lot of vegetables. This meatless but hearty hot soup is a great dish in colder weather, and perfect to serve a big crowd for various gatherings in fall and winter. There is a lot of cutting involved, but it is quite easy and simple to make.
Tako (octopus) Sausage is a sausage cut to look like an octopus and is often seen in children’s Bento lunches. This fun and cute dish is a favorite for kids, but tastes good enough for adults too.
Chicken Katsu is chicken fillet breaded with flour, egg, and Panko (bread crumbs), then deep fried, just like Tonkatsu. It is a comfort food rather than a healthy Japanese food, but if you use cuts like chicken breasts or tenders instead of thighs, it can become a little lighter fare. Nonetheless, Chicken Kastu is a delicious and satisfying main dish for dinner.
Spicy Tuna Hand Roll is a Sushi hand roll filled with chopped raw tuna seasoned with hot sauce. It is more of an American-style Sushi than traditional Japanese Sushi, yet it has become one of everyone’s favorites and a staple item on the menu at Japanese restaurants in the US today.
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Miso Eggplant and Shishito Peppers is a small side dish and goes very well with your steamed rice. It is very quick and easy to make in the last minutes, when you want to add one more vegetable dish to your meal.
Grapefruit Jelly in a cup made of fruit skin is a popular dessert during the hot summer in Japan. It is sweet and tart, refreshing, and also a very healthy treat that you can easily make at home. Making the cup out of grapefruit gives a special touch to this cold dessert, and can bring an extra smile for your family and friends.
Tamagoyaki is thin layers of eggs cooked and rolled into a log using a special rectangular Tamagoyaki pan. This neatly shaped Japanese omelette is a great side dish for any meal, but it is an especially wonderful addition to a Bento lunch since it’s good cold. You can mix in different flavors and ingredients to regular Tamagoyaki so that you don’t get tired of the same old taste (well, is that possible?). Here we added Benishoga, pickled red ginger, to one version to give a little spiciness and sourness. In another one, cooked spinach, was added to give a nice green color and extra nutritions. You can also try chopped ham, Aonori (dried green seaweed), or any meats and vegetables you like for variations. Play with it, and create your own original Tamagoyaki!
Hiyashi Tanuki Udon is cold Udon noodles with a cold sauce and Tenkasu, fried Tempura batter crumbs. It is very refreshing but also satisfyingly rich from the Tempura crumbs. Hiyashi Tanuki Udon is a great dish during summer when you don’t want to make complicated dishes in a hot kitchen. If you have your Mentsuyu (a multi-purpose sauce) and Tenkasu handy (especially in a bag), the hardest part of the cooking is done.
We have a big announcement! Our first cookbook titled Simply Bento: Delicious Box Lunch Ideas for Healthy Portions to Go
The majority of the recipes are newly created for the book. Some of the recipes are classic Japanese Bentos like we usually cook on our website Japanese Cooking 101, such as Teriyaki Chicken Bento, but there are also more trendy American style Bento, including Quinoa Salad Bento.
Simply Bento shows you the finer points of bento-making, and there is something for everyone:
The book will teach you how to cook the recipes, of course, and how to prepare foods in advance and manage time.
If you want to give kids and family tasty but nutritious Bento lunches, this book is perfect for that. If you work and want to bring your own lunch to save money, control weight, or just want to eat tasty Bento, this book will work great too. Also, the main dishes of the Bento can be converted into dinner entrees easily, by multiplying the recipes to feed your entire family.
Keep this book in your kitchen for yourself or give it to your family and friends to encourage healthy and delicious cooking!