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Simply Bento

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Spam Musubi Recipe

Spam Musubi

Spam Musubi is a Rice Ball with grilled Spam on top.  The whole thing is wrapped with a strip of Nori seaweed. It is a popular Hawaiian dish but also found in some regions of Japan.

In addition to Onigiri, Musubi or Omusubi is another word for rice ball in Japanese.  Spam meat was a combat ration for soldiers in the American military during World War II.  After Japanese-American soldiers came back to Hawaii after the war, Spam turned into a popular local food when they brought the canned meat with them.  Areas in Japan that have a big American military presence, especially Okinawa, also have a lot of food from the American military after the war, and Spam dishes became popular for restaurant and home food.

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Teriyaki Chicken Bento Recipe

Teriyaki Chicken Bento

Teriyaki Chicken Bento is a simple and easy Bento you can make for you and your family.  Pan-fried chicken coated with a sweet and salty sauce is good hot and also at room temperature.  It is a great dish for a Bento lunch.  Chicken can be made the night ahead so that you can eat some for dinner and leave some for next day’s Bento.  Just heat chicken up in the morning, and add lettuce and cherry tomatoes along with Steamed Rice in the Bento box.  If you are an early bird, you can of course make the whole thing in the morning.  This recipe is from our cook book Simply Bento: Delicious Box Lunch Ideas for Healthy Portions to Go.  There are over 140 Bento recipes for both main and side dishes.  Simply Bento is available online and at book stores.

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Assorted Tamagoyaki Recipe

Tamagoyaki with spinach and benishoga pickled ginger

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!

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Simply Bento: New Cookbook by Yuko and Noriko

We have a big announcement!  Our first cookbook titled Simply Bento: Delicious Box Lunch Ideas for Healthy Portions to Go is released from Quarto Publishing company! There are over 70 delicious and practical Bento recipes with more than 60 easy side dish recipes.

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:

  • Classic Japanese Bento
  • Sandwich Bento
  • Sushi and Onigiri Bento
  • 10-Minute Bento
  • Noodle Bento
  • Low-Carb Bento
  • Vegan Bento
  • Popular Japanese Bento
  • Bento for Special Occasions (including First Day of School and Halloween Bento!)

Simply Bento

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!



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