TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Basic Bento Rules
Build Up Your Stash
Bento Safety
MAKE-AHEAD BENTOS
1. Meatballs and mini-burgers
• Teriyaki Meatballs
• Tomato Ketchup Meatballs
• Italian Meatballs
• Sweet and Sour Meatballs
• Japanese Chicken Meatballs
• Pan-fried Meatballs and
Mini-burgers
• Mediterranean-style Spiced
Mini-burgers
2. Chicken
• Steamed Chicken with Sesame
Sauce
• Easy Chicken "Ham"
• Chicken and Beansprouts with
Umeboshi Sauce
• Crispy Fried Chicken with
Chili
• Maple Chicken Teriyaki
• Grilled Garlic Chicken
3. Soboro
• Japanese Dry Curry
• Classic Japanese Soboro
• Meat Soboro with Miso and
Eggplant
• Dandan-style Spicy Meat
Sauce
• Bento-friendly Spicy Meat and
Tofu
• Mini Shepherd's Pie
• Tuna Soboro
4. Pork
• Pork and Vegetable Rolls
• Sweet and Sour Crispy Sesame
Pork
• Baked Mini-tonkatsu
• Stir-fried Miso Pork with
Eggplant and Peppers
• Ginger Pork with Peppers
• Sweet and Spicy Bacon-wrapped
Broccoli
• Bacon-wrapped Tofu
5. Beef
• Bibimbap
• Sesame-miso Beef
• Stir-fried Steak with Rosemary
and Orange
• Roast Beef for Bentos
• Cold Roast Beef with Wasabi
Ginger Sauce
• Roast Beef Salad with
Southeast Asian Flavors
6. Egg
• Chicken Omu-rice
• Marinated Hard-boiled Eggs
• Egg Salad with Miso
• Japanese Rolled Omelette
• Egg Crepes
• Egg Parcels
• Mini Quiche
7. Fish
• Lemon Butter Tilapia
• Spicy Pan-fried Fish
Nuggets
• Salted Salmon
• Salmon Soboro
• Tuna and Ginger Nuggets
• Salty-sweet Simmered
Sardines
8. Tofu and Vegan
• Tofu Donburi Bento
• Baked Tofu
• Ginger Tofu Teriyaki
• Tofu Soboro
• Fried Tofu Roll-ups
• Bean and Pea Curry
• Green Lentils and Brown
Rice
9. Rice Sandwich
• Ham and Egg Rice Sandwich
• Egg-wrapped Rice Sandwich with
Bacon Rice Filling
• Rice Burger with Swiss Chard
and Cheese
• Tuna Salad with Dried Shiso
Leaves
• Brown Rice Sandwich with
Japanese Omelette and Edamame Filling
10. Low Carb, featuring Shirataki Noodles and Konnyaku
• Stir-fried Shirataki
Noodles
• Rice and Shirataki Pilaf with
Shrimp
• Shirataki Chicken "Ramen" in a
Lunch Jar
• Shirataki with Sesame
• Chicken and konnyaku "noodle"
peperoncino
• Spicy Simmered Konnyaku
EXPRESS BENTOS
1: "Instant" Soup in a Thermal Lunch Jar
2: Mediterranean Pasta Bento
3: Yakisoba Bento
4: One-pan Bento
5: Deconstructed Taco Salad Bento
6: Wrap Bento
7: Appetizer Bento
8: Stir-fry Bento
9: Salad Bento
10: Tasty sandwich ideas
MORE RECIPES
How to Cook Rice and Other Grains Side Dishes: Vegetables
• Roast Asparagus with Balsamic
Vinegar
• Asparagus with Sesame
Seeds
• Asparagus Mimosa Salad
• Spicy Broccoli
• Broccoli Florets with Bacon
and Garlic
• Broccoli-stalk Kinpira
• Salted Cabbage
• Carrots Cooked in Soup
• Carrot Shirishiri
• Max's Lemon Carrot Salad
• Miso-peanut Green Beans
• Sautéed Mushrooms
• Sake-steamed Mushrooms
• Tricolor Peppers with
Anchovies
• Braised Pepper and
Eggplant
• Caponata
• Potato and Corn Salad
• Cheesy Potatoes
• Spinach with Sweetcorn
• Spinach Namul
• Spinach with Bonito Flakes
• Marinated Vegetables
Side Dishes: Japanese Vegetables
• Burdock Root Kinpira
• Burdock Root Tataki
• Simmered Kiriboshi Daikon
• Kiriboshi Daikon Salad
• Buttery Kabocha Squash
• Lotus Root Salad
• Spicy Stir-fried Lotus
Root
• Lotus-root and Tofu Burgers
with Sweet and Sour Sauce
• Simmered Soy Beans with
Konnyaku
• Crunchy Stir-fried Soy
Beans
• Edamame Cheese
• Hijiki Seaweed with Carrots
and Shiitake
• Hijiki Seaweed with Garlic
• Simmered Konbu Seaweed
• Nori Seaweed Bento
• Wakame Seaweed and Cucumber in
Vinegar Sauce
• Wakame Seaweed and Beansprout
Stir Fry
Little Bento Side Dishes
• Miso Soup Balls
• Tomato Soup Balls
• Decorative Sausages
• Other "Gap Fillers"
Dashi Stock Recipes
• Katsuobushi and Konbu Seaweed
Dashi Stock
• Rice Sprinkles
• Konbu Seaweed Dashi Stock
• Shiitake Dashi Stock
• Chicken Stock
Tools and equipment
Types of Bento Boxes
Bento Box Accessories
Glossary
Index
Resources
MAKIKO ITOH has been writing about Japanese culture since 2000. She runs the popular Japanese food blogs JustHungry.com and JustBento.com, writes a monthly food column for The Japan Times, and is the author of the best-selling Just Bento Cookbook. Born in Tokyo, she has lived in the UK, the US, and Switzerland. She currently resides in Provence, France.
Praise for The Just Bento Cookbook: “Itoh guides readers to build a beautiful bento lunch that is also nutritious and filling for both adults and children. Recommended for fans of bento lunches and anyone trying to get out of a lunch rut!” –Library Journal“Equal parts recipe book and bento how-to, The Just Bento Cookbook is an elegant guide to making lunch more fun. Filled with lovely boxed lunch ideas that can be made for one or more, depending on how many lunches you plan on packing.” –Serious Eats “The Just Bento Cookbook is packed with recipes for savory dishes that will make a tasty dinner or lunch. Most of the recipes include several variations using different proteins and make-ahead tips.” –Seattle Weekly
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