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
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
