Just Bento

Nimame (煮豆　にまめ), or stewed beans, are a standby item for bentos. They are usually rather sweet, though not dessert-level sweet, and serve the purpose of a hashi yasume or “chopstick rest” (see anatomy of a Japanese meal), a little something that contrasts in flavor and texture from the rest of the bento.

While it takes rather long to cook these, like most bean dishes, this is a terrific staple item. The beans keep for at least a week in the refrigerator, and freeze well in small batches too. Tuck in a spoonful in any bento for something a little sweet, a little salty, and good for you.

You can make nimame with any kind of dried beans, but here I’ve specified white or navy beans, or haricot beans, which are widely available and inexpensive. You could use cannellini beans instead.

You’ll notice that the only remotely exotic ingredient used here is soy sauce, so anyone can make this! Yes it’s still authentically Japanese. (It’s another one of my mom’s recipes.) continue reading...

And the winner is…

Lavash Bento, by sherimiya! continue reading...

(From the forum - what do you think about men making bentos, and 'manly' bentos?)

Hi All - I am Paul a male at the age of 33 from the Netherlands.

I am working in a relatively fast-paced job. Altough I am half Indonesian (mother 100% Indonesian / Father 100% Dutch) years back I totally fell in love with the Japanese kitchen, culture and country.

I love cooking Japanese myself and after stumbling across the Bento Box I decided to extend this to my lunch as well. I am traveling a lot (national and international) and decided that the Bento Box fits in perfectly to enjoy my lunch regardless of the geographical location.

Well deciding to go for the Bento Box was the easy part, getting a proper Bento Box (not for it's size but for its looks) proofed to be a journey in itself. But it was most defenitely worthwile because along the way I came across some interesting websites of which this one stands out.

Is it just me or aren't there much men out there who included the Bento Box in their daily routine? As I included it in my routine I get nothing but interested and positive feedback from co-workers and even clients I visit as I work from their location. Including the Bento Box in my routine also introduced this wonderfull timeslot in my otherwise hectic schedule wherein I totally relax, enjoy healthy food with pure flavours and recharge to take on the second half of my day. continue reading...

This furikake may not even look like furikake, since it’s wet, but it can be used in every way dry furikake can. You can keep it in the refrigerator for a week or so, or freeze it in small batches. And since it’s using radish leaves (leftover from making radish pickles for example), it’s very frugal and nutritious too. It’s a vegan variation of the first furikake recipe I posted, and just as delicious. continue reading...

(From the forum - a sign of the times?)

Hi guys!

I recently learned that there's a new food fad in Japan called "Neko-manma", which consists of rice mixed and matched with various toppings.
"Neko-manma", which literally translates into kitty food, refers to leftovers like rice mixed with miso soup or whatever was from the night before. It was probably named because people in the old days would give that to pets.
But the present-day neko-manma completely shatters preconceived notions. Some of these topping combos are unexpected, like potato chips and mayo (boy do Japanese people love mayonnaise!), others are not that out of the blue, for example, oden and the soup from it poured onto the rice, or natto and okra and egg. Books dedicated to neko-manma (the one I just saw was http://news.walkerplus.com/2009/0223/3/photo16.html) are popping up and selling like hotcakes because they are very cheap (you don't need many ingredients, and you can use leftovers too...the link above's main catchphrase is "One Meal for 30yen"), easy to make at home (you just need to pour everything on top of a bowl of rice, and you don't really need to cook much), and easy to clean and eco-friendly too (you only need one rice bowl). continue reading...

One of the major online sources for bento boxes and other supplies, Ichiban Kan USA, will be closing their mailorder business down as soon as they sell out their existing stock. I contacted some other popular online bento supply sellers to see how they were doing in the current economy, and the good news is that they seem to be doing very well. continue reading...

I swear this site has not gone all vegetarian - I’ll have some recipes for you omnivores soon! Still, now that the weather is so sunny and beautiful here, and with the abundance of great produce, it just seems easier to think up vegetable recipes. This one can be used as a filler or a vegan main in a bento, and is dead easy to make - and it just uses four ingredients! The main ones are fresh green beans and aburaage, deep fried tofu skins. No oil is added, since we utilize the residual oil on the aburaage instead. This dish keeps quite well in the refrigerator, so you can make a batch and use it throughout the week. continue reading...

We are down the the finals of the May Vegetarian Bento Contest! The voting was really, really close, but in the end, it’s a showdown between two very talented bentoists.

Presented in no particular order:

Finalist no. 1: Lavash Bento by sherimiya

Original entry page

Explanation: “MisterMan gets lavash “pizza” with cheddar, mushrooms, spinach, semi-dried tomatoes and onions. The lavash is whole wheat, sprayed with olive oil and layered with ingredients before baking for just a few minutes. It is a hit with the kids, and easy to adapt to individual preference.

Also, a tangerine called Ojai Mammoth, which tastes exactly like satsuma mandarins (kind of tart and seedless too) except they are huge (and I LOVE them!), cinnamon apple chunks, giant strawberry, cottage cheese with blackberries and sunflower seeds, edamame skewer and cucumber.”

Finalist no. 2: Wheat Meat Stir Fry Bento by hapabento

Original entry page

Explanation: “Vegetarian Bento for Saba Man. The wheat meat (seitan) cooks perfectly in a stir fry. The texture is like chicken.”

So, your task is to vote for your favorite out of these two beautiful and healthy, and of course vegetarian, bentos. Difficult, I know! Send in your vote to contestvote [at] justhungry [dot] com by 23:59:59 CET on Friday June 27, 2009. The winner will get a $50 ‘shopping spree’ at From Japan With Love.

Good luck to the two finalists! continue reading...