Just Bento

Learn how to make sushi rice, plus tips for sushi as bento. continue reading...

The Guy makes his first foray into the world of bento making. continue reading...

Here is something that I had in my archives - a sushi roll bento, made with ingredients that you might not have thought belong in a sushi. Plus, how to make a fat sushi roll without a sushi mat! continue reading...

Bento contents:

• 1 US cup (240ml) steamed brown rice with 2 tsp. rice vinegar, 220 cal
• 1/2 portion of Tuna Soboro with Ginger, 175 cal
• 2 Tbs. Homemade Sakura Denbu, 50 cal
• Usuyaki Tamago (very thin omelette or egg crêpe) shredded finely (kinshi tamago), from 1 egg, 100 cal
• 1 cup 3 Color Spring Vegetable Namul with Crabstick with “Instant” radish pickles, 90 cal

Total calories (approx): 635 (how calories are calculated)

Time needed: 15 minutes the night before; 15 minutes in the morning

Type: Traditional Japanese with a twist continue reading...

In case you don’t follow Just Hungry (though, if you want to know about basic Japanese cooking techniques you really should :)) I’ve substantially updated the inarizushi recipe that I originally posted more than 4 years ago. The new article describes in detail how to make your own inarizushi skins, which, if you can get a hold of the aburaage (fried tofu skins), is not hard at all. The technique is useful for people who have had trouble with the infamous Eggs in Treasure Bags recipe!

Inarizushi are excellent for bento, but they can be a bit high in calories since they are stuffed with sushi rice. The original version with a 100% rice filling has about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of rice per bag, which makes each inarizushi about 110 to 130 calories. On the other hand these inarizushi are about 80 to 100 calories per piece. The secret is in the filling. continue reading...

Few things are as easy to make or as tasty for lunch than a simple tuna salad sandwich. It’s one of my favorite things to make when I’m too busy or occupied for more involved cooking. But porting around tuna salad when the weather is warm can be a bit of a problem.

I’ve been experimenting with freezing tuna salad in different ways, or rather stages of development as it were, as well as different tuna salad mixes. continue reading...

Bento contents: continue reading...

• Bite size shrimp and caper sushi, about 40 cal per piece
• Tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette), 3 eggs worth, cut into 12 pieces - about 30 cal per piece
• Cherry tomatoes
• Blanched snow peas or mangetout
• Carrot flowers
• Cherries (not shown)