Bento contents:
- 1 cup (240ml, about 150g) brown rice, 240 calories
- 3/4 cup (180ml) vegan iri dofu [1], 225 calories
- Snow peas and pickled red ginger (beni shouga) for garnish
Total calories (approx): 465 (how calories are calculated) [2]
Time needed: 15 minutes the night before; 5 minutes in the morning
Type: Traditional Japanese, vegan
Donburi style bentos [3] are so easy and quick to assemble, especially if you’ve made whatever goes on top of the rice in advance. The vegan iri dofu [1] recipe is best made the night before; in the morning, you just need to pile it on top of the rice (cooked in a rice cooker with a timer, or made and frozen in advance [4]), add some garnish, and you’re ready to go.
Nutrtion tip: When you are making a vegan bento, always try to use brown rice or zakkokumai [5] (rice with mixed grains), for added nutritional value. The protein in the brown rice, coupled with the iri dofu, gives you as much protein as a meaty bento.
Assembly steps
This bento is so easy, I’m skipping the usual timeline, but here are the assembly steps.
- Quickly boil a few snow peas in a little bit of boiling water; drain and cool rapidly under running water. Pat dry. (You can do this the night before too of course.)
- Fill your bento box or bowl about 2/3rds full with rice, making the top even.
- Fill up to the rim with the iri dofu.
- Garnish with the snow peas and a bit of pickled ginger (beni shouga).
The box I used here is a hand turned wooden box made by a relative of my stepfather. It’s absolutely beautiful and so tactile. It goes well with the beige tones of the tofu.