Mia's First Japanese Bento + Recipes

When my painting projects are black and white, our plates become more colorful.

I shared Mia’s first-ever bento on Instagram yesterday, and was happy to hear you’d like the recipes too! Obento have a special place with many sweet memories—always accompanied by people I love and specific places other than at tables. Some of those include sitting in trees, on grass, on the ground in a basketball court, a random bench, etc. For me, food is better shared than eaten alone!

I translated my versions here, which come from recipes in Japanese from websites or cookbooks I’ve brought back from Japan over the years. There are also links below to either the original recipe or something similar, in Japanese (which Google translate can hopefully help with), with more photos and some videos for the steps.

Some bento basics:

• Prep: chop, clean, mix seasonings the day before. Leave rice for the day-of.

• Colors: at least 3, ideally 5

• Packing: Cool the food, drain any liquid before adding the dish in, start from the biggest to smallest (rice, protein, veg, filler) and pack it tight

Shimeji Mushroom & Carrot Stir Fry

Adapted from しめじと人参の和え物

• shimeji or enoki mushroom (1 pack), cut from base, pulled apart

• carrots (2), julienned

• mirin, soy sauce 1 T each

• granulated dashi 1/2 tsp

• toasted white sesame seeds

1. Stir fry shimeji and carrots. Add the seasonings, keep mixing until liquid is absorbed.

2. Serve topped with ground or whole toasted white sesame seeds.

Cucumber Miso

similar: きゅうりの味噌和え

• Persian cucumbers (2), cut in even thick matchsticks about 1” long

• white miso 1 T

• mirin 1 tsp

1. Use a stick to whack the cucumber (yes, really) and soften. Cut into 1” long, thick matchsticks.

2. Mix miso and mirin until smooth. Combine with cucumber. Note - will release liquid so drain before adding to bento.

Simmered Kabocha

similar: かぼちゃの煮物

• kabocha squash (1/4), cut in 1-1.5” equal sized pieces

• sake, sugar 1 T each

• water

• mirin 1.5 T

• soy sauce 0.5 T

1. Carefully cut away tiny bits of kabocha skin for even cooking (but don’t remove it all).

2. Place kabocha skin side down in one even layer in small pot, nestled together but not overlapping.

3. Add sake, sugar, and water up to 2/3 height of kabocha pieces.

4. Bring to boil. Then add a drop lid (or a piece of foil and push it down). Simmer until easy to pierce through.

5. Remove from heat and leave with drop lid/foil lid for 5 minutes.

6. Store in fridge with juices - flavor gets better over time!

Sweet and Spicy Eggplant

similar: なすの辛子醤油漬け

• Japanese eggplant (3), or 1 small other variety

• yellow mustard 1 tsp

• soy sauce 1 T

• mirin 2 T

1. Cut eggplant in 1/4” thin slices. Rinse and dry. Mix mustard, soy, mirin in a bowl until smooth.

2. Saute in pan until soft. Add mustard, soy, mirin. Stir until liquid is absorbed.

Garlic Mayo Chicken

adapted from ガーリックマヨチキン

• chicken thigh (3), trimmed and cut in large bite-size pieces

• mayo 2 T

• soy sauce 1 tsp

• garlic, freshly pressed 1 tsp

• sake, mirin 1 T each

• salt and white pepper, pinch

• potato starch 4 T

• neutral oil 1 T

1. Combine chicken pieces and seasonings through salt and pepper in ziploc. Refrigerate overnight (or freeze if using days later)

2. When ready to cook, heat pan, add oil. Add chicken to bowl of potato starch and mix well.

3. Place each piece on pan without crowding. Flip once browned and crispy on one side. Wipe pan and work in batches if needed.

4. Place on paper towel to avoid getting soggy after cooking.

Japanese Sweet Potato Rice

similar: さつまいもご飯

• short/medium grain rice, white or brown 1.5 C

• Japanese* sweet potato (1 medium)

• sake 2 T

• kombu 5 cm

• salt 1/2 tsp

• to serve: salt and toasted black sesame seeds

1. Wash and cut sweet potato in 1/2” cubes (skin on). Soak in water 10 minutes, rinse and dry.

2. Wash rice, drain water well, add to rice cooker along with water, sake and salt. Place kombu on top. Add sweet potato. Soak 30 minutes before starting rice cooker.

3. Leave in rice cooker 10 minutes after it’s done. Serve with sprinkles of salt and toasted black sesame seeds.

   *Trader Joe’s carries them now! Different sweet potato variety is ok but won’t have the same texture or nutty flavor.

Colorful Fillers

• Broccoli, tops only with minimal stem, blanched in salted water

• Tomatoes (1 or 2 slices or cherry tomatoes)

• Strawberries (1 or 2)

Online Bento Resources

Just One Cookbook: Searched “Bento” and found tons of ideas and recipes in English. I’ve used her recipes for other dishes and they’ve all turned out well.

Chopstick Chronicles: Great tips on how to make and assemble a bento with pictures

Chopstick Chronicles: Bento Menu - tons of bento recipes in one place

Final Tip

Obento (“bento”) are best eaten with others so if you’re making one, you might as well make two (or more)! Mia’s first obento was special because we got to share it with friends.

The middle two were for her friends who we knew eat a little less, while Mia had an adult-sized portion to match her appetite… just like her mama’s.

Have you had Japanese obento? I’d love to hear what you thought or if you have any questions about them!

Everyday Buddha Bowls

Have you had a Buddha bowl? A grain bowl? There are thousands of variations and I have yet to meet one I haven’t liked. I’m definitely not claiming this is the best, but I’m sharing how we enjoy these bowls.

This version is vegan, but depending on the crowd we might add sliced grilled meat. These build-your-own bowls have been a favorite by friends and family so it’s on a regular rotation at our house.

I first tried this sort of grain bowl at a lovely cafe/yoga studio called Prasad in Portland in 2012. My food memory is the only memory of mine that I can count on so remember that bowl from 8 years ago with vivid detail. I still daydream about their Dragon Bowl (quinoa, beans, steamed kale, avocado, sea vegetables, kimchi, scallions, hemp & sesame seeds, choice of sauce).

When I started to see grain bowl recipes online I thought they were way too much work until I actually tried making it. They can be streamlined very easily and they fit my recent quarantine food criteria:

• Making ahead in batches but tastes great later

• Nutritious

• Colorful = 100 bonus points, especially when I’m mostly painting black and white

• Minimal hands-on time besides chopping

The basic pieces are a lot like a vegan Chipotle bowl or a poke bowl. My favorite kind of bowl includes these components:

The Base: whole grains (optional)

The Warmth: roasted sweet potato and/or squash

The Hearty: protein

The Fresh: crunchy vegetable

The Sauce: see 3 options below

The Toppings: seeds

This was my recent version, which is my go-to. By changing the sauce and/or toppings it can become a different dish, but more on those combinations later.

For 6 bowls (because I like batch cooking)…

Ingredients

• 1.5 C dry quinoa / brown rice (optional)

• 6 cups Japanese sweet potato* & kabocha squash**

• 2 cans chickpeas (OR 2 cubed firm tofu OR 2 cups edamame)

• chili spice blend & olive oil (for chickpeas)

• 1/2 red cabbage (OR other cruciferous veg)

• 1/2 cup cilantro

• 2 carrots

• salt & pepper

• 2 T vinegar (red wine vinegar / rice wine vinegar / apple cider vinegar / lemon juice)

• 1 T olive oil
  
  

Prep

1. Make grains: If using, start cooking that first (according to package instructions).

2. Roast sweet potato/squash: Preheat oven to 400F. Cube the sweet potato and/or squash and spread out on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

3. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and olive oil over the top and massage it around.

4. Bake 25 min or until toasted on outside and soft inside.

5. Make slaw: Meanwhile, thinly slice cabbage, julienne carrots, and chop cilantro. Massage it with the vinegar/lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Keep in fridge until assembly time. It’s great a day later too!

6. Roast chickpeas: Drain, rinse, and dry the chickpeas. Toss with spice blend and olive oil on parchment paper that fits the baking sheet (or a bowl but I like to use minimum number of prep dishes).

7. Bake 15 minutes at 400F after sweet potatoes.

8. Assemble: If using grains, add those to the bowl first. Then assemble bowl with the rest of the ingredients side by side in a circle to show off the colors.

9. Top with sauce and seeds to taste.
   
   

   *Any sweet potato works. Japanese sweet potatoes are creamy, sweet, and nutty compared to red yams.

   **Any squash works. Kabocha has a similar texture to Japanese sweet potato - creamy, sweet, similar to chestnuts. Sub with butternut or acorn squash.

Build-Your-Own Buddha Bowl at the Table

These were all prepared the day before and tasted great the next day - my favorite part of these bowls! Also, I highly recommend putting seeds in jars for topping.

Here are the 3 sauces I use for Buddha bowls and the toppings I pair them with. I put all the sauce ingredients straight into a high-speed blender and add water as needed to get a drizzling consistency. Keep in mind they all thicken in the fridge.

Sauce 1: Cilantro Cashew Crema

• 1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems

• 1/2 cup raw cashews

• 1 cup water

• 1 garlic clove, crushed

• 3 T rice wine vinegar (OR lime juice / lemon juice)

• salt

Toppings: pepitas, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds

Protein pairing: chickpeas, pinto beans, black beans, baked tofu

Optional additions: salsa, guacamole, tortilla chips

Sauce 2: Tahini Garlic Sauce

• 3 cloves garlic (or 8 if roasted ahead)

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 1/2 cup tahini

• 1/2 tsp salt

• pinch cumin

• 1/2 cup water

Toppings: pepitas & hemp seeds

Protein pairings: chickpeas, baked tofu, tempeh

Optional additions: pickled onions, sauerkraut, olives, sun-dried tomatoes

Sauce 3: Honey Miso Sesame

• 3 T miso

• 1 T honey

• 1 T soy sauce

• 1/4 cup water

• 1 clove garlic

• 1 tsp grated ginger

• 1 tsp sesame oil

Topping: toasted sesame seeds

Protein pairings: Chickpeas, edamame, plain or baked tofu, tempeh

Optional additions: kimchi, sea vegetables, roasted mushrooms

That’s it!

There are endless variations and you can make it as elaborate as you’d like, but the base is pretty simple — grains, roasted things, veggies, a blended sauce, and something crunchy.

I hope you enjoy these bowls. Tell me how it goes if you try it out!