Kawaii Bento Boxes: Cute and Convenient Japanese Meals on the Go
by Joie Staff
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Category: Book
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Book Summary Information
Author: Joie StaffEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-09-01
ISBN: 4889962603
Number of pages: 80
Publisher: Japan Publications Trading
Book Reviews of Kawaii Bento Boxes: Cute and Convenient Japanese Meals on the Go
Book Review: Very Inspiring pictures and ideas!
Summary: 5 Stars
I first attempted making lunch for my 2 daughters and myself bento style about 3 years ago. I started by following bento blogs like Just Bento and Lunch in a Box. Both are great resources, but when it came to putting together 3 lunches everyday, I ran out of inspiration (and time). My lunches ended up usually just being leftovers from dinner the night before, which is boring even it it's served in a cute lunch box. I stopped making lunch because this school year we moved to a district with better lunch offerings, and the kids wanted to buy lunch instead of taking it. A couple weeks ago my 11 year old mentioned that she usually got pizza and french fries instead of the daily lunch offering, and I decided it was high time to dust off my collection of bento boxes and get cooking.
I have several traditional bento cookbooks, and though they're lovely to look at, I very rarely use them for lunch recipes. This book, however, was a game changer. The pictures and menus give me ideas for combinations that are tasty together, easy to make, and pleasingly attractive. One photo showed thinly sliced beef rolled around green beans and carrot sections. Grocery stores don't have steak sliced as thinly as shown in the book, but breakfast steaks pounded to death with a meat tenderizer worked great. Inspired by the photos, I used leftover taco meat and Mexican rice to make a staggeringly inauthentic (but yummy) version of fried rice, served with a hard boiled egg, corn with blanched spinach, cherry tomatoes stuffed with cheese, and fruit.
I don't know how good this book will be for a beginning cook, as the recipes can be sparse on specifics like temperature and cooking times, and some require ingredients that may not be stocked at your local grocery store. I'd still recommend it as a good resource. I'm not going to be decorating my onigiri with pretty little seaweed faces any time soon, but the overall quality and variety in my lunches had taken a huge leap forward, thanks to this book. My daughters love their lunches and both have said that their friends are jealous of the food they're getting.
Summary of Kawaii Bento Boxes: Cute and Convenient Japanese Meals on the Go
A bento box meal (single portions of different foods packed in one reusable container) is a Japanese tradition that lends itself well to today's busy lifestyle. Although bento boxes are available to take out from restaurants and food stands, they are most frequently prepared at home, very often by parents wishing to provide their children with delicious, healthy, fun--and environmentally responsible--lunch and snack-time alternatives.Kawaii Bento Boxes offers dozens of recipes and menus. For each box, the authors include detailed instructions for cooking, seasoning, decorating and assembling the components as well as an icon indicating how long it will take to prepare. The meals are not just easy to make, they are tasty, nutritious and economical, with each portion carefully calculated so that there are no leftovers. There are also suggestions for the right container for each meal. Most of the ingredients used are familiar and available to American cooks. Here are whimsical creations like soccer balls and animal faces made from shaped rice, tulips cut from dyed hardboiled eggs, hearts and stars carved out of vegetables, and much more. Perfect for parents looking to liven up their children's school lunches or park snacks, or for busy people who want to fix a quick and cheerful meal to take to work, Kawaii Bento Boxes highlights the Japanese passion for making food a treat for the eyes as well as for the mouth.
CONTENTS:
ONIGIRI BENTO
(16 variations including faces, soccer ball, animals, triangles, spheres)
RICE BENTO
(11 variations including bear, rabbit, ship, seasoned rice, teriyaki chicken over rice, etc.)
SUSHI BENTO
(12 variations)
BREAD BENTO
(12 variations including mini-sandwiches, rolls, etc.)
NOODLE BENTO
(9 variations including spaghetti, yakisoba noodles, udon)
SUMMER AND WINTER BENTO
(12 variations including summer dishes that wont spoil in the heat and winter dishes that are better when eaten warm)
TRADITIONAL/POPULAR/FAVORITE BENTO
(11 variations including favorite dishes like hamburgers, fried shrimp, fried chicken)
TIPS ON HOW TO STUFF THE BENTO BOX
WHAT TO STUFF IN THE BENTO BOX (including calories, carbohydrates, protein, etc.)
CUTTING AND DECORATING
MENUS BASED ON COLOR
EASY DESSERT RECIPES
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