Some Good News

After nearly a year without one, Bento Chef has finally secured full time employment!  Woo hoo!

It's been a bit of a slog, given the tough job market out there, but I have finally been successful.

So, what does that mean for this blog?  Well, for starters, I now need to take a lunch to work with me five days a week - perfect situation for starting to implement proper bento preparation!  However, that won't be immediately; I'm getting my head around the new job, settling into a new routine etc.  I also have another foreign excursion coming up shortly, plus Christmas and New Year.

There's a lot going on and coming up over this last few weeks of 2014.

Suffice to say, the blog is probably going to go quiet until the new year.  Which is a pity, but in the interim I'll be working hard and will soon have funds to use on my bento box lunches, maybe some fun accessories, and hopefully the blog will really start to develop.

Here's to a new job, a new start, and a New Year!

~ Bento Chef ~

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Brussel Sprout Vegetable Crisps

It's autumn!  Winter is fast approaching, the clocks have already gone back, and the most wonderful vegetable is in season!

Brussels sprouts!  YUM!

Typically, they are the staple of roast dinners across the country, but when you love them as much as I do, you're got to wonder, can I get away with having sprouts for lunch too?

Answer, yes you can!  Put that packet of Walkers crisps away and make yourself some moreish vegetable crisps!

Deliciously moreish home-made vegetable crisps!

Vegetable crisps have been gaining popularity in recent years, but they're really easy to make at home and much more cost effective.  Not to mention tastier! (In my humble opinion of course.)

Here we go: you will need the following; Brussels sprouts (obviously, nothing happening without those), olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.

As I mentioned earlier, Brussels are in season so buying them fresh is the way to go.  I've found this doesn't work great with defrosted frozen sprouts - keep it seasonal whenever you can for a better taste.

I'm only making enough vegetable crisps for a snack, but you can make as many as you like. Go nuts!

Three large fresh Brussels sprouts

Line a baking tray with foil.  Select your sprouts, peel off the leaves and scatter them on the tray.  They will shrink and shrivel and bit so don't worry about crowding them too much.  If you're doing tons however, do consider a second tray.  Peel off as many of the leaves as you can until you get down to the smallest (and stubborn) leaves.

Next brush on some olive oil.  The oil will prevent the leaves from burning too much.  Pour a little into a tumbler or shallow dish, and use a brush to apply.  If you don't have a suitable brush, no worries, just dab your fingertips in the oil and gently rub over the leaves.  (I trust you to wash your hands prior to cooking anything.) No need to drench them in oil, just brush lightly over both sides and along the edges.

Gently brush olive oil over the sprout leaves

Heat an oven to 200 Celsius (or 400 Farenheit if that's what you work with) and pop the tray in.  A word of warning - they can burn pretty quickly, so don't wander off!  Keep a close eye on them.  I tend to time them for 5 minutes then check on them; give them a shake up to turn them over and pop them back in for 2 or 3 minutes.

After they've been in the oven for about 8 minutes in total (shouldn't take any longer than 10 minutes maximum), pull them out.  Drizzle some lemon juice over them (if you have fresh lemons that 's great, but bottled juice works just fine) and give them a shake or stir them up with your fingers to coat them with the juice.  Shake a little salt over the crisps and you're done!

I used three large fresh Brussels sprouts and produced enough to comfortably fill my little bento lunch pot (60ml volume).  I could have got away with four without having to squash them in too much.

Three sprouts were enough for a small pots' worth - a nice little lunch snack

If you can avoid scoffing the lot soon after they're ready, these make nice little additions to your bento - just pop them into a small container so they don't get crushed.

Oops

Like I said ... if they last that long.

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My Cherry Blossom bento box!

About time I showed off my main bento box!

Purchased at Tokyo Hands (fairly sure it was the Ginza branch) for a reasonable price, along with a number of accessories - I couldn't resist.

So, here it is!  My pretty little cherry blossom patterned bento!

I just fell in love.  Moment I laid eyes on it, I knew this was the box that was coming home with me.  Didn't stop me trawling through the rest of the shop just to be on the firm side of certain, but hey!  A girl has to spend her money wisely!  I'm not trekking a few thousand miles back again to return a box because I rushed my decision!

The elasticated strap slips on and off easily - it serves to keep the lid on tight.

Inside we can see that it's not just one box; there's a second smaller box inside.

Both parts are open design, no compartments.

They stack neatly and by having two boxes I can keep wet and dry foodstuff separate should I need to.

I also purchased these lovely little cases - instant compartments!

They fit in quite nicely!  Just helps to keep things separate should I so desire.

Just a quick demonstration as to the capacity of the boxes and the cases.  At a glance they don't seem particularly big, but do consider that traditionally bento lunches are made up primarily with rice.  Rice is quite filling so you don't need vast amounts.

Not my idea of a lunch(!) Just to help give some idea of scale :)

Of course, I couldn't resist getting a proper bento bag to go with it.  Some of the bento boxes had matching bags - the box I picked out didn't, so I went and had a good look at what was available.  I wasn't wowed by the colours or designs generally, so I ended up with a bag that was more practical than visually pleasing to my eyes.

Not as pretty as I'd hoped for - but it'll do just fine!

In keeping with the Japanese way, I couldn't pass up the chance to pick up a set of 'lunch sized' chopsticks.  A bit shorter than the ones used for the evening meals, these are obviously smaller in order to fit inside lunch bags.

The chopstick case tucks nicely into the side pocket.

The bag is pretty versatile - should I opt for taking a soup flask to work inside of the bento, I can easily turn the bag on its end and carry the flask this way!  The handles simply pull out to either side.  I could even do this if the bento is sufficiently and tightly packed.  The strap will keep the lid on and the contents won't fall about if the box is packed tightly enough, or isn't going to be ruined if it gets tossed about a bit.

Inside, there's proper insulation.

And on the side of the bag, there's a handy little zipped pocket with a cool gel packet.

Just sit the packet in the fridge to get nice and cold the night before, pop it in with your lunch and it'll help to keep your food cool until you're ready to eat.

Here you can see there's still space after tucking the bento box right in.

Room for a small apple!  Or a small yogurt pot that otherwise wouldn't fit inside the box itself.  I'm partial to bananas - I'm sure I could get one to fit inside.

As much as I'd like to contain my entire lunch inside the bento box, it's probably not going to happen. Providing I don't go adding too much into the extra space then it's all good.

So there you have it!  My main bento lunch box and bag!  Now that that is sorted out, I feel like now is a good time to actually get onto the 'chef' aspect of this blog. :)

Bring on the food!

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Bento Showcase: Keisuke Umeda

As a regular reader of the news website, Rocket News 24, I've been keeping an eye out for bento-related posts.

Today, they've shared some of the work of Keisuke Umeda - beautiful, arty, cute, and sinister examples!  Go check them out!

"From plums to panties, the strange and beautiful bento of Keisuke Umeda"

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Studio Ghibli Bento Box

My recent travels to Japan were nothing short of amazing.  And I succeeded in procuring a number of bento-related goodies!

One major highlight of my trip was visiting the wondrous Studio Ghibli Museum in Mitaka.  If you've ever seen any of Miyazaki's work, this place is just mind blowing - if you ever get the opportunity to travel to Tokyo, please, visit the Museum.  I have no words for it.  Photographs are not permitted inside, so I cannot share anything like that with you here.

What I can share, however, is my main souvenir from the Museum.  I went to Japan with the intention of purchasing at least one bento box and I was thrilled to find that the Studio Ghibli Museum had two bento sets for sale in their gift shop!

Cue at least half an hour of pondering, uming and ahing, over which one to buy.  I won't lie - they won't cheap - otherwise I'd have got both in a heartbeat.  Alas, I had to be mindful of my budget and finally chose one.  And here it is!

My Studio Ghibli Museum souvenir!  A Kiki's Delivery Service themed Bento set!

I had the option of this adorably pink Kiki's Delivery Service themed bento box, or a lovely green My Neighbour Totoro box.  To be honest, they were very similar in shape and size - it really came down to the design.

At that point, I had watched neither of the two films.  (An issue I rectified swiftly upon my return to England!)  But I thought the cats looked cute and that's essentially what swung my decision.

I'm not even a fan of pink - but this is just adorable.

I'm not a girly girl by any stretch of the imagination, so the pink is perhaps an unusual choice for me.  But you've got to admit, it's quite cute.  The carry bag is bonus, although I will say the strap is pretty snug.

Complete with matching fork!

Upon opening the bag up, there's a nice little netted pouch to slip in some cutlery.  The set comes with a matching fork and carry case to stop it getting caught in the pocket.

Three pretty little pink pots.

The bento box itself is made up of three separate pots.  The lids are very secure.

The interior of the larger pot is metal - I can see me putting pasta salads in this, or rice with meat and veg.  The two small pots will be good for some small accompaniments: little biscuits or grapes.

The full Kiki's Delivery Service Bento Set.

It's cute.  It's fun.  It's girly (surprisingly, for me). It's something just a little different to the 'normal' kinds of bento boxes.

My next post will showcase what I imagine will become my primary bento box.  Check back soon!

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Home Again

Konnichiwa!  I have returned home!

Japan was AMAZING!  I was extremely reluctant to leave; I had so much fun and just fell in love with the wonderful city of Tokyo.  The culture, the people, the food - by god, the food!

I will definitely be planning a return trip in the future.

Currently in the midst of unpacking, sorting through photographs, and unearthing my souvenirs - of which there are bento-related treasures I can't wait to share with you.

I'll take photographs of my new goodies in due course, update the photo gallery (I'm trying to pick the brains of more code savvy people so I can change it), and really get this blog going with creating bentos and sharing food ideas and recipes!

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Tokyo Bound!

For me, the holiday of a lifetime is about to begin!

I'm visiting Tokyo and travelling to Kagoshima over a three week period.

Top of my souvenir shopping list - bento boxes!  100% authentic Japanese-made bento boxes.

Chibi Girls

I'm hoping to find at least two - although I'm sure the real difficulty will be trying to narrow it down to two!  Ideally a set of two boxes with a carry bag and maybe some accessories, like rice molds for making little rice balls.

I can't wait to try out real rice balls - called onigiri.  I've been wanting to make some for a while but I've been holding off until I can see for myself what the real ones are like.

I shall certainly be taking lots of photographs of the food and my purchases to share with you upon my return.

So it's sayounara for now!

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What's in a Box?

The bento box itself can be just as big a part as the food it contains.

With so much variety, it can be hard to know where to start!

Honestly - if you're new to this, don't fret about rushing to buy an authentic Japanese designed bento box.  Whilst they're certainly nice to have, it's not a necessity, especially if you're just starting out.

Ordinary food storage boxes are fine!

Let's call it a starter bento box!

Main thing is to have a box with a secure lid - you don't want your lunch spilling out before you even get to work!

Unless you want to make one for sharing, the boxes don't need to be very big.  A set of two is perfect; that way you can separate wet and dry foodstuff.  A matching pair that stack is a bonus.

On a trip to San Francisco, I picked up a cheap little bento box for a dollar.  It's cute, but for me it's just not big enough to pack a lunch in.  I tend to keep little snacks like sunflower seeds in this.  Note the little strap to keep them together - another useful feature.

Mini-bento with strap

Bento boxes don't even have to be box-shaped - they can come in all shapes and sizes!

A round ended oblong, with 2 compartments -
a much better size compared to my current box!

A perfectly round bento
Free Food Photos

Some come with their own carry bags.  Personally, I really want one like this!

Yume Oval Royal Bento Box with Bag
Casa Bento

There's a variety of capacity available too - some are one big cavity, others have set compartments, others come with removable compartments so you can adjust how many and how big.

This one is unusual for its shape and split compartments.

Free Food Photos

With so much to chose from I've got a feeling I could end up purchasing all manner of bento boxes!  I can see it now - post after post of 'my latest purchase to fuel my obsessive need for pretty boxes'.

Seriously, this could resemble my kitchen if I'm not careful.

kawaiidairy

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What is Bento?

In a nutshell - it is a meal in a box.

Hailing from the realm of Japanese cuisine, the bento is traditionally a box-shaped container with a meal of rice, vegetables and meat or fish.

They can be purchased at convenience stores all over Japan as 'ready to eat' lunch boxes.  They can be served at restaurants.  They can be made at home.  The containers can be disposable, beautiful lacquer-ware, plastic, simple, artfully decorated or plain.  The food itself can be just as varied.

Bento can be as simple or elaborate as you please!

I'm sure when people initially start to research what bento is all about, it can be quite intimidating to see the stunning art work and design that goes into some of them.

Trust me.  They don't have to be that way.  I'm not terribly artistic and I won't be creating masterpieces any time soon!  There's nothing wrong with a simple, functional bento!

A perfectly simple bento - as demonstrated by Little Japan Mama

Doesn't that look tasty?

It's elegant in its simplicity.

With so many examples of the artistic side of bento, it's so hard to pick just one ...

Behold the cuteness! An adorable panda theme.

Some bento look far too beautiful to eat!  You can imagine someone spending hours, painstakingly crafting cute scenes and favourite characters ... there are even competitions focused on bento art.

Of course, there are ornate presentations such as these in fine Japanese restaurants.

Restaurant style bento - Wikipedia

Even for a very brief overview, it's pretty apparent that bento is very versatile - not only in appearance but in content.

Truly, bento can be whatever you want it be.

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Welcome to Bento Chef!

Welcome to the blog of the Bento Chef!

Join me on my journey of discovering the wonderful world of bento - from the delicious food, to the amazing works of art, and the boxes themselves.

I hope you'll enjoy reading this blog as it develops.

Itadakimasu!

~ Bento Chef ~

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