Learn the Art of Bento(弁当) Quickly! [Vegetarian Friendly]

The Japanese Bento(弁当) has gained great popularity worldwide over the past few decades, becoming a staple of Japanese culture and cuisine. Many of you have probably seen images of meticulously crafted, beautiful Bento boxes on the internet, making your mouth water at the sight of it.

In Japanese culture, Bento(弁当) or more formally referred to as Obento(お弁当) is traditionally a packed lunch that can be speedily brought to work, or more commonly packed for school by students' mothers. Although it is commonly used as such, it doesn't actually have to be eaten at lunchtime, and many times is eaten as an early lunch. However, Bento is not simply a packed lunch; It carries much cultural significance as an art form. Bento boxes quickly become an amazingly calming activity when it comes to arranging the food in the Bento-Bako(弁当箱) (the box that is used to pack the meal). You can unleash your creativity, making the food into different shapes and making every day's Bento beautiful and unique. For me and others that practice the art of Bento for breakfast time, it is incredible for starting the day feeling like you have achieved something great, making your day more productive and filled with energy.

Bento works perfectly for me, due to the fact that one of my health conditions makes it hard for me to eat breakfast, so I can enjoy a hearty meal between breakfast and lunch to make up for it. I have also found that for people that are up and going first thing in the morning, hopping in their cars to go to work, the gym, or anywhere that needs something to be eaten on the go, Bento is the perfect solution for just quickly warming up and then eating in the car or in your office. This makes Bento a wonderful solution for breakfast time craziness, getting you on top of things more easily.

Due to Bento being such a unique concept with so much cultural significance, this Instructable is meant to be used as an entry into a magical hobby instead of just one recipe for a dish, as I will be sharing my favorite basic Bento (think of it as template). I am also vegetarian, so don't worry about needing to substitute meat or anything like that. There are thousands of combinations of things you can put inside your Bento, and it all depends on your tastes and how long or short you want the cooking time to be (can be as little as 5 minutes). In this Bento, I will be including sticky rice, Tamagoyaki(卵焼) (a rolled Japanese omelet) and some vegetables (carrots and cherry tomatoes). As mentioned before there are countless combinations of foods to put in a Bento; Another favorite of mine is Onigiri(お握り) (a stuffed rice ball) with Tamagoyaki, and a small salad. My goal in this Instructable is to take you on a trip to Japan, and give you a skill that is admired by many, as well as give you a practical way of handling breakfast time craziness. Please enjoy!

First things first, supplies. Here is a list with links to the specific brands that I used in this project, but don't worry if you can't find these specific brands.

Rice

Bento is traditionally eaten with chopsticks, but also can be eaten with a fork/spoon/whatever you prefer. However, if you are using chopsticks, I strongly recommend that you use sticky rice (gluten rice), so that the rice stays in bunches that won't fall apart when you pick it up with the chopsticks. I definitely have a favorite brand, and that is Nishiki. Nishiki rice is very cheap but premium, and available at Target, Safeway, Walmart and Amazon to list a few. It also works perfectly with rice cookers and crock pots for easy cooking.

Amazon link: Click here to go to the Amazon page

Seasoning

I believe to have found the sweet spot for when it comes to seasoning your Tamagoyaki. Since I am vegetarian, I don't use chicken stock to flavor it. Instead I use a bouillon mix that I find to be incredibly tasty, and can be found at 99 Ranch and Amazon (it may be available at local Asian markets).

Amazon link: Click here to go to the Amazon page

Nori

I don't actually really have a favorite sushi nori brand, I usually just try different brands, and it doesn't really make a difference. I do greatly recommend using nori though, as when the Tamagoyaki sits in the nori for a few minutes, the flavors infuse giving it an extra depth of flavor. I will still link the exact brand I used for this Bento.

Amazon link: Click here to go to the Amazon page

Tamagoyaki Pan

This is actually optional, as Tamagoyaki can be prepared in a normal circular pan. The Tamagoyaki Pan gives you a very nice square shape and makes the Tamagoyaki come out more aesthetically pleasing. Using a normal pan can make it very hard to fold the egg without ripping it though, and you find yourself unhappy with how the Tamagoyaki looks, I would recommend either getting a Tamagoyaki pan or using something else in the Bento in place of the Tamagoyaki. Remember, you don't have to use Tamagoyaki, you may put whatever makes you happy with your meal. The pan I have comes with a flipper that is the same size as the pan, which makes folding it a lot easier, and a brush to evenly coat the oil.

Amazon link: Click here to go to the Amazon page

The Box Itself

This is completely up to your tastes, and there are countless styles of Bento boxes depending if you want a hard plastic box, a more traditional wooden box, one with dividers, one without dividers, etc. I am absolutely in love with the Bento box that I use, and it is available on Amazon so you can get the same one! Remember this is completely up to your tastes, and I encourage you to pick one that you like if you aren't satisfied with what I use. The separator is removable by the way.

Amazon link: Click here to go to the Amazon page

My Rice Cooker

For the rice cooker I use, there is no particular reason that I use it, only that it's the one I have. You should find a rice cooker that fits your budget if you want to use one, and please don't feel like you need one to make Bento boxes, you can make the rice just as well with a regular pot. I am still going to link the one I use just in case for some reason you want the one I have.

Amazon link: Click here to go to the Amazon page

List of all amounts of the supplies used

Here is where I will list the specific amounts I used for all of the box, in case you need to make sure you have enough.

Rice: 1 1/2 cups rice to 2 cups of water (this is the ratio that is specified by Nishiki)

Eggs: 3 medium to large sized eggs

Vegetables: One leaf of lettuce, 2 cherry tomatoes, a small part of a carrot cut into 5 slices, a piece of nori cut to fit the lettuce and the box

Bouillon mix: 1 teaspoon(tsp) of the mix

Salt: A pinch of salt / 1/8 tsp

Oil: Just enough of any oil to coat the pan

For this step, there are many ways to prepare the rice, depending on if you have a crock pot or a rice cooker, but I will be using a rice cooker for this occasion. The great thing about rice cookers and crock pots are that they almost always have a feature to warm the rice, so you don't necessarily have to cook it right when you are planning to prepare the Bento. Personally, I make my Bento meals at night and refrigerate overnight covered in saranwrap, so I don't waste time in the morning. Then in the morning I put it in my oven's warming tray after dampening the rice. Nishiki actually has specified a way to reheat the rice. "If you have leftover rice, put it away by saran wrapping it and refrigerating until it is time to eat again. When reheating, adding some water to the rice will fluff it up." This is up to you when you want to make it, and fit it around your schedule. I just find it pleasing to wake up to an already prepared breakfast.

Put the specified amount of rice in your rice cooker (the ratio for Nishiki rice is 1 1/2 cup of rice to 2 cups water). Make sure not to rinse the rice or it won't come out sticky. Then just set the cooker to cook, and it should automatically shut off or switch to the warming setting once complete. Please consult your cooker's manufacturer instructions to make sure you are properly cooking the rice.

If you aren't using a rice cooker follow the instructions on the back of your bag of rice.

Once the rice has finished cooking, you can start preparing the other ingredients.

The Tamagoyaki mixture varies depending on which flavors you wish to include. This time I will be going for a nice flavorful savory Tamagoyaki for this variation. My other favorite is a sweet Tamagoyaki, made by adding sugar and milk to the eggs rather than bouillon and salt.

Start by cracking 3 medium to large eggs into a standard sized bowl. Then add 1 teaspoon(tsp) of bouillon, and a pinch of salt (1/8 tsp). After that, whisk the mixture well (it's fine if it isn't perfectly mixed.) You should now have enough of the mixture to create a properly sized Tamagoyaki.

Here is a little DIY oil squeeze bottle that I use to control the amount of oil I drizzle. This is the bottle you see in the pictures in Step 4. Clean out an empty Sriracha bottle (including the cap). I recommend soaking the bottle in soapy warm water to fully rinse out the strong taste and smell of the Sriracha. Once you are done, you have yourself a nice little oil squeeze bottle! This is actually better than a lot of cheap oil bottles because the cap on the Sriracha bottle lets you adjust how much oil can come out at once. Now let's continue with the Bento!

This is the most complicated step of this entire Bento, and it admittedly took me a few times to get right when I first started making Tamagoyaki. It can be frustrating if the egg keeps ripping when you try to fold it, and it happens a lot more if you aren't using a Tamagoyaki pan. If this is the case, I would recommend either buying a Tamagoyaki pan, or using something else in your Bento instead of Tamagoyaki. Remember, making Bento is an art, and there are thousands of combinations for your Bento contents, so please find something you will be happy eating to add to your Bento.

Drizzle just enough oil on your pan to cover it with a light coating. If you have some sort of spreader that can make it easier to get just a light coating. The Tamagoyaki pan that I linked above comes with the orange brush in the first image. Place the pan on your stove, setting the heat on medium to low. Once the pan is warmed up it's time to add the egg mixture.

This is where a gas stove is very useful, as you want to control the heat depending on if the egg is cooking too quickly. If you are cooking on electric, instead of just adjusting the heat, take the pan off the burner to let the heat adjust. Before you put the egg mixture in the pan, keep a few things in mind. You want to use about 1/3 of the total mixture each time you add a new layer, and when you fry each layer, should still have a very thin amount of raw egg on the topmost side of the egg layer. When you roll each layer, the raw egg will connect the rolls together, and form a tight bond. This is why you should make sure to control the heat, so it doesn't cook fully.

Add the first layer. Coat the bottom of your pan with 1/3 of the mixture, and let the egg cook until it forms a strong enough shape to roll without tearing. Remember to leave a small amount of raw egg on top. If you are using a Tamagoyaki pan, use a spatula to fold the layer to the width you want your Tamagoyaki to be. I usually fold it in 4ths or 5ths. Push the Tamagoyaki to the side of the pan. If you are using a normal round pan, first fold the left and right side of the circle inwards to meet at the middle, forming straight sides. Then, fold the top down into the same way you would in a Tamagoyaki pan.

Add half of the remaining mixture to the pan, coating the bottom just like before, but this time, lift up the first layer, and let the mixture run under it. Once it is in the same strong shape as the first layer was, roll the first layer, wrapping it in the second layer. For this it is essential that you have some raw egg coating the top of the second layer, or the first layer will not stick and form with the second layer. During the forming of the first 2 layers, it is ok if there are a couple small tears, or it isn't perfect because we will be wrapping it in the 3rd and final layer.

Now add the rest of the egg mixture the same way you did the second, making sure to lift up the roll to let the egg mixture run under it. After the 3rd layer is cooked enough to not tear, but there is still some raw egg on top to let it stick, roll it the same way you did the 2nd layer. Now, you should have some raw egg oozing out of the seam where the roll was folded. Flip the roll so that this seam is frying, and that should cook and seal your Tamagoyaki. And that's it! You just made your first Tamagoyaki!

Now comes the fun part! You will be creating your own unique arrangement of a Bento, and you can let your creativity run wild!

First, you want to start by placing your roll of Tamagoyaki on a cutting board, then cutting the roll into as many pieces of Tamagoyaki you would like to include in your Bento. Just make sure that you don't make the sections too long to fit the lid on your finished Bento.

Now it is all up to you on how you want to arrange it, which garnishes you want to use, how much rice you would like, etc. I will be showing explaining how I made the Bento in the main image if you don't know what you want to do with it, or need some ideas.

I placed the rice in the Bento first. To get the perfect rounded shape, get a small round bowl in the shape and size you want the rice mound. Coat the bowl with oil to prevent the rice from sticking to it. Scoop the amount of rice you want into the oiled bowl. Oil the rice that is on top of the pile so your hands don't stick. Then pack down the rice so that there is a flat, packed surface on top. Now all you have to do it place the bowl upside down in the Bento and lightly tap the top of the bowl to get it to slide out. If it is being too stubborn, you may not have used enough oil on the inside of the bowl. Just scoop it out and try again (you can use the same rice, you don't have to scoop a new mound.) Now you have a pretty hill of rice with the perfect half-spherical shape.

Next I take a leaf of Romaine lettuce (if you have some extra money to spend on your Bento, butter lettuce is amazing) and cut it to a shape that perfectly covers the other half of the Bento. This is where I will place the Tamagoyaki. Now cut a piece of sushi nori to a shape that will cover the part of the lettuce that the Tamagoyaki will touch. I don't like cutting it bigger than that. This layer of nori is a wonderful addition to the flavorful Tamagoyaki. Now arrange your Tamagoyaki in the manner that you are satisfied with. This will all depend on how many sections you cut your Tamagoyaki into.

After the Tamagoyaki is set in the right place, I use cherry tomatoes to fill in the gaps around the Tamagoyaki, as I think they look beautiful. I also use a small amount of carrot slices cut from a piece of a carrot to fill out the space in between the rice and the Bento box. I arranged it to look like a flower because I that is what I was feeling at the time of making this arrangement. Again, let your creativity run wild and use this to create what looks right to you, and don't stress over it; It's meant to be relaxing and fun!

And that's it! You just made your own masterpiece that you can take photos of, show to your coworkers, send your children to school with, or whatever you want! Most people that I show pictures of my Bento arrangements to are impressed, so I'm sure you will receive many complements about your Bento.

As I said before, I don't want this Instructable to be treated as a recipe to make only one specific meal, I want you all to find love in the art of Bento, and use my guide as a starting point to your own Bento filled journey! I would be very happy to see the arrangements you came up with, so please post pictures of your Bento boxes using the "I made it" feature on Instructables.

Good luck!