Bento 101: Simple Bento

For first-timers, the world of bento-making could be overwhelming. Take my word for it, when I started out making bento meals for my then 5-year old daughter, A, I would do it sporadically. Like I said in my previous post, bento-making takes a lot of dedication. Not to say it is difficult to start doing it, since once you get a hang of it, it becomes fairly easy. 

There are three things I would advise first-timers in bento-making. These are as follows:
1) You can use leftovers... and whatever you have in your pantry. 
2) Use photos of other bentos as a guide, but don't let it limit your creativity! (You can use kamias to fill in the spaces in your bento. LOL)
3) It won't hurt to collect more tools. Hoard if you must. LOL.

I decided to teach the kids a little bento-making today. We were having quite a slow Saturday - the nanny was out to see her kids, and Momma woke up a wee bit later than usual. I figured if I had them participate in making lunch, then that would keep them busy. I didn't want another Saturday in front of the telly, so I dubbed today "Activity Saturday", and did all sorts.

The key to bento-making is keeping everything in proportion. In fact, bento is a great way to keep food proportions in check. The Japanese use the 1:1:2 ratio when filling their lunch boxes: 1 part rice/grain, 1 part protein, 2 parts vegetables/fruits/dessert. There are others who prefer the 4:3:2:1 rule in bento-making (4 parts vegetables, 3 parts meat/ protein, 2 parts grain, 1 part fruit/dessert). I like to keep things practical, so I usually go with the Japanese ratio (1:1:2) but I don't let it limit my ideas. There are days when my pantry isn't stocked, and I break the rules. Haha!    

Anyway, let's show you how to put together a simple bento lunch.

With simple bento, all you need are a few tools. Don't be discouraged if you don't have much, there are other ways to beautify that lunch box!

WHAT YOU NEED:

FOOD
Rice
Meat/Protein
Vegetables/Fruit

TOOLS

Bento Box

Silicone Cups

Picks

Barans (optional)

Rice Molds (optional)

Bento tools - all available at Saizen!
(Top L, clockwise): Hand-held tools, Assorted picks, Silicone Cups, Rice Mold, Barans. 

The kids and I decided to use bento boxes with different shapes and sizes. 

The small rectangular box was mine, RL had the small round one, and A had a big appetite. LOL.

I thought it would be appropriate to use what we already had prepared for lunch. I had marinated beef for Salpicao in the chiller, so I cooked that. I also had some hotdogs, broccoli, baby lettuce, cherry tomatoes and green apples prepared for balance and box fillers.

I like keeping fruits and vegetables handy because my kids love them!

Rice is our grain of choice today!

PROCEDURE

1. Take your rice mold and scoop some rice into it. Make sure you pack your rice (so it will hold its shape), and flip onto your bento box. 

2. If your main dish has sauce, it is best to use a silicone cup to hold that sauce. You don't want the sauce to mix with your rice. 

3. Take some fillers (in this case, some hotdogs, broccoli and fruit) and fill up those extra spaces. 

4. Use barans to separate the fruit/sweets from everything else. 

5. Decorate your bento with picks.
Optional: Add cut cheese or carrots (shaped like stars, hearts, etc.) to spruce up your box. 

The best way to demonstrate how to put together a bento box is to show you. So I took a few photos of the kids putting together their bento lunch.

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RL's BENTO

RL scooping his rice onto his bento box.

RL chose a small silicone cup to hold his steak. He prefers hotdogs.

Carefully filling out the spaces in his bento box with a green apple slice.
Notice he uses two silicone barans to separate the fruit from his rice.

Adding picks to his bento.

Voila! My little boy's first bento ever! I think he did pretty good, donchatink?
Guess all that bento lunch he brings to school gave him pretty much an idea how to put this together.

"I wanna eat it up!" - RL

A's BIG APPETITE BENTO

Pretty girl getting ready to make her own lunch.

She was reluctant to use the molds, because she wanted to fill her box with rice. Hehe.

Carefully filling her silicone cup of choice with Salpicao.
I intentionally cut the pieces that small for the little boy's benefit.

Once you've placed your rice and main dish in the box, work on filling up the spaces.
A chose to put her hotdogs in a silicone cup as well.

My daughter is a big rice-eater. She can have just rice and no meat or veggies.
Excuse the broccoli, it has been sitting in the fridge for a while.

My not-so-little girl is very proud of her work. She says she will try to make her own lunch everyday.

KAYE's BENTO

My bento lunch, showing the right ratio: 1 part grain, 1 part meat, 2 parts veggies/ fruits.

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Like I said, bento-making need not be complicated. The usual bento in other countries are made this way - simple. It takes about 5 minutes (or even less!) to put together a simple bento, provided everything is ready to go in the box. Remember, a big part of bento-making is in the planning. Plan ahead! Keep a bento notebook and write down all you're going to need for the next day. That way, you have everything prepared and bento assembly will be a breeze.

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Wanna try your hand at bento-making? Or join a bento-making contest maybe? SAIZEN IS CELEBRATING BENTO MONTH! Purchase a few bento tools at Saizen, make a bento lunch, take photos, and get a chance to win P3,000 worth of Saizen gift certificates!

Visit Saizen on Facebook for details!

| facebook.com/saizenph 

| twitter.com/SaizenByDaiso 

| instagram.com/saizenph

Bento 101: TOOLS

One of the first few bentos I made for A.

My love for bento started in August of 2007. A and I were in Hong Kong for a vacay, when we chanced upon the City Super store in ShaTin. I had discovered the wonders of the egg mold, and thought I'd research more on it when I got back to Manila. Alas, I purchased the mold (along with some rice molds) and forgot I had them until we were back in Hong Kong in December of that same year. By then, I had decided I'd give it a try and purchased more tools.

In 2009, Saizen, the official Daiso distributor in the Philippines, opened their first store in Robinsons Galleria. Needless to say, I went nuts. I started collecting bento tool after bento tool (I think I over-hoarded, if there's such a thing, LOL).

From Wikipedia: Bento (弁当 bentō) or Obento is a single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine. A traditional bento holds rice, fish or meat, with pickled or cooked vegetables, usually in a box-shaped container. 

Basically, a bento is a boxed lunch. In the Philippines, we call it baon. What makes Japanese bentos different is that Japanese mothers lovingly put these boxed lunch together as an expression of love and dedication. That versus stuffing everything in your kid's lunch box without any thought. LOL. And yes, bento-making takes a lot of skill and dedication.

If you want to start bento-making, you have to make sure you're in it 100%. I say so because it takes time to plan and put a meal together. I know of mothers who wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning just to put together awesome lunch boxes for their children. When I started making bento for A, I'd do it for a month, tops, then I'd get tired. But that's because I was into Charaben (or Kyaraben), the more complicated and elaborately-decorated bentos that are decorated to look like popular cartoon characters. With basic bento, however, all you need are a few basic tools. If you think you want to start making bento (or imBento, as I've coined it), you need to know what you'll need.

Here's a list of tools you'd need to get that bento thing going:

BENTO BOX

2-tiered Onigiri-type bento box.

You're going to need a sturdy, spill-proof bento box. Its size is dependent on who shall use it. My 11-year-old daughter uses a multi-tiered box, whereas her little brother, a 4-year-old, uses a smaller one. I prefer using a regular, rectangular one. It is easier to plan bento meals that way. And easier to fill. Hehe.


SILICONE CUPS

Assorted Silicone Cups.

If you would ask me, I would say that one of the most important tools for bento (aside from the box) would be Silicone Cups. They keep food separated (if using a box without dividers). It is also a great way to regulate portions.


PICKS

I love picks! 

My favorite bento tool! And I have all sorts - food picks, cocktail picks, cupcake picks and toppers, bento picks, plastic ones, wooden ones, homemade ones, etc. You can't have too many picks! Besides, if you're bento-making for preschoolers, they are sure to lose a pick or two. A has lost over a dozen picks. RL hasn't lost a single one, so far. But yes, I usually keep the whole pack. I love trading picks and buying extras. If there is one tool to buy to spruce up your bento, it is this. Picks are sure to add a little touch of sunshine to your bento meal. Use them to hold food together, for eating, or for fun.


BARANS

Silicone Barans are my preferred type of divider because they can be reused!

Barans are food dividers that come in a variety of shapes, designs and sizes. They come in food-grade plastic or silicone. Use them to keep food and flavors separated. I use them mostly to spruce up my bento box.


SAUCE BOTTLES/ CONTAINERS

Have your kids bring ketchup or sauce in bottles and containers without
worrying about them spilling the contents all over their lunch box.

Small sauce bottles are perfect for soy sauce, vinegar and the like (or even milk for cereals!). They come in different shapes and sizes. I like stocking different sizes for different needs. Droppers or plungers are essential for easy transferring of sauce to these small bottles.  Little containers hold condiments like mayo and ketchup. I love these, but RL has lost two already. Boohoo.


RICE/ ONIGIRI MOLDS

When I was starting out, these were the molds I used the most.

Saizen has a wide variety of Onigiri molds!

Because I make bento lunch for my little boy everyday, I am more comfortable using my hands when molding rice. I use food bags or cling wrap to mold them to my desired shape. However, Onigiri molds are very useful, especially for specific shapes like stars, hearts, bears, etc.


CUTTERS

Simple bento need not be plain and boring, spruce it up with small cutouts
using assorted vegetable cutters! Cut ham, carrots, cheese, etc. and decorate your bento!

Invest in different cookie cutter shapes in different sizes. They always come in handy!

Cute bread cutters!

Cutters always come in handy, and it won't hurt to invest in different kinds! There are stainless cutters that are perfect for raw vegetables like carrots, then there are plastic kinds that are used for soft food like bread, cheese, meat, etc. I have all sorts of cutters, from character-shaped ones that are used for easy charabens, to assorted shapes in different sizes that can be used for just about anything!


NORI PUNCHERS

Nori Punchers are the way to go when you want clean cuts for faces and details.

A great way to decorate your bento is to put faces on your food. I know right, but that's how it goes with bento-making. Now, the easiest way to do so is with some Nori or dried seaweed and a good face puncher. Punchers come in different shapes as well. You can even use paper punchers or scrapbooking ones, as long as you make sure they're used exclusively for food. When using punchers for Nori, you have to make sure you clean them well after each use, or else they will get dull. I shall save the how-to for another post.


HAND-HELD TOOLS

From left to right: Fruit Baller, V-shaped cutter, Blade, U-shaped cutter and Tweezers.
Not pictured: Scissors

One of the tools I use a lot, especially with charabens, is the hand-held blade. It is perfect for specific cuts, and I have at least 5 reserves! LOL! I also appreciate the tweezers because it makes Nori-handling easier, especially when applying eyes and small pieces. If you have to choose just 3 hand-held tools, I suggest getting the blade; a nice, sharp pair of micro-tip scissors for cutting Nori; and a handy pair of food tweezers.


CONDIMENT PENS/ SQUEEZE BOTTLES

The condiment pen is used for writing or drawing with sauces.

You can also use a squeeze bottle with a fine tip.

Another way to decorate your bento is by drawing or writing using thick sauces like mayonnaise and ketchup. The best way to control what goes into your drawing or writing is by using a condiment pen or a squeeze bottle with a fine tip. Saizen has nice Okonomiyaki 2 or 3-tip squeeze bottles that I love to use. They make drawing grids and squiggles easy and fun.

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Aside from these tools, you can also stock up on egg molds, sausage shapers, hand-held hole punchers (in different sizes), small bento boxes (that can go into the bigger boxes - to hold soup), plastic wrappers, toothpicks, small spoon and fork sets, chopsticks, straws, etc. It also helps to keep a bento diary so you can plan your bento for the next day. I always find it easier to have a game plan, especially when making charabens. Don't worry, once you've invested in some tools, the planning and execution becomes easier, and then, bento-making becomes a fun and fulfilling adventure.

Charabens need not be complicated. 

A bento lunch is a great way to get your kids to eat fruits and vegetables.

Birthday platter. That's a cake made out of rice and mayo. Yes, rice.

Oink! Oink! Easy, piggy charaben!

Smurftastic lunch!

Something for my Carrot Fantasy friends and readers. Teehee.

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If you're looking for tools, Saizen is a great place to start. They have almost everything you would need to create your own bento. Plus, they're highlighting bento this month! The best part about Saizen is the price - only P88 for anything! 

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