There are two main kinds of bento: the astonishingly elaborate and often intricate "
kyaraben" or character bento, and the simpler bento that attempts only to pleasingly arrange leftovers or freshly cooked foods into a healthy boxed lunch.
One of my favourite features of bento lunch making is that it encourages you to add more vegetables; a properly made bento does not have bare spots between the items inside, which means that any holes tend to get filled with bonus veggies or fruit. An extra radish or couple of grapes may not seem like much, but they all contribute to a healthful, delicious lunch. If you make bento regularly, you'll probably find yourself stocking things like cherry tomatoes, radishes, and mini cucumbers specifically for this purpose.
Since I have all the patience of a boiling tea kettle and no small children to entertain, I make the second kind. Some of the bentos below show meals made purposefully designed as bento from the outset, and some show repackaged leftovers. Recipes for most featured items included.
No comments:
Post a Comment