Bento: Over 50 Make-Ahead, Delicious Box Lunches

by Yuko, Noriko

From the creators of the website Japanese Cooking 101, Bento (a newly reformatted edition of Simply Bento) is a complete collection of over 50 delicious and healthy box lunch ideas for everyone in the family.

Ready to make lunch quick, easy, and tasty? Japanese bento boxes are single-portion packed lunches, perfect for anyone looking to save money and eat a balanced, satisfying meal for lunch every single day.

Bento features over 100 healthy and delicious recipes--including mains and sides--that you can make every day of the week and mix and match using a combination of traditional and nontraditional ingredients. Learn about different types of bento boxes and accessories, how to assemble your box, and everyday items you will need in your pantry, as well as how to plan ahead so that your morning prep is a breeze.

Bento shows you the finer points of bento-making, and there is something for everyone:
Classic Japanese Bento
Sandwich Bento
Sushi and Onigiri Bento
Noodle Bento
Popular Japanese Bento
10-Minute Bento
Rice and Grain Bowl Bento
Low-Carb Bento
Vegan Bento
Bento for Special Occasions (including for the first day of school and Halloween!)
Bento at Home
So, if you're in the mood for Chicken Teriyaki, Ramen, Shrimp Avocado Pasta Salad, Cauliflower Fried Rice, Falafel, Sweet and Sour Meatballs, Tempura, or Chicken Nuggets (for the kids), Bentohas the recipes--plus much more!

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Nonfiction, Cooking

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brother introduced me to bento (Japanese lunch boxes) at his fave sushi place. I loved every ingredient and recall the day with joy.

So I was thrilled to receive an ARC for BENTO! Its beautiful color photos and 100 tasty recipes including mains and sides made me swoon. They are nutritious, easy to make and so lovely to eat.

You’ll also learn about box types and accessories, pantry stocking, and quick prep methods. A delightful collection offered by Yuko and Noriko of japanesecooking101.com.

5 of 5 Stars

Pub Date 01 Sep 2020

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - Race Point Publishing, and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#Bento #NetGalley

[Sara Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bento by Yuko is a great introduction to what a Bento is and how they became an iconic meal.

I found the recipes were a good mix of typical Japanese food along with some Western recipes as well. I have found recipes for two of my favourite Japanese dishes and I cannot wait to try them, even though I doubt they will make it into a Bento. I liked a lot of the vegetable recipes and have started making those at dinner. Some recipes had a lot of ingredients while others I found reasonable.

The photos were mouthwatering, and the layout was beautiful.

I received an eARC from Quarto Publishing Group- Race Point through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

[Amanda Karsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I need to get a bento box, I feel I can get excited about lunch again. The photos are very inspiring and the recipes are easy enough.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Bento is a very well curated and developed recipe collection for Japanese style make-ahead lunches. Taken from content originally published in 2018, this reformatted condensed version is due out 1st Sept 2020 from Quarto on their Race Point imprint. It's 160 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is an updated introduction to bento for westerners. Bento can be healthy and tasty with eye appeal, organization, variety, and portion control in one package. This collection also shows that it doesn't need to be very time consuming or difficult.

The introduction includes suggestions and tutorials for basic bento followed by chapters arranged roughly thematically: classic Japanese bento, sushi & onigiri, noodles, popular bento, 10 minute lunches, rice and grain bowls, vegan choices, special occasions and side dishes (and partial recipes).

The recipes have their ingredients listed bullet style in a sidebar. Measurements are given in US standard with metric/SI units in parentheses (yay!). Special tools and ingredients are also listed, along with yields and cooking directions. Most of the ingredients are easily sourced at any moderately well stocked grocery store.

Well written and organized, this could be a fun addition to the lunchbox repertoire. It would also lend itself very well to fans of meal planning or once-a-week-cooking. Most of these recipes make several servings which could easily be used for a week's lunch planning. I've been avoiding buying food at the cafe at work during the pandemic and these recipes have provided good mileage for avoiding boring lunches at work for me.

Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Megan Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Yuko's highly rated previous cook book "Bento: Over 50 Make-Ahead, Delicious Box Lunches" then this will come as a welcome companion book; but also stands well as an introduction to the meal form. Some photos and recipes are shared between the aformentioned book and this one so it can also be taken as a reworked extended edition.

The ample supply of beautiful photos and well laid out, easy-to-follow recipes make this book an easy inspiration for making lunchtime special for you loved ones.

Yuko takes the time to introduce the packed lunch "culture" and lays out a comprehensive "must have" list for asian pantries (something useful for many other cookbooks...) as well as essential equipment and what to look for when purchasing a bento box. She also adapts it to other cultural cuisine; showing that any person's taste can be accommodated. Honestly, I'm still torn about picking up a physical copy of "Bento,..." or buying this one when it releases but the fact that I'm adding them to my amazon shopping cart over all the others I review says how much I loved her book.

Beautiful, varried, and comprehensive

5 stars

[Gaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bento starts by giving the history of bento boxes in Japan and reasons for their continued popularity. I remember being fascinated by bento boxes in the 1980s as I had become fascinated with Japanese products and culture. When we visited Japan a few years ago, I loved ordering lunch bento boxes and buying bento boxes from their department stores. The many different items in small portions made it possible to taste different things and to switch tastes. I'd seen photos of bento boxes that people would prepare for their children but it looked complicated and time consuming. So, I found Yuko and Noriko's practical advice very helpful and encouraging.

Remember to avoid temperatures 40 to 140F. When packing leftovers reheat them in the morning to freshen the food and kill bacteria. Allow the food to cool completely before closing the lid. Try adding natural antibiotics like salt, vinegar, ginger, or seasoned or marinated vegetable dishes.

Their tips on packing attractively help establish a method. Use healthy edibles like lettuce to compartmentalize food. Pack tightly with no space for the food to move around - use small vegetables to fill the spaces. Eat the rainbow and pack with contrasting colors. Vegetable sticks and salads that are prepared for the bento can be served during breakfast to encourage us to eat healthy.

Yuko and Noriko include recipes for different types of dashi, rice, tamagoyaki (my favorite egg dish!), noritama furikake (egg and roasted seaweed seasoning), as well as popular and delicious bento dishes. These include but are not limited to: Chicken Teriyaki Bento, Beef Roll-up Bento, Tsukune (Ground Chicken) Bento, Grilled Mackerel Bento, Beef Shigureni Bento, Sukiyaki Bento, Salmon Teriyaki Bento, Pork Shogayaki Bento, Sushi Burrito Bento, Onigiri Bento, Sushi Roll Bento, Spam Musubi Bento, Inari Sushi Bento, Yaki Onigiri Bento, Shrimp Avocado Pasta Salad Bento, Cold Somen Nuodle Bento, Yakiniku Bento, Tonkatsu Sandwich Bento, Chicken Nuggets Bento, Sweet and Sour Meatballs Bento, Okonomiyaki Bento, Chicken Karaage Bento, Omurice Bento, Oyakodon Bento.

Our family was particularly happy with the Vegan Bento recipes: Tofu Steak Salad Bento, Falafel Bento, Vegetable Miso Soup Bento, Spaghetti with Lima Beans and Cabbage Bento, Tofu Poke Bento and Hijiki Gohan Bento. There are fun bento boxes that are geared towards special occasions like the 1st day of school, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Birthdays, etc.

Since I do most of the cooking, I was very happy with the recipes for the small cold vegetable dishes. The recipes are simple and I prepare a batch for the week and just add them to our meals to increase our veggie intake. I especially loved the Daikon & Carrot Nimono, Miso Eggplant and Shishito Peppers, Broccoli Namul, Sauteed Green Beans, Carrot Kinipira, Carrot Namul, Pickled Daikon Radish, and Fresh Fruits Jelly.

Overall, this is a useful book for those who are looking to up their lunch game. We don't have children to cook for so I can only imagine how cheering it would be for a child to have a bento box for lunch. I know my husband and I enjoy them.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5 stars

We in the UK often get soggy sandwiches or limp lettuce for lunch, but in Japan Bento looks so much more delicious than our fare. This book explains how you can make fifty Bento for your lunches the night before with leftovers or cooking a few side dishes ready for the next days lunch.

The book introduction begins with 7 key points from safety to routines, then moves onto storage, accessories and pantry essentials. It then provides details on how to cook the rice, either on the hob or in a rice cooker and a seasoning that can be added to the rice. There are eight chapters on making different bento lunches, plus a chapter for side dishes.

Each recipe comes with clear instructions and provides details on what side dishes and additional ingredients should be used to accompany this main dish. There is also an information box on how to plan ahead when making the dish. Not all the recipes have a colour photograph but some of the photography is repeated in the book which is disappointing. The ingredients are provided in both imperial and metric measurements. The preparation and cooking times are provided along with a portion size, though this time doesn't include making the rice.

Whilst the lunches do look delicious I do rather like to see photographs of what I am supposed to be making and for it to be made clear in the ingredients list that vinegar means Rice Vinegar rather than the brown stuff you splash on your fish and chips! Also the layout feels odd, the beginning Dashi and Furikake recipes seem out of place.

Do note this book was previous published under the title "Simply Bento" in 2018.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

[Theediscerning · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've always been attracted to the concept of the bento – a one-size-fits-all, handy lunchbox with a full, balanced meal in it. So it's a little disappointing that this book puts me, a very average at best chef, right off the idea of making and packing one. You need at least one special ingredient in every recipe here (I know, I know – mirin is hardly "special"), but to get on board with the concept fully you have to treat your protein (and I did know how to grill a mackerel, thanks), treat your rice, and dilly-dally with your vegetables. So however often the creators of this visually attractive, scientifically-laid-out book say it's an easy thing to do last thing at night or first thing in the morning, bento will remain a craft that's beyond me. Especially as my copy seemed to repeat the same images over and over again, and let you guess what things were. I guess my beef might be against the whole bento idea, in that it's not as simple, slapdash and throwaway as it might need to be, but I didn't find this "first kill your dried fish flakes" book nearly as friendly or reassuring as I needed. But at least it taught me that bukkake didn't need three different doses of gentlemen's relish. One and a half stars.

[Johanna Sawyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at these cute style lunches that can fit in a tiny bin type container. I found the book to have a ton of information regarding the health, making, and purchasing of these bento style lunch products.

What did I like? All the recipes adapt a Japanese style themed lunch that fits in a tiny box. Most of these lunches I pointed out to others made the remark that there wasn’t enough food in them. The cookbook was the first of its kind that I’ve seen and most of the recipes incorporate a type of rice and some beautiful techniques of making a healthy all around meal.

Would I recommend or buy? If your really into crafting your food and ideally need a well balanced tiny food lunch then you may love this book. I found that although the meals look beautiful I felt like they would take a lot of work to craft these tiny meals. I survive mostly days and weeks on a huge meal that provides a lot of left overs. Interesting idea with the themed lunches and just a variety of lunch ideas.

The book was beautiful and a lot of effort went into making the book. Four stars!

[Rally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read/review this book.
I found this book to be so fun and exciting. I loved the recipes and they seemed like they will be simple to do as well as artistic. I smiled while looking through the photos of the colorful balanced bento boxes. I like that you can use different kinds of boxes and you can be creative with the small meals you put in the boxes. I liked that there were many recipes I just wish there was a photo for every recipe. I want to know how each one is suppose to look. I am thankful it included a history of the boxes and the stables that someone may want to have when making them.
to see more full reviews check out my blog at : http://rallyreviews.wordpress.com/blog2

[Jenn Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the fact that I will probably never make most of the things in this book, I can acknowledge that it is very well put together. I loved the general concept and explanation of the history and nature of bento boxes. I will absolutely put the concept into use, but with my own style of recipes.

The recipes in this book were thorough, fitting for the style, and well-paired with side dishes. The best extra bit was definitely the tips on how to prep ahead and make packing a bento lunch even easier.

One of those situations where my personal Goodreads rating of my own "enjoyment" is not identical to my more objective NetGalley five star rating. Just the nature of the content.

Thanks to NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really beautiful and useful book!

Bento: Over 70 Make-Ahead, Delicious Box Lunches includes all the background and instructions you need to make your own bento box lunches. It covers everything from traditional options (e.g., onigiri) to some definitely-not-traditional options (e.g., english muffin pizzas). The recipes are all clear and easy-to-follow and most don't take that much work to make.

With the way the world is right now during coronavirus, packed lunches aren't really a necessity for my household.. However, I will be trying out a bunch of these recipes to make yummy meals at home!

Thank you to NetGally and Race Point Publishing for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own the original of this book. This is an updated copy. It is beautiful. The photography has improved drastically. The layout is similar but reads easier. The recipes are still wonderful. I regularly take bento to work for lunch and get envious looks from coworkers. The chicken teriyaki bento is one of my favorites. I also really like the Onigiri Bento. The recipes are easy to follow and most of the ingredients you can find at your regular grocery store.

I received this as an ARC in return for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me to read this title.

[kepz_lovesreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a re-release of their original cookbook Simply Bento. I really enjoyed this cookbook as it has a variety of bento suitable meals that can easily be doubled or tripled to make as a meal with extra leftovers for your bento lunches. I found many recipes I'm excited to make although some I don't think need to be in a bento cookbook like pizza. This book is more focused on adult suitable recipes but I'm sure kids would love some of them. The pictures included were very pretty but many recipes had no pictures so you can't see what its meant to look like.
Thanks to Netgalley.com and Race Point Publishing (Quarto Publishing Group) for my complimentary eARC copy.

[roxi Net · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great introduction to Bento for me. I'm fairly familiar with bento, but haven't made a huge effort to work on bento boxes -- however I think bento lends itself to be a refreshed iteration of a charcuterie board for me, and I'm excited to try to merge the two. While there are a few recipes with ingredients I'd have to be on the hunt for, there are recipes that I'm super happy to make with ingredients I normally have on hand (antipasto bento, quinoa salad bento, etc). #Bento #NetGalley

[Tony S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little book that is easy to follow in terms of recipes and is well divided so that it is easy to dip in and out of. I am no great cook but the instructions were simple and, those that I have tried so far, produce some good results.
The photographs in the book are well taken and give a great idea of what the food will look like - my only complaint that there were side boxes of salads etc and I would have like to have know what was in the salad etc.. Overall a great reference book for those getting into or that want an easy to follow book on Bento.

[April Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

*ARC received from Netgalley in return for an honest review*

There is something wonderfully inspiring about this cookbook. Everything is laid out in easy to understand steps and the pictures are absolutely breathtaking. It is laid out in sections so that you can easily find the type of bento you would like to make and the sides have a quick reference to the pages that are relevant. There are even hints and tips to make the lunch-making process smoother, which I very much appreciate.

This is a cookbook made for my shelf.

[Amy Mellisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A straight forward guide to bento. I feel this is one of the best books I’ve read on the subject because of how detailed the information is and how it is laid out. The ease in explanations makes the subject approachable and being able to take those building blocks to make a whole meal to taste is appealing. I‘ll probably end up buying a copy because it’s an excellent resource for a cuisine that most people think is out of their reach.

[Michelle Ogden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beginning with the pantry staples and continuing with the basics, different ways to make rice, dashi and proteins, this book builds up to the fancier bento. You will learn so much along the way. At the end you will be eating delicious and beautiful bento for lunch or breakfast and be much healthier for it. This is a beautiful and informative book.

I highly recommend this title for beginners of bento meal prep. It is a feast for the eyes and tummy.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I'm clearly never going to start dedicating my mornings to making bento boxes, there were some really good tips and recipes in here (plus the bentos pictured look AMAZING). It definitely made me think that I should start putting more effort into my husband's packed lunches, even if just on occasion.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this one.

[Cozy Book Spot · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I love this book! The pictures are beautiful and makes me hungry! I love bento boxes and it was something I really enjoyed while riding trains in Japan. This book has great recipes and I can't wait to make them! I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

[Laura Duffy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect gift for someone who wants to start making their own Bentos. It really takes you through the concept of Bentos and how to craft them to ensure they are balanced. It is a beautiful book which pictures that really bring to life the recipes. I can't wait to keep gaining and building skills in this area.

[Shannen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've finished reading through but haven't tried any recipes from this book yet. The recipes for things I've made are pretty close to the ones I followed, so that sounds promising. A bunch of delicious sounding ideas to boost my bento game!!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an inspirational and well written book about bento. I liked the layout, the sections and there was plenty of interesting recipes.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great, basic book on the topic. Not terribly veggie-friendly.

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew very little about Bento before reading this cookbook and it was a great intro into a very organized and balanced arrangement of flavors.very worth reading.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where is the yuzu?
Shame that pictures don’t accompany most of the recipes.
Take note of the hygiene pages. That’s for ALL cooking.
🍘🍱

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some really good ideas in here that shouldn't be too hard to convert to gluten free.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good range of bento recipes and ideas although not the most inspiring also did not feel unattainable for the average person.

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with a complimentary eARC for review purposes*

A fun and interesting introduction to Bento. I love seeing others creations and this book has given me the tools I need to give it a try myself.
I loved the pictures and just wish there were more of them.