Just Bento

[While I’m still getting back up to speed, please enjoy this recipe for ‘instant’ pickled radishes, great in any bento or in a salad. Originally published in May 2009. It’s kind of funny to re-read this post and realize we were still waffling about buying a house in France or not. I guess we did, after all!]

While radishes are available year-round, spring seems to be the perfect time to enjoy their crisp, peppery crunchiness. They are also really pretty. I love them just as-is, perhaps with a little salt, or sliced up in salads, but I’ve also been playing around with various formulas to make instant pickles or ichiyazuke (一夜漬け, or ‘overnight pickles’) with them. Here’s one result that’s sweet, salty, sour and peppery - a great bento box side dish. continue reading...

A classic Japanese vegetable side dish made with a very European vegetable. continue reading...

A really easy and refreshing salad that keeps for a week in the refrigerator. Great for bentos of course. continue reading...

From the archives. I got an email over the weekend from someone asking for vegetarian recipes. Well, there are a lot of vegetarian and vegan recipes here actually. Here is one I posted last year, a tasty ovo-vegetarian tofu-and-egg dish inspired by healthy Korean cooking, named after a classic italian dish. And of course, great in bentos! continue reading...

Has anyone tried to cook brown rice and adzuki beans together in a rice cooker? I think they have a similar cooking time, although maybe it would be necessary to presoak the beans... I have already successfully cooked brown rice and lentils together in my rice cooker, using the brown rice setting and adding just a little bit more water than I would have for just brown rice. This is a very easy vegetarian (and vegan) one pot meal, and you can add whatever seasonings you want to the water to vary the flavor. continue reading...

An Indian-influenced complete-meal recipe, great for thermal lunch jars or cold in regular bentos. Vegan, gluten-free, and even diabetic-friendly, but I promise it still tastes terrific! continue reading...

A very simple ‘instant’ pickle-relish-salad made with always available vegetables, plus an equally easy decorative cutting technique. continue reading...

Healthy and filling, this brown rice kayu or rice porridge is perfect for thermal lunch jars. continue reading...