Cooking instructions

20 minutes Print

1. Cut the chicken breast in half, salt and pepper on both sides. Fry the pieces of meat on the grill: first put them with the skin down for one and a half to two minutes - the skin should become crispy - and then turn over and fry for a couple more minutes. Crib How to prepare chicken fillet

2. As soon as the chicken is lightly browned and marks from the grill grate appear on it, send the breast to the oven, preheated to the maximum. Bake eight to ten minutes. Tool Oven thermometer How the oven actually heats up, even if you set a specific temperature, can only be understood with experience. It is better to have a small thermometer on hand, which is placed in the oven or simply hung on the grate. And it is better that it shows degrees Celsius and Fahrenheit simultaneously and accurately - like a Swiss watch. A thermometer is important when it is necessary to strictly observe the temperature regime: for example, in the case of baking.

3. Prepare tuna tartare: combine mayonnaise (you can cook it yourself) with spicy garlic sauce (in a ratio of 10 to 1) and season very finely chopped tuna fillet. Salt the tartare to taste and mix well.
Crib How to make mayonnaise

4. Prepare rice. From one-day-old sushi rice (for the rice to crunch, it should not be the freshest, but slightly dried up), use a culinary ring to form a small circle about a centimeter thick. Fry a circle of rice in boiling oil for two to three minutes.
Cheat sheet How to cook rice

5. As soon as the rice ball becomes golden in color, remove it from the boiling oil and put it on a napkin so that the excess oil is absorbed. Spread tuna tartare over fried rice, garnish with small diced avocado, chives and a couple of thin chile rings.

Crib How to Prepare Hot Peppers

6. Cut carrots into strips. Prepare the batter: mix a large handful of tempura flour with an egg and add cold water to the eye - the batter should be liquid, but rather dense and viscous. Roll the vegetables in the remaining tempura flour and dip in the batter.

7. With a sharp movement - to shake off excess batter - throw vegetables into boiling oil. If necessary, to create an even crust, you can pour batter on vegetables already floating in oil. After three or four minutes, take them out with a slotted spoon and lay them out on a paper napkin.

8. Place everything cooked in a bento box: tempura, donburi with chicken (put thin slices on boiled rice chicken breast), rice round with tuna tartare on lettuce. Garnish all parts of the bento with chopped chives.

Basically, a bento is a container or box of lunch. There is not much difference between a lunch box and a bento, since bento is Japanese lunch option boxing.

Bento is a tradition and a must in Japan, a way to easily eat on the go. Often, a bento contains a healthy enough set of foods - fruits, vegetables, meat, rice and fish - to make a healthy and balanced lunch. And also beautiful. The Japanese like everything to be perfect.

A bit of history

The first reliable record of bento-style dining in Japan was during the Kamakura period (1185 to 1333). During this period, the process of preparing rice and then storing and eating it became popular among the people of Japan. Cooked rice during this time was often kept in traditional lacquered boxes to be eaten afterwards. Also, this storage method allowed people to eat while working or traveling without any difficulty. The word bento literally means "convenient".

In the past, bento was exclusively a lunch made at home for lunch at work, or caring mothers for their children to take bento to school. Now you can find bento in all grocery stores, and if you go to any store or supermarket in Japan, you will see a whole section dedicated to bento boxes. And if in the past bento boxes were served in varnished wooden boxes, today they are made in plastic containers, which are usually beautifully decorated.

How to make bento in Japan

Perhaps the most well-known international image of the Japanese bento box - with a cute design and intricate details. It has become something of a mania, especially for parents who make the cutest bento boxes for their kids, painstakingly shaping and carving smiles and choosing colors to make the food appealing.

Initially, the idea behind the attractiveness of the lunch box was that children would be interested in eating healthy food and enjoy it. It is not uncommon for a housewife to get up early in the morning to prepare beautiful and mouth-watering boxes for her husband and children.

In Japan, they say that you eat with your eyes - this means that the food must be beautiful and must be tasty in order to really enjoy it.

How to make bento at home?

There are several conditional rules for the formation of a bento box:

• Prepare box. You can use a regular container/box with one compartment or buy a special bento that has multiple compartments or tiers.
• Decide what you are going to catch in the bento. The traditional ratio is 4:3:2:1, which is 4 parts rice, 3 parts side dish, 2 parts vegetables, 1 part pickled vegetables. Side dish is the protein part of the dish, which will consist of fish or meat. If you don't like pickles (that's the pickled vegetable part), it can be replaced with a small dessert.
• Pack food tightly in the box, whether it has separate compartments or not. If you want to make a cute design, think about it carefully before preparing dinner.

You can use thin slices of nori to add details, or slices of cheese and ham to "draw" something with them. Try sketching your design on some paper first so you have a cooking guide.

So, bento is not difficult at all, it is enough to show a little imagination or peep

On March 19, in Moscow, in the culinary studio "Vkusoterria", a master class was held by Japanese culinary specialist Aki Nakagawa for bloggers of LiveJournal. Let's tell you how it was!

Aki Nakagawa comes to Moscow not for the first time. She lived in Russia for a long time, and spent last year. At a new meeting, Aki-san shared with us the secrets of making bento - a delicious, simple and satisfying Japanese "lunch in a box." The ability to cook bento is important for the Japanese, who spend a lot of time at work and at school.

Aki Nakagawa Graduated from Japan Food Coordinator School (culinary industry consultant course), worked as a chef at the COOK COOP BOOK culinary studio in Tokyo, organizes private master classes in Japanese cuisine.

It was not by chance that it was chosen for the master class culinary studio "Vkusoterria". It is located in the very center of Moscow, operates around the clock and is equipped with the most modern equipment. There are workshops for adults and children. Cozy and comfortable even a large company will be accommodated! And if you don't know how to cook, it's easy to learn!

Most of the participants in the master class have never been to Japan. It was all the more interesting to talk with a guest from the Land of the Rising Sun, and besides culinary secrets, exchange stories about the traditions and customs of our countries. A pleasant addition to acquaintance with Japanese cuisine was a tea tasting from tea house JAPANTEA .

Participants tasted several types of Japanese tea, including unusual and healthy powdered Matcha tea. It can replace morning coffee and cheer you up for the whole day. He talks about his experiences Inga arctic-inga.ru :

Matcha tea is rich in vitamins and minerals. It is so effective that students drink it right before exams. This tea can be added to cookie dough, yogurt, salads. This will add flavor to the dish and make it healthier.

I also liked the fried rice tea. Even more than Matt. It has such a nutty taste and a pleasant smell of the forest.

The participants of the master class prepared: two types of Tamago-yaki omelet (traditional with ham and sweet), onigiri, broccoli salad in sesame sauce, chicken cutlets in teriyaki sauce, and potato gratin with shrimp.

Learning how to cook a Japanese bento dinner began with the recipe for the Tamago-yaki omelet. It seems that an omelette is a very simple dish. But even breaking eggs for an omelet in the traditions of Japanese cuisine is not supposed to be the same as ours. You cannot use a knife. Japanese puff omelet is prepared more complicated and more interesting than the dish we are used to. Try rolling an omelet into a roll in a pan with chopsticks!

RECIPE:

Egg - 4-5 pieces; Mirin (rice wine, can be replaced with white wine) - 2 tbsp; salt - 1/2 tsp; Vegetable oil- 2 tsp; Ham - 20 g; Green onions - 2-3 sprigs.

1. Beat eggs in a bowl. Add mirin. Chop onion and add to beaten eggs. Cut the ham into strips.

2. Preheat the pan. Lubricate with oil. Pour the mixture into a thin layer. When the mixture begins to set, put the strips of ham and carefully roll into a roll, right in the pan. As soon as you roll the roll, you need to immediately pour the mixture again in a thin layer, and twist the first roll into a fried egg. So it turns out a puff egg roll. Give the rolls a square shape, flattening them so that the cut will later turn into squares.

You can't buy sweets in Japanese schools, so the bento that mothers give to their children also includes a sweet version of the Tamago-yaki omelet. Here is his recipe:

Egg - 4-5 pcs.; Mirin - 3 tablespoons; Sugar - 2 tablespoons; Salt - 1/2 tsp; Vegetable oil - 2 tsp

In the same way as in the first option, beat the eggs, add salt, sugar, mirin, and gradually, in layers, pour into a hot, oiled frying pan. At the same time, twisting each layer into a roll, flattening, giving it not a round, but a square shape, so that when cut, squares are obtained.

The rolls are cut into squares and placed in a bento box.

The main components of Japanese cuisine- sesame, soy sauce and sesame paste.

RECIPE:

Minced chicken (which should consist of breast and thigh 1: 2) - 400 g; Egg - 1 pc.; Green onions - 1 bunch; Onion - 1/2; Starch - 1 tsp; Salt - 1/2 tsp; Ginger root - 5-6 cm;

For teriyaki sauce: Soy sauce - 3 tablespoons; Mirin - 2 tablespoons; Sugar - 2 tbsp

1. Finely chop the green onion, grate the carrots. Grate onion, ginger root and garlic on a fine grater.

2. In a bowl, mix the minced meat with the egg and starch, mix well.

3. Add ground sesame seeds, chopped and grated vegetables, salt, mix well.

4. Form cutlets and fry them in oil in a pan until golden brown on both sides.

5. Add soy sauce, mirin, sugar, and boil over high heat until the sauce thickens.

Workshop participants at work:

Also prepared broccoli salad in sesame sauce.

RECIPE:

Broccoli - 1 head; White sesame - 1 tbsp; Soy sauce - 1/2 tsp; Sugar - 1 tsp

1. Boil water in a saucepan, salt.

2. Divide the broccoli into florets.

3. Boil broccoli for one minute. Quickly remove the boiled broccoli florets and transfer to a bowl with cold water(preferably with ice).

4. Place broccoli on paper towels.

5. Separately, prepare the sauce in a bowl. Lightly fry sesame seeds in a pan and crush in a mortar with soy sauce and sugar.

6. Mix broccoli with sauce.

Shrimp and potato gratin was a revelation to many. It is easy to prepare - we recommend this dish for your home kitchen!

Potatoes, shrimp and spinach are fried in a pan - try it, this is a very tasty combination!

RECIPE:

Tiger prawns - 4 pcs.; Potatoes - 1-2 pcs.; Butter - 15 g; Milk - 60 ml; Flour - 1 tbsp; Grated cheese - 150 g; Salt and pepper to taste.

1. Peel and cut shrimp in half. Peel potatoes and cut into 1cm cubes.

2. Boil potatoes. Fry shrimp in a pan with butter. Add potatoes to shrimp.

3. Sprinkle with flour and fry well. Add milk and stir thoroughly until thick.

4. Put in a paper (or foil) mold and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake 5 minutes until golden brown.

After baking in portioned forms in the oven:

Of course, not without the traditional Japanese recipe- onigiri. They complement well the finished bento:

RECIPE:

Rice - 300 g; Water - 400 ml; Salt to taste; nori leaves; canned natural tuna is suitable for the filling.

1. Rinse rice and soak in cold water for half an hour.

2. Cook rice in a rice cooker according to the specified function.

3. Once cooked, immediately open the lid and stir well with a spatula. Close the lid and wait 10-15 minutes.

4. Wet your hands with water. Take salt on your hand (a little) and sculpt the rice in the shape of a triangle. You can put stuffing in there.

Olga shares her curious knowledge about the Japanese bento dinner received at the master class grushenka :

If the Japanese quarrel, then in the morning the faithful receive a box of food, on the lid of which an offended face is drawn. But that's not all! If the wife is very offended, she can give her husband an empty box with her. Opening it, the delinquent husband will find there instead of food only a note: "I don't love you"!

This is what a assembled bento meal looks like, which Japanese housewives prepare for school for their children and for work for adults.

What is the most important secret of bento? Dinner must be prepared with love! After all, you are preparing it for your family, for relatives and friends. Try cooking Aki Nakagawa's recipes on your home kitchen. You will definitely succeed!

Bento (弁当 bentō) is a Japanese term for a single serving packaged meal. Traditionally, a bento includes rice, fish or meat and one or more types of chopped raw or pickled vegetables in one box with a lid. Boxes can vary in shape and method of manufacture - from simple, mass-produced, to piece-work containers, made of rare woods, lacquered, which are real works of art.

And if it’s simple, then this is food that is beautifully laid out and packaged in a beautiful box, which is very convenient to take with you. Like everything Japanese, this is a very peculiar area, I will not be afraid of this word, art, since some bento look like they are works of art. In Japan, they are sold in stores ready-made and packaged. And every housewife considers it her duty to learn how to make bento.

But bento can be not only traditional. The West, as always, takes the best and most interesting from the East and Asia and twists it a bit in its own way. We can also pack our bento for our work as lunch or for our children at school, in which instead of rice and fish there will be pancakes with cottage cheese or Kiev cutlets. It doesn't matter what you decide to make your dinner out of, the main thing is that it complies with the 5 main rules of bento. How can this be useful to us? Well, first of all, this way the food looks prettier, and therefore more appetizing. Secondly, in one such bento you can organically pack several delicious and healthy meals, instead of one. And thirdly, this is a very good idea for children's treats at a holiday or picnic trips with large companies.

Some bento look like this:

In this post, we will talk about simpler and very tasty options. For example, these are:

So, 5 basic rules for compiling bento for every day:

• Food must be delicious. The simplest and one of the most important rules.
• Healthy within reason and nutritious. You can eat sweets and other junk food at any time of the day, but lunch should be tasty, healthy and nutritious, because it is our fuel for the rest of the day. This is the second main rule!
• Neat and appetizing in appearance. One of the fundamental principles of bento, like all Japanese cuisine, is that the appearance of the food is as important as the taste.
• Simple and quick to prepare. Because you already have too much time for everything else. Even for those who love to cook, daily hours at the stove and production culinary masterpieces takes too much time and effort. And the process is not a joy, and the result. Therefore, give yourself one day off for creativity, and leave simplicity and functionality for working days. Build your meals with simple, healthy and delicious ingredients.
• Food doesn't have to be expensive. Making takeaway meals at home is a great way to save money. Since even if it seems to you that the cost of a business lunch is very cheap, it can be a good option several times. But even the cheapest set lunch in the end for a month will cost you a pretty penny. And did I already say that it is much more useful than any business lunch?

And one more rule of bento - everything that you have packed must be eaten within a few hours. That is, if you brought lunch with you, you should eat it at lunch, and not at 16:00 for tea. Therefore, you should prepare your dinner from such products that either do not spoil at room temperature, or they can be eaten cold and the common dish will not lose its taste from this.

Great for picnics:

• Proteins that stay tasty and safe at room temperature. Hard-boiled eggs, fried or boiled chicken, deli meats (ham, jamon, etc.)
• Steamed, chilled or raw vegetables that will not wither (carrots, asparagus, cucumbers, tomatoes, broccoli, etc.).
• Carbohydrates that remain tasty and safe at room temperature. It can be bread, cooked and well-packaged rice, or other grains. Pasta with sauces or dressings not based on mayonnaise.
• Dry products. Nuts, dried fruits, seeds, crackers or crispbread.
• Canned products. For example, jam or pickles.

If you are preparing lunch for work, you can safely take with you in separate containers what you can and even need to eat chilled. For example, tuna salad or vegetable salad. And also, since we are not in Japan and do not have to follow all the rules, you can take with you what you can warm up. Of course, if you have a microwave at work. Soup can be brought separately, and the second can be beautifully packaged in a container.

How to make a bento for every day?

To get started, write down a list of your favorite foods and foods that you would like to eat every day. Then divide the sheet into 5 columns: proteins, carbohydrates, combined foods, vegetables, fruits, and sweets. And write in each of the columns at least 3-4 dishes or individual products in each category.

After that, make yourself lunches from the selected products for a few days in advance. The finishing touch - choose a convenient and roomy box for your lunches. In addition to the standard form, you can use small silicone molds for cupcakes so that one dish does not mix with everything else. For example, you can put tzatziki or hummus in there, or something else that you would not want to mix with the main dish.

Bento examples

Bento #1

Assemble sandwiches with your favorite ingredients and add fresh vegetables to the box!

Bento #2

Ingredients: boiled ham, cheese, grapes, prosciutto, whole grain bread and greens mix.

Bento #3

Braised cabbage with baked potatoes, herbs and a piece of hard cheese in the shape of an angel. And even better and faster, do not stew cabbage, but take Brussels sprouts (it’s more convenient), cut in half and coat olive oil. Put it on a baking sheet and send to bake or under the grill. As a result, it turns out to be tastier, with less fuss, it keeps well in the refrigerator and is very tasty even when cold. How to bake potatoes, I think you know. With cheese, you don’t have to dodge like that either, but if you like, you can use any aluminum cookie cutters.

Bento #4

boiled rice, asparagus, green pea, scrambled eggs, slightly salted salmon and tomatoes. You can add a couple of drops of wine vinegar to the asparagus for flavor.

Bento #5

In this bento, pieces of broccoli (in boiling salted water for two to three minutes), fried dumplings (ravioli are fried in the original), fennel (can be replaced with any other favorite vegetable or root vegetable) and meatballs. I think that just fried pieces of meat or poultry will also work.

Enjoy your meal!

Bento (弁当) is a one-on-one meal that is taken with you or a kind of “dry ration” common in Japanese cuisine. Traditional bento includes rice, fish or meat, pickled or boiled vegetables. Typically, products are packaged in a box-shaped container. Food boxes are produced in a variety of ways, from simple mass-produced disposables to handmade lacquerware.

Bento boxes are available in many places throughout Japan, including convenience stores, bento shops (Bento-ya, 弁当屋), train stations, and department stores. However, true Japanese housewives often spend their time and energy preparing bento for their spouses, children, and themselves.

Kiaraben bento 1

Kiaraben bento 2

Kiaraben bento 3

Bento can be made in a style called kyaraben (bento character). Kiaraben bento are usually designed as popular characters from Japanese cartoons (anime), comics (manga), or video games. Another popular style of bento is the “oekakiben” (oekakiben or “picture bento”). This bento is decorated in the form of people, animals, buildings and monuments, or objects such as flowers and plants. Competitions are often held in which the organizers choose the most beautiful, most liked Bento.

Oekakiben 1

Oekakiben 2

There are similar forms of dry rations in the Philippines (Baon, Baon), Korea (Dosirak, Dosirak), Taiwan (Bindan, Biandang) and India (Tiffin, Tiffin). In addition, Hawaiian culture has adopted localized versions of bento with local flavors added after more than a century of Japanese influence on the islands.

Story:
The origin of bento can be traced back to the end of the Kamakura period (1185-1333), when boiled and dried rice called “hoshi-ii” (hoshi-ii, 糒 or 干し飯, literally meaning “dried food”) was invented. Hoshi-ii rice was eaten both in normal and boiled form. It was kept in a small bag. During the Azuchi-Momoyama period (1568-1600), wooden lacquered boxes like those made today were made and bento was eaten during hanami or tea parties.

During the Edo period (1603-1867), bento culture spread and became more sophisticated. Travelers and sightseers could carry a simple “koshibento” (koshibentō, 腰弁当, “bento belt”) with them, consisting of several onigiri wrapped in bamboo leaves or placed in a wicker bamboo box. One of the most popular styles of bento called "makuno-uchi bentō" (makuno-uchi bentō, literally meaning "between-act bento") was first prepared during this period. People who came to Noh and Kabuki theaters ate specially prepared bento between acts (maku). Numerous cookbooks have been published that describe how to prepare and pack bento, and what to cook for special occasions like Hanami and Hinamatsuri.

During the Meiji period (1868-1912), "ekibento" or or "ekiben" (ekibentō, 駅弁当 or ekiben, 駅弁, "train station bento") appeared on sale. There are several records that state that ekiben was first sold on July 16, 1885 at the Utsunomiya train station and included two onigiri and a serving of takuan wrapped in bamboo leaves.
Students were not provided with lunch, students, teachers and many school staff took bento with them. European-style bento also appeared during this period.

During the Taisho period (1912-1926), aluminum bento boxes became a luxury item due to their ease of cleaning and their silvery appearance. Likewise, the movement to abolish the practice of drinking bente in schools has become a social issue. The disparity in income spread during this period, following the export boom during World War I and subsequent crop failures in the Tohoku region. The bento often reflected the student's wealth, and many wondered if this had an adverse effect on the children both physically, due to lack of an appropriate diet, and psychologically, from poorly made bento (as students compared their bento) or the high cost of food. After the Second World War, the practice of bringing bento to school gradually began to fade away, and standard meals appeared in school canteens for all students and teachers.

Bento regained popularity in the 1980s with the spread of microwave ovens and convenience stores. In addition, expensive wooden and metal boxes have been replaced in most stores with inexpensive, disposable polystyrene boxes. However, even handmade bento boxes are back on store shelves.

Bentos are still used by workers today as dry rations, taken by families on day trips, by schoolchildren on picnics and on sports days. Homemade benta are wrapped in furoshiki cloth, which acts as a pouch and table mat.

Bentu made it to Taiwan in the first half of the 20th century from Japan and remains very popular to this day.

Airports also offer ekiben: a bento filled with ingredients from local cuisine for passengers waiting for a plane or during a flight.

Noriben

Sake Bento

Hinomaru bento

Kamameshi Bento

Makunouchi Bento

Shokado Bento

Bento types:
Shokado Bento (Shōkadō Bento, 松花堂弁当) is a traditional black lacquered bento box.
Chuka Bento (中華弁当) is a bento filled with Chinese food.
Kamameshi Bento (釜飯弁当) is sold at train stations in Nagano Prefecture. It is cooked and served in a clay pot. The pot is kept as a souvenir.
Makunouchi Bento (幕 の 内 弁 当) is a classic-style bento that includes rice, pickled ume fruit (umeboshi), a piece of fried salmon, a cooked egg wrapped in a roll (tamagoyaki), etc.
Noriben (海苔弁) is a very simple bento with nori seaweed (seasoned with soy sauce) topping boiled rice.
Sake Bento (鮭弁当) is a simple bento with a piece of fried salmon.
Shidashi Bento (仕出し弁当) is prepared in restaurants and served to order at lunchtime. This bento is often eaten at gatherings, parties or funerals. Usually includes traditional Japanese food such as tempura, rice, pickled vegetables. Shidashi bento with European food is also available.
Tori bento (鳥弁当) - bento with rice and chicken pieces cooked in sauce. The meat is placed on top of the rice. This bento is popular in Gunma prefecture.
Hinomaru bento (日の丸弁当) is a bento consisting of only white rice and an umeboshi plum placed in the center. The name was taken from the Hinomaru (which means "sun circle"), the Japanese flag, which has a white background and a red circle in the center.

Other:
Hokaben (ホカ弁) is any type of bento purchased to take away from bento shops. Freshly cooked hot rice (hokahoka) is usually served with side dishes.
Hayaben (早弁), a bento consumed before lunch or sometime after lunch.
Ekiben are bentos sold at railway stations (EKIs) or on trains. There are many types of ekiben. Many of them are inexpensive and filled with food.
Soraben are bentos sold at airports for in-flight meals.