Bento - this is how the Japanese call a portion of food, packed in a special box, which they take with them to the office, school, travel to have a snack. The selection of the proportions of products, the packaging of bento is a whole ritual. It has existed for several centuries. Nowadays, it is very easy to become familiar with the Japanese culture and art of making bento.
Bento is a food that will captivate you not only with its impeccable taste, but also with its original look. There are many ways to prepare and varieties of bento. They depend on what products are used, how long they plan to store them, at what time and in what place they plan to eat them: ekiben, hinomaru, makono-uchi, sushizume, trarabento.
Ingredients for bento
This food is prepared in accordance with a 4: 3: 2: 1 ratio:
- 4 parts of rice;
- 3 parts of meat or fish;
- 2 parts of vegetables;
- 1 part spice or pickled plant.
For dessert, add a slice of fruit (apple, pear, tangerine, orange).
For classic bento you will need:
- rice - 1 glass;
- water - 1 glass;
- salmon fillet - 100 g;
- potatoes - 1 pc.;
- a mixture of fresh salads (iceberg, lollo-rosso) - 50 g;
- radish - 2 pcs.;
- cherry tomatoes - 50 g;
- lemon - 2 slices;
- vegetable oil - 1 tbsp;
- vinegar (rice) - 1 tbsp;
- sugar - 1 tsp;
- salt to taste.
Making classic bento
The first step is to properly prepare the bento rice. Specialty rice for Japanese cooking is best, but not necessary. You can also use the most common rice (unboiled and better round grain).
Rinse the rice with water until it becomes transparent. Then pour it with cold water and leave for 15 minutes. Cook the rice, remove from heat and let it brew for 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a deep bowl and cool as soon as possible, stirring and blowing constantly. The rice will have a slightly sticky texture. Mix rice vinegar with salt and sugar until completely dissolved. Pour the resulting mixture into the rice, mix thoroughly until it is evenly distributed throughout the serving. The bento rice is ready.
Season the salmon fillet, season with salt and fry on the grill (or in a skillet with a thick bottom) until crusty (about 10 minutes), then cut into beautiful thin slices. Place on a paper towel to remove excess grease.
Boil potatoes, cut into thin slices. You can use the tools at hand to cut potato figurines.
Wash fresh lettuce leaves, dry them, tear them into small pieces with your hands, and line the bottom of the bento box with them. To keep the lettuce leaves fresh longer, put them in the freezer for a few minutes before serving. Any food container can be used as a container for bento.
Put rice on top of lettuce leaves. If you wish, you can give it any shape, for example, lay it out in the form of separate balls or figures. Place the salmon slices on the side of the rice slide. Place cherry tomatoes and radishes around. Garnish the bento with lemon slices.
