Right: Chancing fate
Richly flavored soybeans, fresh spinach, and boiled eggs—a simple, delicious bento packed with nutrients.
Middle: Chili (we used green), garlic, salt
Ingredients
5 oz boiled soybeans
1 oz dried baby sardines (for a vegetarian option, leave this out)
½ onion
Sesame oil
Soybean Sauce
1 tbsp each mirin, sake, and soy sauce
1 tsp miso
- Thinly slice onion along the grain.
- Heat ½ tbsp sesame oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until tender. Add soybeans, soybean sauce, optional sardines, and stir. Turn heat to low and simmer, stirring until liquid has mostly cooked off.
Spinach with Nori and Boiled Egg
4 small bunches spinach
2 sheets seasoned nori seaweed
1 boiled egg
Roasted black sesame seeds, as needed
Soy sauce
- Boil spinach, then drain. Squeeze out excess moisture and chop into 1½ inch lengths. Drizzle with 1 tsp soy sauce, stir, and squeeze out excess moisture. Shred nori into small pieces and mix into spinach.
- Peel boiled egg and slice in half. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.
Arrange:
Add rice to Takenaka Expanded Bento Box. Add tsukudani soybeans, spinach, and boiled egg.
Pairing Thai-inspired dressing with cool, crisp veggies makes for an easy meal with spicy, tangy flavor.
Middle: Onion, nori
1 ½ oz saifun (Chinese cellophane noodles)
Nam Pla Dressing
1 tbsp each nam pla (Thai fish sauce), lemon juice
½ tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp sugar
1 small red chili
Grated garlic, to taste
- Soak cellophane noodles in hot water to soften, then drain well.
- Combine Nam Pla Dressing ingredients. Add 1 tbsp dressing to noodles and mix.
Salad Toppings
¼ red onion
1/3 cucumber
3 oz cooked shrimp
2 tbsp peanuts
Slice onions and soak in water, then drain. Slice cucumber in half, deseed, then slice thinly on the bias. Coat shrimp with some of the Nam Pla Dressing. Roughly chop peanuts.
Arrange:
Add saifun salad to Takenaka Double Expanded Bento Box. Add salad toppings in colorful, neat arrangement. Pour remainder of dressing into a separate container to dress salad before eating.
