The Big Book Of Sempai / Senpai

DIY Project #1 - Bento Box

Please note that probably nothing in here will belong to me / come from my imagination! Enjoy this part!

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CRAFTING A BENTO

Bentos, or boxed lunches, have a long deep history rooted in ancient Japan. They originally began as simple meals that required little or no effort to assemble. Today they are a vibrant art form popular worldwide.

This instructable will attempt to provide the basic design principles, resources for obtaining the necessary tools, and some of the traditional rules of making a beautiful and delicious bento.

Step 1: Know the Rules (then Break Them!)

Like many other Japanese arts bento making has its own set of guidelines. Traditional bentos follow a couple of basic rules.

The 4-3-2-1 rule: 4 parts rice, 3 parts protein, 2 parts vegetable, and 1 part "treat" (Usually either pickled vegetables or something sweet.)

Sushi should be prepared with more wasabi than usual.

Pack foods with flavors that might run or stick together with a divider. Separate wet foods from dry using a nested or altogether separate container such as a cupcake form. Sauces and dressings go in their own bottles (usually with a lid or cap).

Oily foods (like gyoza) should be packaged on top of an absorbent material.

Bentos should not require refrigeration or heating.

Above all else your bento should be equally as nice to look at as nice to eat! (Note that this is the only rule that is not optional! :)

Step 2: Assemble Hardware

If you're into kitchen gadgets making bento boxes can be a very fulfilling past time. There are tons of super cute accessories with which to decorate your lunches. Many of these items can be found online (check the last step for links!). If you're lucky enough to have a large Asian market in your town you'll probably be able to find everything you need right there. However, if you don't have one nearby don't fret. We'll talk about options using readily available items you probably already have in your kitchen.

The first thing you need is a bento box. This will influence your portions, your shapes, and even what types of food you use. There are several types. Cute shapes like the bullet train and Pandapple boxes are most popular for kids. Tiered boxes, like the shamrock bento, are more often used for adult lunches. Lock & Lock boxes are fantastic for two reasons. One, they come with individual removable dividers. And two, they lock completely air tight. I've recently started seeing Fit & Fresh brand in stores. The orange one pictured below has a separate ice ring you can freeze as well as a folding spoon. If you want to get started right away and don't have any of these types of boxes there you can also use a standard container. The actual shape of your box will have a lot to do with the final design of your box but we'll talk about that in the design step.

Cupcake forms and dividers are very handy when keeping flavors from mingling. Mini forms fit well in bentos. There are also silicone forms out now that are great if you have something really wet or messy (like spaghetti). The most common divider is the green plastic grass but there are lots of other specialty designs.

Regular shrimp forks are small in size, easy to find in stores, and fit in many boxes. Many colors, shapes, and sizes of specialty forks designed especially for bento boxes are available. Skewers or toothpicks can be cut to size and decorated should you be so inclined. A nice pair of chopsticks will round off your bento set. I like the ones that come with a matching box.

Many of the fancy patterns you see in bentos are made with some form of cutter. A cutter can be a cookie cutter, craft punch, or craft blade. I think I use my craft blade more than any other bento tool! Cutters are especially handy for cutting nori (seaweed/sushi paper), vegetables, or sliced tofu/meat. Who doesn't want little carrot stars on their salad?