6 Easy Ways to Make Nutritious Japanese Bento a.k.a. GATTSURI BENTO - Bento Box Lunch Idea

We share 6 lunch box (bento) recipe ideas 🍱
We have selected a selection of the most recommended, robust, and tasty Japanese dishes.
Please try to make it for lunch or dinner as well as for bento.

#bento #lunchbox #japanesefood #japanesecooking

【CHAPTER】
00:00 Juicy and Addictive Pork-Wrapped Asparagus Bento
07:31 Sauced Katsu and Teriyaki Chicken Bento
12:19 Gyoza Dumplings (Potstickers) Bento
17:36 Egg Fried Rice & Curry Beef Croquette Bento
21:53 Sweet Sour Chicken & 3 Onigiri Bento
27:10 Healthy Chicken Katsudon Bento

1. Juicy and Addictive Pork-Wrapped Asparagus Bento

Ingredients [for 2 servings]
・Rice (as much as you want)

Asparagus and pork rolls
・4.6 oz (130g) Thinly sliced pork loin
・2 oz (60g) Asparagus
・A pinch of Salt and pepper
・2 tsp Flour or Potato starch
・1 tsp Oil
・1 tbsp Soy sauce
・1 tbsp Mirin
・1/2 tbsp Sugar

Potato bites with miso sauce
・2.8 oz (80g) Potatoes
・1 tbsp Flour or Rice flour
・Oil for frying
・1 tbsp Miso paste
・1 tbsp Mirin

Komatsuna and sausage stir-fry
・2 oz (60g) Komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach)
・1.4 oz (40g) Sausage
・A pinch of Dashi powder
・A pinch of Salt and pepper
・A pinch of Sugar

Garlic carrot stir-fry
・2 oz (60g) Carrot
・1 tsp Oil (Sesame oil)
・A pinch of Salt and pepper
・A pinch of Garlic powder
======================
2. Sauced Katsu and Teriyaki Chicken Bento

Ingredients [for 2 servings]
・Rice (as much as you want)

Tonkatsu
・3.5 oz (100g) Pork loin
・A pinch of Salt and pepper
・1/2 tbsp Flour
・Batter (1 tbsp Flour + 1 tbsp Beaten egg + 1/2 tbsp Water)
・Panko
・Oil for frying

Sauce for tonkatsu
・1/5 cup (50ml) Worcestershire sauce
・1 tbsp Mirin
・1/2 tbsp Ketchup
・1 tsp Sugar

Teriyaki chicken
・4.2 oz (120g) Chicken
・A pinch of Salt and pepper
・1 tbsp Potato starch
・1 tbsp Oil
・1 tbsp Soy sauce
・1/2 tbsp Sugar

Toppings
・Omelet
・Shredded cabbage
・Pickles
・Minced green onion
======================
3. Gyoza Dumplings (Potstickers) Bento

Ingredients [for 2 servings]
・Rice (as much as you want)

Gyoza dumplings (potstickers)
・18 Gyoza wrappers
・4.2 oz (120g) Ground pork
・1.7 oz (50g) Cabbage
・2 tbsp Minced green onion
・1-2 tsp Grated ginger
・1/2 tsp Grated garlic
・1 tsp Chicken stock powder
・1 tsp Sake
・1 tsp Soy sauce
・1/2 tsp Oyster sauce
・1/2 tsp Sugar

・1-2 tsp Oil
・1/3 cup (70ml) Water

Pork miso garlic stir-fry
・2 oz (60g) Pork belly (or Pork loin etc.)
・1.7 oz (50g) Cabbage
・1.4 oz (40g) Green bell pepper
・1 tsp Oil
・A pinch of Salt and pepper
・1 tbsp Miso paste
・1 tbsp Mirin
・1/2 tbsp Oyster sauce
・1/3 tsp Grated garlic
・1/2 tsp Potato starch
・1 tsp Water

Toppings
・Pickles
======================
4. Egg Fried Rice & Curry Beef Croquette Bento

Ingredients [for 3 servings]
Egg fried rice
・11.6 oz (330g) Cooked rice
・1 tbsp Oil
・2 Eggs
・Large pinch of Salt
・Large pinch of MSG
・A pinch of White pepper

Curry beef croquette
・10.6 oz (300g) Potato
・2.5 oz (70g) Ground beef (or pork)
・1.7 oz (50g) Onion
・1 tsp Butter
・1 tsp Sake
・1 tsp Soy sauce
・1 tsp Sugar
・1 tsp Miso paste
・1/2 tsp Curry powder (S&B)
・A pinch of Salt and pepper
・Batter (2 tbsp Flour + 1.5 tbsp Water + 1 tbsp Beaten egg)
・Panko
・Oil for frying
======================
5. Sweet Sour Chicken & 3 Onigiri Bento

Ingredients [for 2 servings]
Sweet sour chicken
・5.3 oz (150g) Chicken
・A pinch of Salt and pepper
・1 tbsp Potato starch
・1.5 tbsp Ketchup
・1 tbsp Rice vinegar
・1 tbsp Sugar
・1/2 tsp Soy sauce

3 onigiri (rice balls)
・11.6 oz (330g) Cooked rice
・1/2 tsp Salt
・Nori seaweed
・Umeboshi (Pickled Japanese plum)
・Spicy cod roe

・1 tbsp Shredded salted kombu (Shio-kombu)
・1 tbsp Dried bonito flakes
・1/2 tsp Soy sauce
・1/2 tsp Sesame oil
・1/2 tsp Sugar

Sesame green beans
・2.8 oz (80g) Green beans
・1 tbsp Ground white sesame seeds
・1 tsp Soy sauce
・1 tsp Honey (Beet sugar)

Sweet kabocha squash
・7 oz (200g) Kabocha squash
・1 tbsp Olive oil
・1 tsp Butter
・1 tsp Honey (Beet sugar)
======================
6. Healthy Chicken Katsudon Bento

Ingredients [for 2 servings]
・Rice (as much as you want)
・Shredded cabbage (To bulk up the amount of rice in a healthy way, place cabbage in the lunch box.)

Chicken katsudon
・5.3 oz (150g) Chicken tenders
・A pinch of Salt and pepper
・1 tbsp Mayonnaise
・Panko
・Oil for frying

・1.7 oz (50g) Onion
・2-3 Eggs
・3 tbsp Water
・1 tbsp Sake
・1 tbsp Soy sauce
・1 tbsp Sugar
・1 tbsp Mirin
・1/2 tsp Dashi powder

Broccoli salad
・5.3 oz (150g) Broccoli
・1 oz (30g) Crab sticks (Imitation crab meat)
・1 tbsp Dried bonito flakes
・1 tbsp Mentsuyu*
・1/2 tsp Sugar

*Homemade mentsuyu = 1 tbsp Soy sauce + 1 tbsp Mirin + A pinch of Dashi powder

[sydneycottrell]

I love these! I’m starting twelve hour shifts at my job soon and I’m going to need something healthy, filling, and flavorful to get me through my day. These are perfect! Thanks so much

[bringezk]

I just made the pork-wrapped asparagus & side dishes as a meal for us tonight - no leftovers! It was delicious! We don't get that thinly sliced pork here so I used prosciutto & a couple of rashers of bacon instead. The bacon didn't wrap well & fell off when I turned the asparagus but the prosciutto worked really well (for anyone in the same boat). Also couldn't find the mustard spinach so I sprinkled over some mustard powder on the spinach & sausage & it was lovely. So many recipes to try - thank you ❤❤

[Shelleyg]

Thank you 🙏 so much for these recipes & showing exactly how to make. I have a Japanese exchange student staying with us & really want to make them feel comfortable. Thank you 🙏 ❤

[Alinalys]

Спасибо большое за идеи и вдохновение!❤

[nicolejoy]

as am American, i am accustomed to eating hot meals, so if i pack a lunch i microwave it. I see you are using metal bento boxes, when its time to eat the lunch, is it warmed up or eaten cold/room temp?

[decemberclouds]

Yes! Kabocha bought in the UK and USA - both of them are very hard. I have a difficult time cutting into it!

[Preschoolyo-yo]

Thanks for *providing methods in many aspects and also when needing to figure life matters, even so yours helps! By just watching!
🇯🇵🧸If these 6 place to big platters, thiese can be great western style fork and knife meals!
💌💛 Please keep teaching how to make culinary masterpiece.(and thanks for making my english progress!) Koreans don't eat brocolli raw too by the way.

[dnk]

I am not sure if it's the same as kabocha, but acorn squash looks very similar. And yes, it's very hard. Lol! We do have a broccoli dish where it is served raw. It's a creamy broccoli salad served cold.

[juliannehuh]

I think we better bleach the Asparagus to make softer ❤

[dnk]

I had a thought come to mind. How do you reheat these dishes to eat them? 😅

[geekchick]

I’ve tried that with the asparagus and it’s still yuck raw. I steam it a little in the microwave, then wrap it and cook it. Work a heaps better.

[babyangel]

In he USA many people eat broccoli raw dipped in ranch but I prefer it steamed with a variety of sauces or cheese