Name: Bento Box
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Japanese Cuisine
Ingredients: Broccoli 1/2 head; Thinly Sliced Pork Belly 200g; Shirataki Noodles 1 pack; Eggs 2; Green Onions 3 stalks; Vegetable Oil 1 tbsp; Cooked Rice (to taste); Umeboshi (Pickled Plums) 1 each; Salt 1 pinch; [A] Soy Sauce 2 tsp; [A] Sesame Oil 1 tsp; [A] Sugar 1 pinch; [A] Bonito Flakes (Katsuobushi) approx. 3g; [B] Water 100cc; [B] Cooking Sake (Rice Wine) 100cc; [B] Soy Sauce 5 tbsp; [B] Mirin (Sweet Rice Wine) 3 tbsp; [B] Sugar 2 tbsp; [C] Sugar 2 tsp; [C] Soy Sauce 1/2 tsp; [C] Cooking Sake (Rice Wine) 1 tsp

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Original: English

Bento Box

by 【賛否両論】笠原将弘の料理のほそ道

Ready in just 15 minutes even on busy mornings。 Chef Masahiro Kasahara teaches you 3 satisfying and easy-to-make bento dishes that are perfect with rice. Enjoy a delicious and filling bento with simmered pork belly, egg with green onions, and broccoli with bonito flakes to enrich your daily meals.

Steps

Cut 1/2 head of broccoli into florets. If large, cut into bite-sized pieces.
🕒 03:11
Finely chop 3 stalks of green onions.
🕒 04:38
In a bowl, crack 2 eggs, add the chopped green onions, 2 tsp sugar [C], 1/2 tsp soy sauce [C], and 1 tsp cooking sake [C]. Mix well.
🕒 04:41
Boil water in a pot. Once boiling, add the broccoli florets and blanch for about 30 seconds. [Key Tip!] Broccoli tastes best when still slightly crisp.
🕒 06:09
Drain the blanched broccoli in a colander and season with 1 pinch of salt while still hot. Let it cool. [Key Tip!] Seasoning with salt after blanching, rather than adding salt to the boiling water, allows for better flavor adherence with less salt. Letting it cool in the colander, without plunging into ice water, allows the residual heat to continue cooking, making 30 seconds of blanching sufficient.
🕒 07:16
Discard the water used for blanching the broccoli and use the same pot without washing. Add 100cc water [B], 100cc cooking sake [B], 5 tbsp soy sauce [B], 3 tbsp mirin [B], and 2 tbsp sugar [B] to the pot.
🕒 07:43
Bring the liquid to a simmer. Just before it boils, add 200g thinly sliced pork belly, separating the pieces, and 1 pack of shirataki noodles. [Key Tip!] Pork belly slices save on cutting time and, due to their leanness, prevent the fat from hardening when cold, ensuring deliciousness. Choosing shirataki noodles that don't require pre-boiling saves time. Since bento is eaten cold, seasoning generously makes it tastier and helps prevent spoilage.
🕒 08:39
Once the simmering liquid boils, skim off any scum. Simmer over low heat for about 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it cool. [Key Tip!] Skimming scum is more effective after bringing it to a full boil once.
🕒 10:33
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Once warm, pour in the prepared egg mixture and cook.
🕒 12:15
When the egg mixture starts to set, cut it into 4 portions and flip to cook both sides. [Key Tip!] Don't worry about making it perfectly rolled when you're in a hurry; just ensure it's cooked through. Cutting into 4 portions and flipping allows for faster cooking. A slight browning on the egg makes it tastier in a bento.
🕒 14:12
Place the cooled broccoli in a bowl. Add 2 tsp soy sauce [A], 1 tsp sesame oil [A], 1 pinch of sugar [A], and approx. 3g bonito flakes [A]. Mix well to combine.
🕒 15:01
Fill a bento box with cooked rice (to taste) that has been freshly cooked and allowed to cool. [Key Tip!] Filling with freshly cooked rice first and letting it cool allows for a neater presentation compared to filling with cold rice later.
🕒 16:44
Arrange the cooled simmered pork and shirataki noodles, broccoli with bonito flake dressing, cut egg rolls, and 1 umeboshi each attractively on top of the rice. This completes your bento! [Key Tip!] Do not put warm side dishes into a bento box as it can cause spoilage. Always ensure all components are completely cooled before packing.
🕒 17:15