Real Bento: Fresh and Easy Lunchbox Recipes from a Japanese Working Mom

by Kanae Inoue

A collection of family-friendly, easy and inexpensive recipes used and honed over many years by Japanese mom Kanae Inoue.

Real Bento is packed with the time-saving tricks that allow you to make bento box lunches each morning in just 10 minutes, using ingredients and recipes that will satisfy the whole family! The recipes are presented by flavor type and key ingredient, so it's easy for parents to find dishes their kids will love.

In Real Bento, Inoue presents 200 recipes, divided into "main dishes" and "sides" for 22 completed bento boxes. The colorful photos and step-by-step instructions make this an incredibly practical and easy-to-use resource for busy households! In her recipes, Inoue places great emphasis on healthy, fresh and colorful foods that look and taste great when presented together.

Her recipes include Japanese favorites and original recipes like:

• Teriyaki Chicken
• Stuffed Bell Peppers
• Ginger Salmon
• Broccoli and Pasta Salad
• Beef and Egg Stir Fry

Inoue got hooked on bento fifteen years ago, when she began making daily bento box lunches for her husband and herself to take to work, and later for their three children to take to school. She sees bento box lunches as a way of saving money and getting her family to eat fresher, healthier meals.

This beginning bento book is a perfect tool for getting lunches packed and a family out the door on a busy morning!

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction, Cooking, Food, Japan

96 pages, Hardcover

Published April 7, 2020

Reviews

[Jodi Geever · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the layout, focus on usability, and liberal use of photos. I’m not sure if the Japanese ingredients, especially fresh authentic ingredients will be easy to come by, but I’m impressed with this book!

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another really good Bento cookbook, this one from an actual mom and amazing home cook in Japan! I really appreciated the structure of this one as a chunk of the recipes are divided by flavor profile with sections like “seasoned with miso” or “salty-sweet”. The author also has great time saving tips and uses the microwave for a lot of quick veggie steaming. She even has time-saving tips where all items in the bento are cooked “together” in the microwave or on a stovetop grill. As with my last bento cook book read, there are a few things in here I am dying to try. Also, I am reading a LOT of cook books for someone who just moved and doesn’t have a unpacked, usable kitchen yet. Hmm…

[Alejandra Rebellon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aunque entiendo que los libros de recetas tienen un objetivo claro —presentar recetas—, yo adoro cuando rompen el molde y ofrecen algo más que el simple paso a paso. Cuando le dan una historia a la comida, le ponen contexto, trasfondo y memoria, la receta deja de ser solo un procedimiento y se convierte en algo que realmente quieres cocinar: porque conecta.

Y eso es justamente lo que logra este libro. Aquí conocemos a una madre que, a lo largo de los años, tuvo que adaptar las loncheras de sus hijas para que comieran sano y delicioso en cada etapa de su vida. A partir de esa experiencia íntima y cotidiana, la autora nos guía por un viaje culinario que también nos permite comprender mejor lo que significa el bento dentro de la cultura japonesa: cómo el alimento se relaciona con lo diario, cómo alimentarse no solo depende del sabor, sino también de lo visual, del cuidado y del cariño que se pone en cada detalle.

Con fotografías hermosas, recetas muy claras y un lenguaje cálido y confortable, este es uno de esos libros de cocina que dan ganas de conservar para siempre: de los que se vuelven compañía. Sin duda, un libro al que volveré muchas veces.

[GONZA · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is not limited to writing recipes, not too simple I have to admit, to make a Bento Box, but also goes on to explain its "philosophy" and give useful suggestions to make both the outer container and the food inside faster and more beautiful.

Questo libro non si limita a scrivere ricette, non troppo semplici bisogna ammettere, per fare una Bento Box, ma si dilunga anche a spiegarne la "filosofia" e a dare utili suggerimenti per fare piú in fretta e abbellire sia il contenitore esterno che il cibo all'interno.

THANKS EDELWEISS FOR THE PREVIEW!

[Athena Beanbowl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has already upgraded my lunches. I make them for my partner so he can eat more balanced meals while at work, and I was getting tired of making the same few things.

I already began steaming cabbage, stir frying veggies, and made enoki stir fry brisket based on the thin cut meats suggestions to top rice.

I went to a few markets and havent been able to find plum paste, pickled plum, mentsuyu concentrate, or the 7 japanese seasoning mix? Also, lotus root? But substituting whatever i have works out fine, and I've been making my own dashi, but store bought would be great.

[JL Salty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recipes were fine, but I did not love the author’s… tone, somehow. It felt preachy to me somehow. I would say that she did try to keep things affordable and generally doable. I guess I’m not a 5:30 a.m. lunch-making mom lol
Rating: g
Recommend: cooks curious about this style of food prep, currently very trendy.

[Ella De · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my first choice, when it comes to bento books, but I can't really say why.
The book gives the bento philosophy, offers many recipes, has a clear structure and provides many ideas to pack tasty bentos and still most if the time I pick up one of my other bento books.

Still it's a good book. Readers who are looking for mostly veggie or vegan recipes should choose another bento book.

[Avalon Love · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delicious recipes and loved the photographs to go with everything. But, as a working mom, these lunchbox recipes are NOT easy and I'm not just casually whipping this up in the morning before work and getting children ready for their day. Didn't find this book as useful as I was hoping it would be.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated how this book focused on making health lunches - in recipe amounts that are appropriate for a lunch box, and techniques for making it faster to cook in a short time. One to come back to

[Maya]

This was a sweet little book. That said, its overall utility will be diminished if you don't eat eggs or meat.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yummy, delicious, colorful, flavorful bento boxes - with one serving receipes.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great tips and a few recipes that surprised me, but many of these recipes were unappealing to me, mostly because of my distaste for mayonnaise.

[JC Cornell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some great recipes, and all really easy to understand and cook. Good variety of recipes in it too that wouldn't take you a ton of time to do.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved that every recipe had a photo. Definitely creating some of these Bento Boxes!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cute book! I like how the recipes are grouped for ease of preparation. Also love the tips and tricks suggestions provided. Looking forward to trying some new recipes!

[Augusto Bernardi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a real unexpected gem in my cookbook collection. When wanting to learn more about Japanese cuisine, my first instinct is to learn more about sushi. I luckily learned about other types of Japanese cuisine and just happened to stumble upon bento by curiosity. The bentos I had on the train in Japan were not impressive but the recipes and bento boxes that I've made from this book have been a game changer in my daily food. Of course the individual components of bento are absurdly easy to make. They take 10 minutes max. The real joy and exciting part is coming up with your own combinations for your bento. The author Kanae explains her perspective as a mother coming for her husband and two children.
Unquestionably it has changed my perspective of Japanese cuisine and how easy it can be and how a dish/bento box is defined not by the complete product, not the individual ingredients, but rather the combinations of the carefully made components.
I will definitely invest in bento boxes.

[Cozy Book Spot · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love bento boxes and I found this book very helpful. It has a week of bento boxes meal plans, recipes and tips to make delicious bento combinations. The book is colorful and full of photos. It's very nice and well done. I received a free digital copy of this book from Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review.