Bento
2 servings
20 minutes
Bento is not just food but an art of Japanese gastronomy embodied in a compact lunch box. Its roots go back to ancient times when Japanese people took portioned meals on the road. In the modern world, bento is a harmony of flavors and textures. This recipe features juicy chicken fillet baked to a golden crust alongside tender tuna tartare and crispy tempura vegetables. The rice round adds a textural twist, while fresh vegetables complement the flavor palette. This dish not only pleases the eye but also satisfies without excess heaviness, making it an ideal choice for balanced nutrition.
1
Cut the chicken breast in half, season with salt and pepper on both sides. Grill the pieces of meat: first place them skin-side down for one and a half to two minutes — the skin should become crispy — then flip and grill for a couple more minutes.
- Chicken breast: 60 g
- Salt: to taste
- Fresh pepper: to taste
2
Once the chicken is lightly browned and grill marks appear, send the breast to a preheated oven at maximum heat. Bake for eight to ten minutes.
- Chicken breast: 60 g
3
Prepare tuna tartare: mix mayonnaise (can be homemade) with spicy garlic sauce (in a 10 to 1 ratio) and add very finely chopped tuna fillet. Season the tartare to taste and mix well.
- Mayonnaise: 10 g
- Chili sauce with garlic: 1 g
- Tuna fillet: 25 g
- Salt: to taste
4
Prepare rice. From one-day-old sushi rice (to make the rice crispy, it should not be fresh but slightly dried), form a small circle about one centimeter thick using a culinary ring. Fry the rice circle in boiling oil for two to three minutes.
- Sushi rice: 25 g
- Vegetable oil: 1 l
5
Once the rice round becomes golden, remove it from the boiling oil and place it on a napkin to absorb excess oil. Top the fried rice with tuna tartare, garnished with diced avocado, sliced onion, and a couple of thin rings of chili pepper.
- Tuna fillet: 25 g
- Avocado: 0.3 piece
- Chives: 10 g
- Chili pepper: 1 piece
6
Cut the carrot into strips. Prepare the batter: mix a large handful of tempura flour with an egg and add cold water to taste - the batter should be liquid but quite thick and sticky. Coat the vegetables in the remaining tempura flour and dip them in the batter.
- Carrot: 0.5 piece
- Tempura flour: 200 g
- Chicken egg: 1 piece
7
With a sharp motion — to shake off excess batter — throw the vegetables into the boiling oil. If necessary, to create an even crust, you can pour batter over the vegetables already floating in the oil. After three to four minutes, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel.
- Carrot: 0.5 piece
- Vegetable oil: 1 l
8
Place everything in the bento box: tempura, donburi with chicken (lay sliced chicken breast on cooked rice), rice round with tuna tartare on a lettuce leaf. Garnish all parts of the bento with chopped green onions.
- Chicken breast: 60 g
- Round rice: 100 g
- Tuna fillet: 25 g
- Romaine lettuce: 1 stem
- Chives: 10 g