Arabiki Bento Box

Arabiki Bento Box

Recipes with Arabiki Sausage

A proper bento is not a meal thrown into a container. It follows rules: rice fills half the box, protein takes a quarter, and vegetables and pickles share the rest. Color matters. You want at least three colors visible when the lid comes off. Diagonal-cut arabiki sausage handles the protein and adds red. Tamagoyaki brings yellow. Broccoli brings green. Umeboshi on the rice brings pink. The whole assembly takes 30 minutes once you have the rhythm down.

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

15 min

Servings

1

Difficulty

Medium

Ingredients

  • 2 arabiki sausages
  • 200g cooked Japanese short-grain rice
  • 1 umeboshi (pickled plum)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp mirin
  • 4-5 broccoli florets
  • 2 tbsp pickled ginger (gari)
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • Pinch of salt

Steps

1

Make the tamagoyaki. Beat the eggs with sugar, soy sauce, and mirin. Heat a rectangular tamagoyaki pan (or small non-stick pan) over medium-low heat with a thin film of oil. Pour a thin layer of egg, let it set halfway, then roll it to one side. Add another thin layer, let it set against the rolled portion, and roll again. Repeat until all egg is used. You should have a tight, layered roll. Slice into 2cm pieces.

2

Blanch the broccoli florets in boiling salted water for 90 seconds. Drain and run under cold water to keep the green color bright.

3

Cut the arabiki sausages on a sharp diagonal into 1.5cm slices. Pan-fry in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes per side until the cut faces have grill marks.

4

Pack the bento box. Press warm rice into one half and place the umeboshi in the center of the rice. Arrange the arabiki slices shingled against the rice. Tuck tamagoyaki slices next to the sausage. Fill gaps with broccoli florets and a small mound of pickled ginger.

5

Let the bento cool to room temperature before closing the lid. Pack with an ice pack if carrying for more than 2 hours.

Tips

Never close a bento lid while the contents are still warm. Steam trapped inside breeds bacteria and makes rice soggy by lunchtime. Make the tamagoyaki first since it tastes fine at room temperature. Cut the sausage on a steep diagonal to expose more surface area for browning and to create elongated oval shapes that pack better in the box. A silicone baran (divider leaf) between wet and dry items keeps everything distinct.