Bento favourite: miso recipes

These are some of my favourite recipes with miso, perfect for a tasty umami-rich addition to your bento box.

Miso-roasted eggplant (nasu dengaku)

What you need (4 servings):

2 large eggplants, cut into 2cm cubes

40 ml vegetable oil

sea salt, to taste

2 spring onions, thinly sliced, to serve

toasted white and black sesame seeds, to serve     

        

Miso dressing:

4 tbsp white or red miso

1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar

40 ml mirin

20 ml sake

40 ml water

Heat the oven to 200ºC (fan oven). Toss the eggplant in the vegetable oil and season with a little salt. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper and roast for 20 minutes, or until the eggplant is slightly browned.

Meanwhile, mix together the miso dressing ingredients. Pour over the roasted eggplant, tossing it on the tray to coat well. Continue to roast for a further 5-10 minutes, or until the miso sauce starts to caramelise.

Remove the eggplant from the oven. Serve with spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.

Original recipe

Negi miso

What you need: 

1 finely chopped leek

1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

1/2 cup (120ml or 150g) smooth miso paste

2 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp mirin

1/2 cup (120ml) vegan kombu dashi (or 1/2 cup water with 1/2 tsp. of vegan dashi stock granules)

Sauté the leek in the oil over medium heat until limp and translucent.

In the meantime, combine the miso, sugar, mirin and dashi stock in a bowl. Add the mixture to the pan. Stir and cook until the sauce is glossy and thick. Take off the heat and let cool.

Alternatively, continue stirring and cooking this down until it forms a stiff paste to use as an onigiri filling, or cook it down for a longer time until it turns quite dry. Be careful not to let it burn.

Original recipe

Miso chicken

What you need (2-3 servings):

1 package (200g) vegan chicken pieces

2 tbsp miso

2 tbsp mirin

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Heat the oil in a pan and cook the chicken pieces until browned.

Meanwhile, mix together the miso, mirin and soy sauce in a small bowl. 

Pour the sauce into the pan and stir until all the pieces are coated in the sauce and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Serve with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

Adapted from a recipe in 'Yum-Yum Bento Box' by Crystal Watanabe and Maki Ogawa

Bento favourite: spinach goma-ae

Spinach goma-ae is a simple and tasty dish that is usually eaten at room temperature, making it a perfect side dish for a bento box.

What you need (4 servings):

200g fresh spinach

1 tsp salt

3 tbsp toasted white sesame seeds

1½ tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar

½ tsp sake (optional)

½ tsp mirin  (optional)

To make the dressing, heat a frying pan or skillet on the stove, add the sesame seeds and toast them on a medium-high heat. When they are fragrant, turn off the heat and move the pan off the stove.

Transfer the (re-) toasted sesame seeds to a mortar and grind them coarsely with a pestle. Leave some seeds whole for texture.

Add the soy sauce, sugar, sake and mirin, and mix it all together. Set aside.

Add water and salt to a pot and bring to a boil. Add the spinach and blanch for 30-45 seconds until completely wilted. Drain and run the spinach under cold running water until cool.

Once the spinach is cool enough to handle, collect the spinach and squeeze the water out. Cut the spinach into 1-inch (2.5 cm) length, add to the dressing and mix well.

Keeps in an air-tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Also suitable for freezing.

Tip: The dressing pairs well with green beans, bimi or green asparagus too.

Original recipe

Bento favourite: vegan tamagoyaki

Tamagoyaki is a Japanese rolled omelet, which is a popular Bento staple. My favourite vegan version is made with a chickpea batter.

Omelet mix (yields 2 cups)

What you need (dry mix):

1 cup chickpea flour (a.k.a. gram flour)

2/3 cup tapioca flour or cornstarch

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 - 1 tsp kala namak (Indian black salt)*

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp mustard powder

1/4 tsp curry powder

Sift all ingredients together, mix and store in an air-tight container.

* You can use regular salt instead, but it won't have the eggy taste of kala namak.

For 1 omelet (2 servings):

1/2 cup dry mix

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp water

1/2 tsp vegetable oil

1/2 tsp soy sauce

1/2 tsp (rice)vinegar

Oil for frying

In a small blender or bowl, mix together dry mix, water, vegetable oil, soy sauce and vinegar into a thin batter.

Heat a bit of oil in a skillet or frying pan, and pour the batter into the pan. Spread the batter around into a thin omelet. Cook until the the top of the omelet is completely dry and turn off the heat.

Fold 1/3 of the omelet to the middle. Fold the opposing 1/3 of the omelet also to the middle, you now have 3 layers.

Line a sushi mat with a piece of cling film.

From one of the open ends, roll up the layered omelet. Transfer the roll to the sushi mat. Roll up the sushi mat + cling film tightly, making sure to twist the ends of the cling film so the roll is tightly sealed. Let the tamagoyaki cool inside the sushi mat.

When preparing your bento, cut the tamagoyaki in even slices and place in your bento box.

The dry mix keeps for several months in an air-tight container.

Once cooked, the tamagoyaki keeps for 2-3 days in the fridge.

Original recipe omelet mix (Dutch)

Japanese plain white rice, sushi rice & Onigiri

Cooking Japanese rice is an art in itself. It takes quite a bit of effort, especially the rinsing and soaking before cooking.

Plain white Japanese rice (4 servings)
320g (1 1/2 cup) Japanese sushi rice
410ml (1 3/4 cup) water for cooking
water for rinsing

Add the rice to a fine sieve and put the sieve into a bowl. Place the bowl in your sink, under the tap.
Run the tab over the rice and gently rub the rice between your fingers. The water will turn white.
Lift the sieve and discard the rinsing water. Repeat several times until the water remains clear.
Drain the rice in the sieve for at least 15 minutes, but preferably 30 minutes.

Add rice and water to a pot or rice cooker and let the rice soak for at least 30 minutes, but preferably up to an hour. (you can leave it soaking in the fridge overnight or during the day if necessary)

Set a kitchen timer for 12 minutes, bring the water to a boil and boil the rice over medium heat with the lid on. (or just switch on your rice cooker. Note that soaking is not necessary for some high-end rice cookers since it is included in the cooking time. Check the manual to make sure). Turn the heat off and let the rice steam for 10-20 minutes, then stir the rice with a rice paddle.

Original recipe

For sushi rice, proceed as follows:
Transfer the hot, cooked rice to a bowl. Mix 3 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp fine sugar and up to 1 tsp finely ground salt in a small cup. Add the vinegar mixture to the hot rice and rapidly stir the rice with a rice paddle, using a cutting motion. Let it slightly cool and prepare your sushi.

Original recipe

Tip: freeze the rice in 1 cup portions. Use microwave-safe plastic wrap, tear off ca. 30 cm off the roll and scoop the - still warm - rice in the middle (the condensation will prevent the rice from drying out when reheating). Make a bundle of the plastic wrap and shape the rice into a flat ball. Freeze and store the rice balls in a large zip lock bag. One cup of rice is enough for 1 large or 2 small sushi rolls or 2 onigiri or 3-4 inarizushi.

Onigiri
Onigiri are rice balls made of salted rice, sometimes with a filling. They are often shaped into round disks or triangles.

1/4 tsp fine salt
1 cup cooked white rice, hot
2 strips of nori seaweed (15x2,5cm), toasted

Using a rice paddle, stir the salt into the hot rice. Divide the rice into 2 portions and put 1 portion into the lined bowl. Moisten your hands with a bit of water and pick up one portion of rice. Shape the rice into a disc or triangle. Wrap the disc/triangle with a strip of nori,