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)

Rhubarb crumble bars

These rhubarb crumble bars are absolutely yummy!

 

What you need (12-16 bars)

- 1½ cups all-purpose flour

- 1½ cups oatmeal oats
- 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup refined coconut oil, softened
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 360g rhubarb compote (or 1 jar)

Preheat oven to 175°C. Combine flour through salt in large bowl. Combine ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.Reserve 1½ cups of the crumb mixture. Press the rest onto bottom of a greased square / rectangular baking pan (a brownie pan is perfect for this). Spread compote over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares and serving.

 

Based on this recipe.

 

 

Easy peasy chocolate-date truffles

These chocolate truffles are delicious and super easy to make!



What you need:
- 10-12 Medjool dates
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp rum flavouring
- dessicated coconut (to roll the truffles in)

De-seed the dates and put them in a food processor with the cocoa powder and rum flavouring. Process into a smooth paste (depending on how soft your dates are this can take anywhere from seconds to a couple of minutes). Once done, take a piece of the paste and roll it between your (wet) palms to make truffles. Roll them through some dessicated coconut and store in an air-tight container. Serve at room temperature.


Based on this recipe.

Vegan pannenkoeken

Dutch pancakes are different than American pancakes. In America, pancakes are thick, fluffy, smaller and generally eaten for breakfast. In the Netherlands they are larger, thinner and usually eaten for lunch or dinner. They can be served with sweet or savoury toppings and traditionally contain eggs. However, eggs are not necessary at all or can be easily substituted should you want to.

Basic pancake recipe (9 pancakes):
500g (2cups) selfraising flour
Approx. 1ltr non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
2tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 6tbsp water (egg replacer, optional)
Pinch of salt (optional)
Oil or margarine

In a large bowl, sift together flour and salt (if using), add the flaxseed mix (if using) and then gradually add milk while using a handmixer until the batter is the desired consistency (aim for a thin custard-like batter).
Thoroughly heat a skillet and add some oil/margarine. Add a full ladle of batter to the skillet and swirl the pan to spread the batter. Flip the pancake once the top of the pancake is solid and the edges start to colour. Cook a few more minutes on the other side.
Serve warm or cold with a topping of your choice.

Some ideas for toppings/add-ins:
- good ol' fashioned molasses (my favourite)
- (powdered) sugar
- cinnamon-sugar
- jam
- chocolate spread with sliced banana (see below)
- add grated apple, soaked raisins and cinnamon to the batter and cook pancakes as usual

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,

Vegan Bento No. 7 | Sandwich Bento

On a recent trip to Japan I went on a major bento shopping spree, and also managed to get my hands on several hard to find (outside Japan, anyway) sandwich bento boxes.
Sandwich bento boxes differ from other bento boxes in the sense that they:
1) have mesh sides so prevent the bread from getting soggy
2) are collapsible (very efficient on your way back home when you've finished your sammies)

I broke in my newly acquired bento box with a focaccia sandwich, consisting of:
~ basil & garlic bake-off focaccia bread
~ homemade arugula pesto
~ grilled aubergine & courgette slices
~ sliced tomato
~ fresh arugula

Vegan Bento No. 6 | Green Pasta Salad Bento

This bento proves that you don't need any cutesy, expensive bento boxes to make a bento lunch: it is a 'regular' sandwich lunch box, that, due to its size, is perfect to carry a salad for lunch.
It consists of:
~ Fussili pasta salad with sauteed courgette and green pepper, capers, tossed with homemade arugula pesto
~ cherry tomatoes
~ seedless grape medley


To make the arugula pesto, you'll need:
a handful of arugula leaves
a clove of garlic. minced
1 tsp nutritional yeast
approx. 1 tbsp of roated pine nuts
approx. 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Add all ingredients except oil and seasoning in a blender. Switch on the blender and slowly pour in the olive oil until all ingredients are liquidized and you have a smooth pesto sauce (you may need a bit less or more to achieve the desired consistency). Add seasoning to taste and pulse once more to blend well.

Vegan Bento No. 5 | Farfalle Pasta Salad Bento

I wanted to participate in a pasta-themed bento contest, so I made several pasta bentos in preparation for the contest. This was the first one, it consists of:
~ farfalle pasta salad with grilled courgette and aubergine, sauteed onion, garlic, mushrooms and sweet pepper, tossed with tomato tapenade
~ sliced cucumber
~ cherry tomatoes
~ vegan banana muffin (using the veganized version of this recipe)

Vegan Bento no. 4 | Roasted Potato Bento

When making dinner the night before, I saved some potatoes and nuggets to use for this bento.
It consists of:
~ rosemary & garlic roasted potatoes with ketchup & (vegan) mayo for dipping
~ Provençal vegan nuggets
~ bean stirfry made with green beans, sugar snaps, shelled edamame, onion and tomato

Vegan Bento No. 3 | Dried Fruit Bento

Bento no. 3 consists of:
~ blanched shelled edemame
~ stirfried bok choy, onion and mushrooms in soy sauce
~ (heirloom) carrot kinpira
~ Japanese white rice with gomashio (salted black sesame seeds)
~ dried fruit medley (a.o. apricot, raisin, apple, cranberry) for dessert

Vegan Bento No. 2 | Sidedish Bento

For this 2nd bento, I used leftovers from the 1st bento, and added some extras as well.
It consists of:
~ Japanese white rice with (heirloom) carrot-sesame furikake
~ blanched shelled edemame
~ leftover mushroom, onion & carrot teriyaki
~ instant cucumber pickles*
~ leftover pepper kinpira*


* Just Bento Cookbook recipe

Vegan Bento No. 1 | Teriyaki Veggie Bento

My bento-making has been on a bit of a back burner for a while, but I recently took it up again on a somewhat regular basis. The challenge this time is to make vegan bentos, which take a bit more thought for me as I can no longer rely on my past bento standbys such as shaped eggs, tortilla omelet or little meatballs...

My recent bentos have also been more Japanese-inspired than before, and a big help in this regard have been Makiko Itoh´s Just Bento Cookbook as well as her recipe sites Just Bento and Just Hungry.

 

This first bento consists on:
~ Japanese white rice with (heirloom) carrot-sesame furikake
~ Sauteed mushrooms, onion and (heirloom) carrot in teriyaki sauce
~ Yellow pepper kinpira*
~ Pickled ginger

Not to bad for a first try in ages, if I do say so myself :-)


* Just Bento Cookbook recipe

Vegan carrot cake cupcakes & cream cheese frosting

This is the first vegan cupcake recipe I tried to make, and it came out wonderful. My non-vegan colleagues loved it too.
The recipe is from an American cookbook, so the quantities are in US cups.

What you need (for 12 cupcakes):
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup soy yoghurt (plain or vanilla)
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup finely grated carrots
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup raisins

For the frosting:
1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margerine, softened
1/4 cup vegan cream cheese, softened
2 cups confectioner´s sugar (= powdered sugar)
1 tsp vanilla extract

For decorating (optional):
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
12 raisins or finely grated carrot


Preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
Mix together sugar, vegetable oil, yoghurt and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Sift in the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, spices) and mix until smooth. Fold in carrots, raisins and walnuts.
Spray the liners with non-stick baking spray and fill them 2/3rds full. Bake for 26-28 mins (a toothpick should come out clean when they are done). Let the cupcakes cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the frosting: cream together margarine and cream cheese until just combined. Use a handheld mixer to whip while adding the confectioner´s sugar in 1/2 cup batches. Mix until smooth and  creamy, then mix in the vanilla. Keep tightly covered and refrigerated until ready to use.
Once the cupcakes have cooled and are ready to serve, top them generously with  the frosting. Put the chopped walnuts on a plate and roll the edges of the cupcakes in them. Put 1 raisin in the center, or sprinkle with grated carrot (if serving immediately).


Don´t like walnuts? I left them out and the cupcakes still came out yummy, though maybe a bit smaller than usual.


Recipe from `Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World´.

Couscous salad

Inspired by the chefs at work, I made my own couscous salad the other day. Thumbs up!

What you need (1 large portion):
120g couscous
200ml boiling hot vegetable stock (from a cube or powder)
1/2 courgette, diced
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, deseeded and diced
100g mushrooms, diced
1 clove of garlic, minced (or 1 tsp garlic paste)
1/2 tsp sambal oelek/harissa/chili paste
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
pinch of cinnamon
1 tbsp dried parsley
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil
1 tomato, deseeded and diced

In a bowl, pour the stock on the couscous. Cover the bowl with some tin foil and let it rest a few minutes until all the liquid has disappeared. Stir with a fork to loosen.
Meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan and sauté the onion, garlic and chili paste until onion has sofetened. Add bell pepper, courgette and mushrooms cook for a few minutes. Add the spices, parsley, salt and pepper to taste and stir until everything is well-combined and spices are starting to give off scent.
Add mixture to the couscous and allow to cool. Stir in chopped tomato.

Try this:
- add a tablespoon of roasted pine nuts
- add a tablespoon of capers (drained)
- add some chopped sundried tomatoes
- add some raisins/sultanas
- add some chopped dried apricots
- add 1/4 cucumber, deseeded & diced
- add 50g faux chicken, diced (add to the pan along with the spices)

Brie and ham tartelets

Another staple at get-togethers are these tarts that a friend of mine always brings.

What you need (24 tarts):
100g Brie
6 squares of store-bought puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg
2 tbsp whipping cream
1 tbsp flour
75g ham
1 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper to taste

Pre-heat the oven at 200C.
Finely dice the cheese and ham. Divide each square of pastry into 4 pieces. Line the holes of 2 muffin tins with a piece of pastry, flour-side down.
Beat the eggs with whipping cream and flour. Divide the mixture over the 24 tarts. Add a bit of the diced cheese and ham to each tart and season with oregano, salt and pepper.
Bake the tarts for about 15 mins. until golden and serve warm (or cool and re-heat in the oven before serving if making in advance).



Recipe from C1000 Kookboek 2004

Pesto pinwheels

Pesto pinwheels are the signature dish that a friend of mine always brings to get-togethers. They're very tasty!

What you need:

- 1 box of white bread mix
- green pesto (made fresh of store-bought)
- grated vegan cheese
- pine nuts, chopped walnuts or chopped cashew nuts (optional)

Pre-heat the oven at 200C.
Prepare the bread dough according to the instructions on the box. Leave it to rise for approx. 10 mins.
Roll out the dough thinly but make sure it is at least 30cm wide. Spread the pesto onto the dough using the round side of a spoon. Liberally sprinkle with grated cheese (and pine nuts / chopped nuts if using).
Loosely roll up the dough and cut the roll into 3cm wide slices. Put the slices on a baking tray, making sure they're not too close together as the dough will expand. Bake the slices for max. 20 mins in the heated oven (they are supposed to stay a bit pale!).

The pinwheels are best served when they are still a bit warm.


Or try this:
- don't want to bother with making fresh bread dough? Use (vegan) canned crescent roll dough! Divide the rolled-out dough in half for 2 rolls, and you can also choose to make the slices a bit smaller (1-2 cm wide). Bake according to the instructions on the package.
- use red pesto or tapenade instead of green pesto.
- you can easily prepare the rolls in advance and slice and bake when needed.

Toasti's

Whether you call it a tosti, toasti, panini, provencette or toasted sandwich, they're all sandwiches that are grilled and eaten warm. Here are a few classic as well as not-so-classic combinations:

Savory:
- pesto, pine nuts, tomato and slices of vegan mozarella.
- horseradish (or wasabi), shredded faux chicken, tomato slices and vegan cheese.
- pesto, grilled pepper strips, fresh basil and vegan mozarella.
- mango chutney and shredded faux chicken (use naan instead of regular bread for an Indian touch)
- tomato ketchup, sliced mushrooms and vegan cheese.
- sundried tomatoes, thinly sliced avocado and vegan cheese.
- ragout and vegan cheese.
- pesto, grilled zucchini, grilled eggplant and pine nuts.
- grilled eggplant, artichoke hearts (quartered) and sundried tomatoes.

Sweet:
- chocolate spread and thinly sliced banana.
- raisin bread (instead of regular bread), vegan cream cheese, maple syrup and banana.
- peanut butter and banana (Elvis's favorite!)
- peanut butter and chocolate spread.
- jam and thinly sliced apple.
- chocolate spread and thinly sliced pear.

Humus

Another dip that's served all over the Middle East is humus. There are tons of different recipes available online and in recipebooks. Last week I used a basic recipe from one of my cookbooks and tweaked it a bit to my own taste.

What you need (approx. 4 servings):
small can of chick peas (Bonduelle, 212ml)
2 tbsp tahini (sesame seed paste)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1tsp harissa (chili paste)
1 clove of garlic, minced, or 1 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp cumin powder
salt & pepper to taste
dash of lemon juice

Drain the chickpeas in a collander and save the liquid for later. In a small bowl, puree the drained chickpeas and the other ingredients with an immersion blender (or throw everything into a small food processor). Add some of the saved liquid if the puree is too thick for your liking and taste occasionally. Add some more harissa, salt, pepper or cumin if necessary.
Serve with pita bread or crudités (raw veggies) for dipping. Should keep in the fridge for at least a couple of days.

Try this: a bit more taste and colour? Add a red roasted pepper (from a jar) to the rest of the ingredients and blitz to a puree in your food processor, like I did in the picture.