Japanese Bento with Orange Glazed Tofu
The Japanese Bento is a staple of traditional Japanese lifestyle. Chances are you’ve seen photos of aesthetically perfect and tidy little wooden boxes packed with a variety of delicious-looking bites. Thanks to the prevalence of tofu in Japan, there are a multitude of methods to prepare bentos of all colours and flavours, they can be eaten hot or cold. For a while we stayed away from glazed tofu, as we couldn’t get the glazing sauce right, but with this new recipe we cracked it. The spicy-citrusy tofu packs a punch, and pairs beautifully with the simple yet pleasing taste of the steamed vegetables and the hearty brown rice. These bento boxes are perfect to make for a picnic, and we had ours in a lovely picnic spot behind Meiji-Jingu shrine. おいしかったです！
Ingredients
Tofu
- 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger - finely chopped
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp shriracha or chilli powder
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 3 tbsp olive oil for frying
- 200 g tofu pressed*
- 2 tsp black sesame seeds
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds
Remaining Ingredients
- Your favourite rice cooked, I used brown Japanese rice.
- Steamed veggies I used broccoli and kabocha (japanese pumpkin)
Garnish
- Sliced green onion
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
Tofu
- Mix all the tofu sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
- In a pan on medium heat, add olive oil then add in tofu and fry until all sides are crispy. (About 10 min). Then add the orange glaze and cook until it has coated the tofu and has become a sticky sauce.
Remaining Ingredients
- Cook your rice according to package instructions
- Steam kabocha and broccoli (broccoli takes around 5 min and kabocha around 10min). We used a bamboo steamer but a metal one will also do.
- Arrange all the individual ingredients into your bento so it looks aesthetic! I like to press the rice to the side, then add the veggies and place the tofu at the end. (I placed the tofu in a cupcake case).
- Take it to a nice park and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure you have pressed the tofu or else the water content will prevent it from fring properly!
