Character Bento Box for Children

Add a little to your children's lunch with a Character Bento Box

Children can be tricky when it comes to lunchtime, finding any way to encourage them to eat more and waste less is a blessing in disguise. A phenomenon that has hit Japan is Character Bento, the trend where food and art come together in the kitchen. 

What is a Bento Lunch Box?

The traditional Bento Boxes have been around for many years. The concept is simply a pre prepared box which contains a little bit of everything from rice and noodles, to meats and vegetables. The name Bento can translate to ‘convenient’, hence the ability to consume a healthy balanced meal within one small box. A Bento Box is unique to the typical western lunch box as each item of food is lovingly created and neatly packed.

A Closer Look at Character Bento

A new style of Bento, also known as Kyaraben, has become a popular Japanese food for children in recent times. Parents take their time to form miniature characters out of nutritious foods. The shapes are inspired by various pop culture references such as iconic anime characters, games and comic books, so when the child opens their lunchbox they are met by a tiny rice Pikachu saying ‘eat me’.

 
Typical Bento Ingredients

These scrumptious snacks usually incorporate traditional Japanese cuisine within their ingredients. Short grain rice is cooked and used to form rice balls which are the base of the character’s body. To add a higher nutritional value to these lunchtime dishes, small pieces of seafood and vegetables are mixed with thin slices of meats or decoration. Beans and peas are a key part of character Bento boxes as they help to create wide eyed characters and enchanting little animals, as well as providing healthy levels or fibre and iron. 

Give your lunch a personality 

This recipe will make three appetising Bento animals, a pig, a panda and a cat. We recommend wearing gloves whilst preparing these small bites, and keeping everything cool in the fridge. 

Ingredients: 

1 Cup of Japanese Rice (link to blog about cooking rice)
½ tsp tomato sauce
½ tsp soy sauce
½ tsp bonito flakes
1 slice cheese (any flavour)
1 slice nori
Half of one small carrot
2 black beans (boiled)
1 crab stick

Method:

1. Boil the carrot and beans and prepare the rice beforehand - follow our guide to the perfect fluffy rice. 

2. Evenly divide the rice into three portions. Mix one portion with the tomato sauce, one with the soy sauce and leave the final one plain

3. Form small balls with the rice, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in cupcake cases

4. To create the edible cat, shape the top of the ball into pointy ears. Sprinkle the bonito flakes over one ear and then leave the other one bare. Use the cheese to make an oval shaped nose and then cut the nori seaweed into the shape of eyes, nose and whiskers. 

5. Move onto the pig bento, using a sharp knife cut out two point ears and an oval nose from the boiled carrot, remember to cut out two nostrils into the shape. Add a small piece of the nori to form a mouth.

6. For the panda shape, place the black beans so they look like two little ears. Add eyes and a mouth using the nori. Take a straw and create two circles with the raw fish for rosy cheeks.

7. The final step is neatly arranging each character into the bento box, fill the outer space with shapes made using the meat slice.