Customer Reviews

Bento Boxes: Japanese Meals on the Go

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are interested in Japanese cooking, but have been intimidated by cookbooks that seem to fussy or complicated, then this book would be a great place to start. The recipes are easy to understand using very simple ingredients but the results are authentic delicious Japanese taste! One of the things I liked the best is that each and every recipe is accompanied by a photograph of the final dish (a lot of cookbooks just give recipes without pictures and if you are not familiar with the dish, then you may not even want to try to make it).

In addition, the recipes in this book are not just for bento boxes (lunch boxes). Made in larger quantities they can easily be adapted to making full Japanese meals - just add rice and miso soup!

This book reached far beyond my expectations. All the recipes are very simple and require only about 3 main ingredients. It is very versatile for cooks in all regions of the world (a part of the introduction actually says "If you cannot find the ingredients, use what you have as long as they're the same general colour and texture") - it really emphasizes what Japanese cooking is all about - style and presentation of incredibly tasty foods.
About the only drawback to the book is that it's so brief! After paging through it, I wanted more! Every recipe has a full colour photograph accompanying it, and some even have smaller photos of the steps to making the food. My boyfriend can't cook at all, and even he was able to make things from this book.
This is a must-buy for anyone looking to make their lunches a little more interesting or to inject a little Japanese flair into their cooking. :)

The recipies in this book are wonderful. I have used many of them for taking lunch to my office, where I always have the most interesting lunch of anyone here. A very helpful book for anyone interested in this unique niche of Japanese cooking.

I really want to get this book! I have read through it before and it contains a lot of recipies similar to what my host mom the 2nd time I studied in Japan used to make for her husband and kids. I have other books on the subject, in Japanese, but for Americans, this is really one of the only books available about bentou in english.

A mouthwatering cookbook. I highly recommend it. It offers some really great ideas to jazz up your lunch. Great photos and easy-to-follow recipes. It's also a fine introduction to Japanese home cooking. Recipes are for one serving, but can easily be multiplied which makes it great when cooking for one or two. They're not only excellent for lunch, but they also make great dinners at home. What more could you ask for from a cookbook?

This is a terrific book with easy to follow recepies. Pictures are just wonderful and the instructions are easy to follow. I am a Japanese American so I have enjoyed eating some of the traditional recepies in this book. Reminds me of the food my father used to make for us. I would recommend this book to anybody.

Although a small book, it's packed with lots of tasty, easy to follow recipes and mouth-watering pictures. (Don't show the pictures to your spouse unless you're prepared to serve them one of the bento pronto!)

I was really impressed with the book; it greatly exceeded my expectations. Would most certainly recommend it.

This is a great little book. I haven't carried my lunch since elementary school (over 20 years ago), but this book has inspired me to again.

The photos and presentations are attractive. The recipes are easy. I went through the book and checked all the items I want to make, and now I'm cooking my way through the book.

A good book for anyone that likes rice and is looking for a break from fast food. Also, for anyone that needs a cookbook for one, wants to eat healthy, or likes to put together an attractive meal. Recipes can easily be doubled if you're packing lunches for more than one.

I had heard about the amazing boxed lunches that Japanese mothers prepre for their kids, so I picked up this book to see what it was about.

I really like it! Even though I'd never make lunches like this for my kids to take to school (would have to wake up at 5 am), it's fun to make them for picnics and hikes. They look impressive, too--they're a lot easier to make than they seem.

Some of the ingredients might be hard to find in some places. I live in northern California and had no trouble finding any of the ingredients in Japanese markets. But if you live far away from an Asian community, you might have to substitute different ingredients sometimes--like turnips or carrots instead of gobo. Luckily, since all the recipes are in full color, it's pretty easy to pick something close.

This book is especially cool because it gives recipes that are in a Japanese cookbook I have only, you know, in English. Which means I don't have to take 3 hours to translate a recipe (my Japanese is pretty lousy) and can just dive in and make the stuff!

So points for being genuine, and points for great photography, and points for offering suggestions to substitute regional foods appropriately, make a five star book