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+ servings
Bento Box - Shigureni Bento (Beef and Burdock)
Prep Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
 

The rice is covered with Braised Beef and Burdock with Ginger (Shigureni). Shigureni Bento consists of rice with Shigureni, Simmered Pumpkin and some vegetables, all of which contribute to making the bento box so colourful.
Because bento is usually made mostly from left-over dishes or make-ahead dishes, the time indicated in this recipe only shows the time to pack the bento box.

Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: beef mince, bento, bento box, Burdock, Shigureni
Serves: 1
Author: Yumiko
Ingredients (tbsp=15ml, cup=250ml)
Instructions
  1. While the rice is still hot or warm, place it in the largest compartment of the bento box, allowing for the Shigureni to be placed on top. Let it cool.

  2. Boil water in a pot, add a couple of pinches of salt. Blanch asparagus spears for a minute or so. Drain and rinse under running water to cool them down quickly, then cut them to about 4-5cm long pieces (note 6).
  3. Place the Shigureni on the rice so that the rice is completely covered. If there is sauce left in the container of the Shigureni, pour the sauce over it.

  4. Put Simmered Pumpkin pieces in one of the empty compartments. If your bento box does not have compartments, you may want to use a paper cupcake liner to put it in. Since the pumpkin does not come with sauce, having a partition is not so critical.
  5. In the other empty compartment, place tomato wedges and asparagus.
  6. Put the Senmai-zuke Daikon in a foil or paper cup and place the cup next to the asparagus.
Recipe Notes

1. It is best to pack cooked rice in a bento box while hot or warm as it is easier to shape the rice into the bento box.

2. The amount of beef is about 50g if you use a quarter of the recipe ingredients. If you prefer more meat, adjust it by reducing the quantity of burdock and increasing the beef. Alternatively, you can simply increase the total amount of the dish.

3. My bento compartment only allowed for two pumpkin pieces. Depending on the size of the bento space and the pumpkin pieces, you may want to adjust the quantity.

4. Please refer to my recipe Pickled Turnip (Senmai-zuke). The recipe uses turnip but you can also make Zenmai-zuke with daikon (white radish). The recipe includes how to make it with daikon.

5. Broccoli, green beans and snow peas are good alternatives.

6. The length can be a bit shorter or longer. It’s more important to cut them to the same length and not waste them. My asparagus was quite long and I quartered each spear.

7. Putting a dish like pickled vegetables in is handy especially if you want to reheat the main dish. But if you don’t have a cup, you can use baking paper to separate different dishes.