We're sharing easy and budget-friendly homemade bento box recipes from Japan!

  • イワシの塩焼き弁当
  • I boldly placed a whole sardine on top.

    Salt-grilled sardine bento box

    2026.03.24 | green onion

    This healthy bento box features sardines as the main dish, with vegetables as the side dishes. I added yellow furikake and red pickled plums to add some color.

Ingredients and Instructions for Teriyaki Green Onions (Serves 2)

Teriyaki Green Onions

  • Green Onions
    1 stalk
    Sake
    2 teaspoons (10g)
    Soy Sauce
    2 teaspoons (10g)
    Mirin
    1 tablespoon (15g)
    • Grill the green onions until they change color

    • Add the sauce and simmer until reduced

    • I wanted to add another dish, so I stir-fried the leftover blanched Norabou greens with the remaining sauce.

  • Salt-grilled sardine bento
  • Salt-grilled sardine bento
Husband

I had some nice Ota leeks, so I made teriyaki with leeks as the main ingredient

Wife

The green onions were plump, sweet, and delicious, just like the green onions at a yakitori restaurant.

Ingredients and Instructions for Nameko Mushroom Omelet (1 serving)

Nameko Mushroom Omelet

  • Egg
    1
    Nameko Mushrooms
    1 tablespoon (15g)
    Water
    1 tablespoon (15g)
    Sugar
    1 teaspoon (5g)
    Salt
    2 shakes
    • Put everything in and mix. Adding water makes it fluffy and increases the volume, making it easier to roll.

    • Pour in the oil. Since there is only one egg, make two rolls.

  • Salt-grilled sardine bento
  • Salt-grilled sardine bento
Husband

Today’s tamagoyaki has enoki mushrooms in it. Tamagoyaki goes surprisingly well with a variety of ingredients. The enoki mushrooms alone give it enough flavor, but I like it sweeter so I added a little sugar.

Wife

The one with enoki mushrooms was delicious too, it was definitely on the sweeter side and went well with rice.

Iguchi Foods Mixed Chopped Pickled Radish Ingredients and Instructions (1 serving)

Mixed Chopped Pickled Radish Rice

  • Rice
    1 cup
    Mixed Chopped Pickled Radish
    1 tablespoon (10g)
    • Mix the chopped pickled radish into the rice.

    • Wait 10 minutes and the dried furikake will be revived.

  • Salt-grilled sardine bento
  • Salt-grilled sardine bento
Husband

How was the furikake today? It was a mixed-in type dry furikake.

Wife

The pickled radish had a crunchy texture and didn’t taste like furikake (rice seasoning). The smell of the pickled radish was mild and easy to eat. I think even people who don’t like pickled radish would be okay with it. I personally wouldn’t mind if it smelled a bit stronger. But it’s delicious and the color is pretty, so it looks good too.

The bento is complete

Salt-grilled sardine bento
Making a bento box for my wife again today: A clumsy husband's record of his loving bento boxes
BENTO│Bento box recipes made by husbands for their wives
Vegetables
Meat
Seafood
Methods
Processed
Info