Of all the different versions of karaage I’ve made so far, I love the one marinated in Shio Koji. My kids love it when they see these golden crispy chicken in their bento box. These karaage taste wonderful even at the room temperature. Pack a few more dishes in the bento box to make a healthy balanced lunch for yourself or your family! On the previous day, dinner was: Shio Koji Karaage. Yep… the best karaage everrrrr!
Lunch Next Day:
Karaage Bento Fruits
In the bento box, I also packed:
Quick & Easy Tamagoyaki Leftover Spinach Gomaae from previous dinner
Room Temperature Bento
I often get questioned from readers: “Do deep fried foods taste good at room temperature?” As I grew up eating bento and they were always served at room temperature, I am used to the taste. When you are in Japan, you will notice that most bentos are served at room temperature, even when they include foods that are typically served warm or hot in restaurants or at home. There are a few tricks to make room temperature food more tasty and appealing. Food at room temperature tastes better when the food has more flavor. Use extra seasoning for bento portion or make the sauce more concentrated. For me, I enjoy eating food out of a colorful, pretty and nutritious bento box. One of the events I look forward to the most when I take Shinkansen (a bullet train), is to browse all the bento shops and pick what I want to enjoy on the train ride. Sometimes visually appealing bentos make you even forget that you are eating room temperature food. 😉 Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here. Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram. If you are new to packing lunches and interested in making bento-style lunch, check out my short video below on How To Make Bento.
Watch How to Make Bento (お弁当の作り方)
Here are some helpful tips and tools on how to make healthy and colorful Bento!
