Basket of Bento-Stash

We’re continuing our bento-stash series  with a slight twist!  It’s not about the freezer this time it’s about the refrigerator… a  BASKET in the refrigerator!  

It’s a  basketful of tsukemono (Japanese pickled things).

When I’m about 90% done with packing a bento I reach a point where I start thinking about finishing off the presentation with a garnish, a splash of color or a distinct flavor.   To quicken this process I keep most of  my tsukemono, such as umeboshi, beni shoga and takuan(pickled plum, ginger, daikon) together in a handy basket. 

This basket allows me to grab everything at once without any rummaging around…looking behind the mayonaise jar or egg cartons for that certain something.    In the past, I would stand there with the fridge door wide-open while hunting down the options.   Then I had a “basket-revelation”!   With everything kept together I can grab it all at once then  set it down on the counter near the bento assembly area!   This is  much, much easier and adds a “speed”  element to my  bento prep!  Not to mention energy saving too!   

Tsukemono is an important addition to a classic Japanese-type bento box lunch…rice, protein, and veggies…not only as a color enhancer but can be a anti-bacterial too.  Japanese “pickled things” contain  salt  which will help preserve the freshness of your lunch.  ( remember to  always use safe food handling and storage practices for your bento box lunch) 

I don’t recomment adding tsukemono to all bento lunches as their  intentional strong flavors  compliments a meal with rice or maybe noodles. 

This large umeboshi or salted plum is a major staple in my bento-stash.  It adds an iconic splash of bright red to any bento lunch!

You’ll notice that in my bento-stash basket I’ve re-purposed some olive, jelly and almond butter jars.   I do this because store-bought tsukemono are sometimes packed in plastic bags which make for poor storage after you’ve opened them.   The clean glass jars close tightly and keep any  strong smells (yes I’m talking YOU takuan)  at bay!

This slice of takuan (sometimes spelled takuwan) is a pickled daikon (white Asian type turnip).   The  bright yellow color ceratianly brings a bento to life!  It also has a sweeter taste then most tsukemono  and is oftentimes used in a makizushi (rolled sushi).

This is a slice of green kyuri-zuke or pickled cucumber.  It’s  saltier tasting than an American dill pickle.

Another terrific way to add the color red to your bento is using beni-shoga, a deep colored pickled ginger.  This is not the same as gari; the white or light pink pickled ginger you eat with your sushi.  This ginger is not sweet and has a definite saltier flavor which I prefer it over the  sushi-type  ginger.   Beni-shoga is often used to garnish other Japanese dishes such as okonomiyaki and yaki soba too!

Other tsukemono items that lend color and flavor to your lunch are  rakkyozuke (pickled white scallions-Saba Man’s fave!) or nasuzuke (pickled eggplant-my fave!).    At any given time I keep at least 5 or 6 different varieties of  tsukemono or Korean banchan in my bento-stash basket.  

Another thought is to gather  other easy-to- grab items in a tbasket like : cherry tomatoes, capers, American style pickles, olives and baby carrots… but details on these bento fillers are for a later “stash” article!  ;)

Do you have tsukemono in your bento-stash?   What kind is your favorite?