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Noriben
Seaweed and fish cake bento
Noriben (のり弁): Japanese seaweed bento with soy bonito rice and crisp chikuwa
Noriben is the humblest and most nostalgic Japanese packed lunch: rice spread with okaka (bonito flakes in soy) and covered with a whole sheet of nori, sometimes twice in layers, then topped with something fried such as chikuwa fish cake or white fish. Convenience stores and bento shops across Japan sell it for a few hundred yen. The usual mistake is laying the nori on steaming rice and closing the lid, which leaves it soggy and torn; let the rice cool a little first. Chef's tip: snip the nori into a few strips before it goes on, so it is easy to bite through with chopsticks.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
- 14 oz freshly cooked Japanese short-grain ricewarm
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 nori sheetstrimmed to fit the box
- 2 chikuwa fish cakeshalved lengthwise
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp Japanese pickles (optional)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix ⅓ oz bonito flakes (katsuobushi) with 2 tsp soy sauce until every flake is moist.
Step 2: Fry 2 chikuwa fish cakes in 1 tsp vegetable oil in a small pan over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes until blistered and golden.
3 minStep 3: Spread half of 14 oz freshly cooked Japanese short-grain rice into each lunch box and leave for 5 minutes to let the steam escape.
Step 4: Scatter the bonito over the rice, then lay 2 nori sheets on top, pressing gently so it sticks.
Step 5: Top with the chikuwa and 2 tbsp Japanese pickles. Cool completely before closing the lid, and keep cold until lunch.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 84 g
- Fat
- 7 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does noriben take?
- About 15 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 5 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of freshly cooked japanese short-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
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