Delicious tempura bento lunch box recipe with shrimp and vegetable tempura packed with rice and fruits.
Eating tempura at home is a treat in our house. Since deep frying requires my full attention and I cannot help my children with their activities during this time, we only get to eat tempura on special occasion.
When I do make tempura for dinner, my children always request for Tempura Bento for their lunch box the next day.
On previous day, we had: Shrimp Tempura,
and Vegetable Tempura for dinner.
If you don’t mind deep frying at home, making tempura is very easy. Just chop up some veggies and prep the shrimp ahead of time and then deep fry them right before the meal.
And don’t forget to check my step-by-step tutorial for how to make shrimp straight for frying!
Lunch Next Day:
- Shrimp Tempura and Vegetable Tempura over steamed rice
- Various fresh fruits
Tempura in Bento Box
Now some of you may feel strange to see Tempura in a lunch box. Doesn’t tempura have to be eaten hot? I’ve received several questions about how to keep lunch warm and how does it taste when the food is cold or at room temperature, etc.
To make the long story short, bentos are mostly sold and eaten at room temperature in Japan. We choose and pack the food that taste good at room temperature, and we season the food a little bit extra so that the taste is not compromised when enjoyed at room temperature.
To keep the tempura from getting soggy, reheat the tempura in the (toaster) oven to make it crisp, let it drain and cool completely. You can close the bento box only after all the food is cooled so that there will be no condensation formed inside the bento box. However, don’t expect the tempura to retain the same crisp and crunchy texture just as when they first come out of the deep fryer.
It’s also about preferences, and you can definitely use a thermal lunch box to keep your food warm. I answered to those frequently asked questions in my Bento FAQ. Please feel free to ask me if you have any other questions regarding bentos.
And if you are new to packing lunches and interested in making bento-style lunch, check out my short video below.
Watch How to Make Bento Video Tutorial
Tempura Bento Box may not be something you’d pack regularly, but when you do make tempura at home, why not stretch out these delicious treats and pack some for your lunch next day.
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Tempura Bento
Ingredients
- shrimp tempura
- vegetable tempura
- tempura dipping sauce
- 1 serving cooked Japanese short-grain rice
- kiwi
- raspberries
- grapes
Instructions
- Reheat tempura in the toaster oven until heated through. Set aside to let cool.
- Pack rice and let cool.
- Wash fruits and cut if necessary.
- Start packing cooled foods into bento box.
- Cool down completely before closing the bento box.
how long would you heat the tempura in a microwave or a regular oven?
Hi Laura! To reheat… it depends, but probably 10 minutes or so? I use a toaster oven and the heat source is pretty close to tempura. So I have to watch to make sure it doesn’t get burnt. Do not use microwave to reheat. It gets soggy…