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Carry-on Bento !

Pack it like the Japanese The Bento

Throughout South India, thousands of people are sure to be having a carrier meal for lunch. Whether they are indoors or outdoors, it is hot or raining, they embark on a drawn-out process of opening, sorting, adding, mixing and combining the contents of the many layers of the carrier for a perfect lunch.

Although everyone is generally satisfied with the taste and nutrition offered by this traditional meal, they will agree that it is messy affair indeed. Bento is a Japanese name given to an assortment of food that is presented creatively and attractively in a compartmentalised box. The appeal of Bento is that it can be prepared or purchased easily, and is portable as well.

The food items in a Bento box can be easily picked up using fingers or chopsticks. It usually consists of rice and some side dishes that are mostly non-vegetarian; vegetarian options are widely available, though.

Although Bento is traditionally had at lunchtime, the compact packaging makes it an ideal anytime meal at home, school, work or even while travelling. According to Revathi Nagaswami, director of a popular Japanese restaurant in Nungambakkam, the Japanese first eat with their eyes! Each meal must be presented attractively and eaten without fuss or mess.

Even “Home Bento”, which is a Bento prepared primarily from leftovers at home, is created with care, regarding its contents and appearance. If rice is being used, the rice is mixed with other ingredients and formed into small cones that allow the consumer to lift the portions easily.

Carrier meals come in multi-tiered boxes known as tiffin carriers and each tier contains a different food item. The contents of the carrier need to be combined in a particular way to be consumed.

In recent times, the traditional stainless steel tiffin carriers have been replaced by plastic and other disposable packaging. However, the meals have remained the same for many generations.

Generally, a carrier meal contains different compartments for rice, rasam, dal or sambhar, one or two side dishes and some yoghurt. Sometimes, the carrier can also hold some bread such as chapathi or parota, a pappadam or appalam and even a sweet for dessert.

The closest comparison to the Bento might be the biriyani, though it is not part of a carrier meal. The biriyani must surely be the superstar of Indian fast food. It is available both at street corners and five star hotels. It is enjoyed anytime of the day, made at home or brought from outside and eaten by people from all walks of life.

However, the varieties of biriyani available seem to be shy of ingredients. They tend not to use seasonal ingredients and a standard restaurant menu would contain only the following options — mutton, chicken, prawn or vegetable!

Surely there must be a way of packaging and presenting South Indian food in a way that highlights the wonderful seasonal produce and wide availability of flavoursome ingredients. South Indian cuisine, just like the Japanese one, is rich in nutrition and flavour, but why does the similarity stop there?

So, if you are a creative mother or father who makes exceptional packed meals for your children’s school lunch, or if you are an office goer whose lunch boxes are the envy of your colleagues or even if you are a professional chef who would like to take on the challenge of presenting tasty South Indian food in a more convenient and aesthetically pleasing way, e-mail your South Indian Bento ideas, with pictures if possible, to bentoindia@gmail.com.

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