Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook: 2nd Course [Spiral-bound]

Susan Yuen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2010

Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook 2nd Course presents a new assortment of imaginative bento and ono dishes that will make lunch a one-of-a-kind treat for even the pickiest of eaters. The bento box continues to be popular among all ages, especially kids who can enjoy some fanciful food while benefiting from a nutritious meal.

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 160 pages
• Publisher: Mutual Pub Co; Spi edition (March 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566479207
• ISBN-13: 978-1566479202
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Asian > Japanese

More About the Author

Aloha! I was born and raised in Hawai`i and grew up with a great love for food and cooking. For many years I worked in the food industry, and was the sous chef for Palomino Euro Bistro and later for Kincaid's. In 2008 I wrote Hawai`i's Bento Box Cookbook, Fun Lunches for Kids and am currently working on book 2 slated to come out in the spring of 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of recipes and cute ideas, May 14, 2010

By 

Crystal Watanabe "Pikko" (Honolulu, HI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook: 2nd Course (Spiral-bound)

This book is the sequel to Susan Yuen's first bento cookbook and once again brings readers lots of recipes, instructions, and cute character ideas. With 75 bentos and numerous recipes with island flavor, bento enthusiasts around the world can not only use this as a huge resource for adding kawaii elements to their child's lunch, but can also have a taste of Hawaii in their own home.

Some of the ingredients are likely not easily found for some parts of the world, but part of using a bento cookbook successfully is being able to think outside the box and adapting the foods used in the book to foods of your own region or country. The title states clearly that it's "Hawaii's" Bento Box Cookbook, so don't buy this with something else in mind. With a marked improvement in photography since the first book, better designs, and charaben easier to replicate, I think that Second Course is worth the price for so much bento inspiration.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally Kawaii & Yummy Recipes Too!, June 1, 2010

By 

enslavedbyfaeries - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook: 2nd Course (Spiral-bound)

I LOVE this book! I've been an admirer of Susan's blog and her adorable bento designs since I first discovered the art of kawaii bento, so I was ecstatic to get my hands on this book. The cookbook is spiral bound which I really like and it is also very well organized. There are tons of full-color photos and step-by-step instructions that reveal some of Susan's cute design secrets. While some of the ingredients may be a little tricky to find, the tools used to create most of the bentos in this book are actually quite simple (although, very cleverly used) and readily available online or in local craft or cooking stores. The recipe section is awesome and includes lots of tasty dishes to include in your bento boxes.

This book is a must have for bento beginners or anyone who just wants some creative ideas to make lunchtime fun. It would also make a great gift, especially for teenage girls! My 14 year old daughter and her BFF saw the book on my desk and immediately took it to the kitchen to experiment. Garlicky Edamame (pg. 124) was first and the menu and was a hit!

All the bentos in the book are beyond cute, but if I had to pick a favorite it would be Coconut Tree on page 31. Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook: 2nd Course is a great addition to any bento bookshelf!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook: 2nd Course, August 6, 2011

By 

Kathryn E. Fox (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hawaii's Bento Box Cookbook: 2nd Course (Spiral-bound)

I just received this just a day ago, so just going to start using today, but have been going through to set up bentos to make this next week as we start getting in to our school routine here.

A few recipes so you can see some of what there is (48 total)

Grilled Sun-dried Tomato and Thyme Chicken
Miso-Teriyaki Chicken
Korean Barbecued Beef
Chinese-Style Corn Soup
Kabocha with Shiitake Mushrooms and Pork
Tomato Hummus
Sesame Eggplant
plus more seafood, veggie and snack selections


What I like-

There are over 70 bentos shown.

There are full color pictures on eache page of the finished bento and extra ones on the side to show special steps for cutting when needed. All of the characters are easy to make and the insructions are easily understood.

Most of the ingredients are common with the exception of furikake (already ordered 2 kinds here on Amazon and waiting to try), umeboshi, kamaboko, and fish sausage which my large super grocery doesn't carry (I live in a big city) but expect to find when I'm ready to go to the nearby oriental market. Meantime, I've been using ham and such as substitutes in other recipes and will here.

I like the sandwich ideas which mainly allow you to make a sandwich of choice and then use cheese/meat cutouts to decorate the top for a cute visual when your child opens it.

Includes sauce/dip/mayo recipes for sandwiches and veggies such as the tomato hummus I plan to try.

The spiral binding is great! Lays completely flat on a flat surface so you don't have to prop it open as I have to do a lot :)

Last, but not least, the price. The price is pretty perfect I think for the work that went into making it easy to use and with clear color photos of everything.

Dislikes -

I really only have one complaint and it's not serious. While the bentos includes directions for the character and what the main item is with it (recipes are in back seperate from bento layout directions) there are no sidenotes on what the other items are in the box and there is room to do so. Usually it's easy to identify carrots and cucumber but once or twice i haven't been sure and a note would be great. As I said, not that important :)

I am definately glad I made the purchase and really looking forward to using this year, as are my kids as they've seen a few they like. I would definately recommend this, especially to newer bento makers.