tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68324900270474765872024-03-05T23:19:11.452+09:00SOUL SOUP SOAPAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.comBlogger335125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-41480148234840265842018-05-04T17:02:00.002+09:002018-05-04T21:10:30.069+09:00New PhaseHappy May everybody! I'm back! It's been forever since last time I posted. There was a big change around me recently. You know what? Yuppi left home for college. She has gone. So I've entered a new phase of my life, just started my new chapter. But I still make bento of course. These are bentos I made recently. They totally look dull and no fancy, because they are for the rest of the family, yes for hubs, hehe.<br />
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Shio saba (salted mackerel), pork bell pepper stir-fry, cheese omelet and butter-sauteed asparagus.<br />
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Cold ramen noodles, shumai/shaomai dumplings, spicy sesame sauce, moyashi sprouts, asparagus, pork and a boiled egg.<br />
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This bento is real boring. I had to add the pink sakura food cup to the sight to brighten it up, haha! But the foods are good. Potato salad, okonomiyaki omelet, simmered ganmodoki (a kind of fried tofu) and gomoku gohan (seasoned rice with some kinds of vegetables and something), which is one of my comfort foods.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-42496042217175278342017-04-28T23:41:00.001+09:002017-04-29T11:50:42.970+09:00DSLR ShotsHappy happy spring! It's almost May though, pheww. OK, these bentos are totally the same as the ones I posted last time except these pictures here were taken with a DSLR camera. So these bentos are not new or really interesting to see, but I thought I'd post the pictures for comparison. Mmm I can't tell which is better. That's really a matter of preference, right? Anyway you can find what's in these bentos on the last post as I wrote the details there if you haven't already read it. Since my new bento pictures have piled up (that's a bit exaggerated though), I'm going to post them soon!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/34186306071/in/dateposted/" title="2017-03-02-0810"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2817/34186306071_84f989a0d2_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2017-03-02-0810"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/34186304671/in/dateposted/" title="2017-03-16-0816"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2874/34186304671_854fd5bbce_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2017-03-16-0816"></a><script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-15583077718715680832017-03-17T21:57:00.000+09:002017-03-18T06:52:23.583+09:00Smartphone ShotsInari chirashi bento<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32624905394/in/photostream/" title="Inari chirashi bento"><img alt="Inari chirashi bento" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2842/32624905394_efcf370b0e_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><br />
I hid chopped sweet salty aburaage in sushi rice instead of stuffing sushi rice into aburaage pouches. Ohitashi (spinach with dashi shoyu), turnip pickle and cheese mashed potato for side dishes.<br />
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Tompeiyaki bento<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32624905124/in/photostream/" title="Tompeiyaki bento"><img alt="Tompeiyaki bento" height="640" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3791/32624905124_16506fe5f5_z.jpg" width="480" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Tompeiyaki (omelet with cabbage, pork and okonomiyaki sauce) and yukari fried chicken.<br />
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Chili sausage bento<br />
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Sausages dressed with ketchup, a bit of shoyu and chili pepper. Sauteed pork balls. Tamagoyaki with edamame and kanikama.<br />
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Jambalaya bento<br />
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Is this just fried rice? I slept in and had no cooked rice or time to soak rice in water before cooking it. I decided to make a paella-like thing because it can be cooked without soaking. Fortunately, there were these ingredients in the fridge. Into a large frying pan, I threw rinsed raw rice, water, tomato puree, chicken, sausage, onion, shiitake, curry powder and salt, then cooked until the rice was tender. I had to add in some more water, but it turned out good despite my impromptu.<br />
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Pork and veggie rice bento<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32624904954/in/photostream/" title="Pork and veggie rice bento"><img alt="Pork and veggie rice bento" height="480" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2882/32624904954_abedccd4fa_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Mini croissants for an evening snack.<br />
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Meatless bento<br />
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This is an almost-vegetarian bento.<br />
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Happy March everybody! It's been a while. I have been on a phone camera kick lately. That's why I was absent from the blog. I feel like I finally got the hang of shooting bentos with my smartphone. Of course I've been using my camera as well, but it's so much fun to take pictures of foods with a smartphone and edit them with photo apps, isn't it? I think this kick will continue for a while. By the way, I edited these pictures with Snapseed. This app is so handy to make boring pictures look better and fun to play around with. It has been updated recently and is even easier to use than before.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-2251283045233389342017-02-02T21:22:00.001+09:002017-02-02T21:54:44.138+09:00Miso Soy Milk Soup<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/31794883344/in/photostream/" title="2017-02-01-0803"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/315/31794883344_9de0e052ea_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2017-02-01-0803"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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I made two sorts of omusubi. One is with salted salmon and minced daikon greens, the other is with umeboshi, the leavings of my dashi shoyu, sesame seeds and sesame oil. I also made hakusai soy milk soup. While making the soup, I remembered that I hadn't bought salt yet so I seasoned the soup with miso. Geez, it turned out great! This is super easy to make (as always) and doesn't even call for any dashi/broth, just cook. Give it a try!<br />
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I put in...<br />
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<b>Water</b><br />
<b>Cut hakusai (napa cabbage) and bacon</b><br />
<b>Some miso (light-colored type)</b><br />
<b>Some rice flour (or flour/starch) to slightly thicken</b><br />
<b>About one third or fourth as much soy milk as water</b><br />
<b>A tiny bit of butter for aroma</b><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32515334421/in/photostream/" title="2017-02-01-0659"><img alt="2017-02-01-0659" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/430/32515334421_7eb777ed07_z.jpg" width="640"></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32278317740/in/photostream/" title="2017-02-01-0802"><img alt="2017-02-01-0802" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/498/32278317740_13831ba461_z.jpg" width="640"></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-6985382323913551312017-02-01T19:54:00.001+09:002017-02-01T19:54:06.415+09:00Chikuwa Isobeage - Tempura<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32619405865/in/photostream/" title="2017-01-31-0711_01"><img alt="2017-01-31-0711_01" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/725/32619405865_58e231d5dc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Woow. It's already February. I don't want to believe that, nooo! Haha! Well, we're sure heading for spring, little by little. I used a wappa bento for the first time in ages. It turned out that I was not a wappa lover. My other wappa has also been abandoned somewhere in the kitchen... Poor Wappa, ha! The bento today is meatless. I want to make meatless bentos more often. I made sweet potato walnut salad, chikuwa isobeage and lotus root stir-fry. The shoyu egg half and salted salmon are leftovers. I love chikuwa-no-isobeage. Isobeage is a sort of tempura, with aonori (green seaweed) in its tempura batter. I don't mind shallow/deep frying in the morning when I have enough time.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32579003086/in/photostream/" title="2017-01-31-0757"><img alt="2017-01-31-0757" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/574/32579003086_bf0fcb45d6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-32596023213373373172017-01-31T20:01:00.000+09:002017-01-31T20:30:40.915+09:00Bibimbap<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32619406685/in/photostream/" title="2017-01-30-0712"><img alt="2017-01-30-0712" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/265/32619406685_9115e016c0_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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I couldn't post yesterday so this is my first bento this week. I started the week with easy bentoing as usual. I've prepared these toppings the night before. There are pork stir-fry, a shoyu egg half, carrot, spinach, moyashi (sprouts), gochujang (Korean sweet, salty chilli paste) and rice in the bento. I seasoned the toppings separately. Sadly, I ran out of salt halfway so the spinach and moyashi look brown and darker because I seasoned them with shoyu instead. The soup jar contains hakusai & shiitake soup. We do love bibimbap. You can eat tons of veggie with it. Thank you Korean food. Good gochujang is a must!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32240241800/in/photostream/" title="2017-01-30-0714"><img alt="2017-01-30-0714" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/359/32240241800_9920bfd6dc_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-85767448603988621112017-01-28T20:52:00.001+09:002017-01-28T20:52:30.201+09:00Curry Onion ChickenToday's veggie is a salad of cabbage, bean sprouts and spinach. Yeah spinach is in season right now, why not eat it? The rest of this bento are cheese omlet with ketchup, teriyaki shiitake and curry onion chicken. I marinated chicken pieces in some grated onion and salt the night before and sauteed them with carrot and curry powder in the morning. Grated onion makes chicken increadibly tender and adds extra flavor.<br />
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Happy weekend!!<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-48154584784674439862017-01-27T05:40:00.000+09:002017-01-27T16:47:08.275+09:00Fried Kabocha Gyoza Pie<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32373510232/in/photostream/" title="2017-01-26-0721"><img alt="2017-01-26-0721" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/772/32373510232_3fb5d231f9_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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Hi there! Wow I am on track... So far so good. :) This bento contains shoyu egg halves, onion chicken saute, butter sauteed carrot, spinach salad, light brown rice and gyoza?? Yuppi is going to have a cooking session at school soon. Since they were given kabocha squash as a subject, she came up with an idea of fried kabocha pies using gyoza skins (wrappers). She gave it a try at home ahead. She made two versions of fillings. One is mashed kabocha mixed with cooked ground meat, plus cream cheese. The other is mashed kabocha mixed with crushed walnuts, a bit of sugar and butter, plus cream cheese. Both turned out great, I may have to swipe the idea and recreate them myself. I think pumpkin or apple pie filling will work as well. The crust is crispy and flaky, just like real pie crust. Maybe pleating the wrappers is a key for the flakiness. Fresh fried ones are divine!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32507178316/in/photostream/" title="2017-01-26-0720"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/482/32507178316_c6c22335cb_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2017-01-26-0720"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-79621055147922663772017-01-25T21:32:00.000+09:002017-02-02T17:05:22.517+09:00Teriyaki Burg<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32135202890/in/photostream/" title="2017-01-25-0756"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/354/32135202890_f33eb176f5_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2017-01-25-0756"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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The things I packed in the bento today are spinach salad, potato edamame salad (leftover), mini teriyaki burgers, a shoyu egg half and light brown rice. I just started light brown rice again after a long break from it. Yuppi and I find that it's better than normal white rice. I prepared the spinach and shoyu eggs last night and this morning I just cut the shoyu eggs in half, and mixed the blanched spinach with seasoned fish flakes (from <a href="https://piggry.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/%E7%B0%A1%E5%8D%98%E3%81%A0%E3%81%97%E3%81%97%E3%82%87%E3%81%86%E3%82%86/">my dashi shoyu making</a>). I never waste the leavings of dashi shoyu after using up the dashi shoyu itself. You could use the leavings (kongo-bushi and kombu) as a seasoning or condiment, by the way. For the teriyaki burgers, I quickly chopped chicken breast and pork slices with a knife and grated some onion, added in rice flour, salt and black pepper and mixed all together, then sauteed and seasoned with shoyu and mirin... Phew. My way of seasoning foods is always simple. I was happy with the result. Sometimes I fail though.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32514184055/in/photostream/" title="2017-01-25-0759"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/762/32514184055_06992c1ba2_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2017-01-25-0759"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-55094505713539370442017-01-23T19:38:00.000+09:002017-01-24T08:47:57.495+09:00Yakiniku Chahan and Hakusai SoupMy first bento of every week tends to be fried rice. I think that's maybe because I don't need to wonder what I should make for bento. My brain refuses to start working on Monday morning LOL. We tend to eat out on Sunday evening and that means no leftovers for bento next morning. This morning, I made yakiniku chahan (fried rice), hakusai (napa cabbage) soup and broccoli salad. The soup is actually super easy to make by the way (doesn't require any brain activity, haha!). For the chahan, first I made scrambled eggs and a yakiniku-like thing -- dressed thin-sliced pork with sake, shoyu and a bit of starch in a frying pan, then sauteed and chopped with a scissor. After that, I stir-fried onion and then added in rice, the chopped yakiniku and scrambled eggs. Stir-fried everything together, seasoned with shoyu, salt and black pepper. Voila!<br />
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The soup consists of chicken broth, cut hakusai, sliced shiitake, salt and black pepper. You just toss them in a pot and cook (it's no time/effort consuming). The happy thing is hakusai is in season right now and delicious!<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32321043362/in/photostream/" title="2017-01-23-0726"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/361/32321043362_06691e8299_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2017-01-23-0726"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-89444564959130498512017-01-22T21:03:00.000+09:002017-01-23T06:00:36.490+09:00Easy Bento for Mock Exam<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32409933266/in/photostream/" title="2017-01-14-1425"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/680/32409933266_141fbac039_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2017-01-14-1425"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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This is a bento I prepared for Yuppi's mock exam, which she took with her to the exam center. I whipped up ketchup chicken fried rice and an omelet. Aren't rice dishes like omuraisu, fried rice or donburi easy to eat? Especially when you aren't so comfortable. That said, I just didn't want to put much effort into only one bento haha! Take it easy, make it easy. Since it was freezing that day, I added a thermal jar of instant potage.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-58185262975731367752017-01-21T22:36:00.000+09:002017-01-24T14:02:51.184+09:00Secret to Crispy Crunchy KaraageIn this bento are crispy crunchy karaage, hakusai (napa cabbage) pickled in vinegar, sugar, salt, doubanjiang and sesame oil. Cabbage chikuwa salad tossed with sesame seeds, sesame oil and salt. Kanikama omelet pieces with a chilli sauce of ketchup, green onion, doubanjiang, salt and rice flour.<br />
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<b>Tips and secrets for crispy and crunchy chicken karaage</b> (my method)<br />
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1). Generously dredge seasoned chicken pieces in plenty of potato starch (not flour).<br />
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2). Before frying, let them sit for more than 10 minutes to get the starch moist and to stick to the chicken. <br />
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3). Shallow-fry them instead of deep-frying. <br />
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4). Half-cover the pot with a lid while frying. A moderate amount of water vapor (steam) from the chicken makes the starch coating crispier and lighter.<br />
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5). Drain the fried chicken on paper towels to soak up the excess oil.<br />
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In this way, you'll get the perfect karaage crust! Hope it helps. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-86280394226208827312017-01-20T23:37:00.000+09:002017-01-20T23:57:48.554+09:00Wafu CurryHappy Friday and weekend! I made wafu curry for bento today. Wafu means Japanese-style something. Wafu curry is generally made with dashi (Japanese fish-based broth), shoyu and curry powder. It's easy to make if you have curry powder and mentsuyu (a shoyu-based noodle sauce). This time I made mine with <a href="https://piggry.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/%E7%B0%A1%E5%8D%98%E3%81%A0%E3%81%97%E3%81%97%E3%82%87%E3%81%86%E3%82%86/" target="_blank">my own dashi shoyu</a>, mirin, curry powder, onion, thin pork belly slices, shimeji mushrooms, aburaage (fried tofu) and rice flour as a thickener. I also like to add koya-dofu (dried tofu) instead of meat or aburaage. Both can be great meat substitutes.<br />
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This bento contains a fried egg on rice, and carrot salad tossed with crushed walnuts, lemon dressing and black pepper. Plus, of course piping hot wafu curry. <br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-57451175289867392732017-01-19T08:51:00.001+09:002017-01-19T10:20:38.841+09:00The Rest of 2016 Bento Part 2I made these bentos quite a while ago. I don't remember exactly what I made for them, but you'll find out what my bento food routine looks like if you see them carefully. It's actually my food rut rather than routine LOL. Cheese omelets with ketchup (I like to have it in my bento for some reason). Folded or boiled eggs (I don't want to eat tamagoyaki/omelets every day). Chicken karaage (Yuppi's very favorite). Cucumber pickle (it's good except for winter). Teriyaki or fried salmon (when it's in season). Chicken or pork saute (I'm not big on beef). Potato or sweet potato salad (I could eat them every single day!). Ninjin shirishiri (it's a nice bento dish and I want my family to eat more carrots). By the way, I rarely use lettuce or mini tomatoes as a bento divider or accessory (though, I secretly want to use them because they fancy up my boring bentos LOL).<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-67552236748508607022017-01-17T00:17:00.001+09:002017-01-17T09:04:50.465+09:00The Rest of 2016 Bento Part 1I officially got into the swing of things today. Before my 2017 bentos go, let me post some of my 2016 bentos I haven't done yet.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/31498213664/in/photostream/" title="2016-09-07-0739"><img alt="2016-09-07-0739" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/330/31498213664_538fe8c3f1_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Hainanese chicken rice styled bentos --- Steamed chicken on beds of rice. Corn on the cob, cucumber, mini tomatoes and boiled eggs as garnishes. A sauce of shoyu, doubanjiang, vinegar and sesame oil for the chicken and garnishes. Sweet potato salad for a side.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32190254932/in/photostream/" title="2016-09-08-0739"><img alt="2016-09-08-0739" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/440/32190254932_1e7899d6a3_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Naporitan udon and summer veggie salad. Creamy sesame dressing for the salad.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/31498213354/in/photostream/" title="2016-09-12-0745"><img alt="2016-09-12-0745" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/610/31498213354_3eba285765_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Ume gohan (rice mixed with umeboshi, shirasu, sesame seeds). Cucumber pickled in dashi shoyu, mini tomato pickled in onion dressing, bacon scrambled eggs and chicken tsukune with okonomiyaki sauce.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32190253752/in/photostream/" title="2016-09-16-0734"><img alt="2016-09-16-0734" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/269/32190253752_be2eb6b90a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Thermal jars of curry, rice, potato salad and a stir-fry of kikurage, shirataki and satsumaage.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/32190253252/in/photostream/" title="2016-09-30-0748"><img alt="2016-09-30-0748" height="427" src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/526/32190253252_8950680aba_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Crispy chicken karaage, honey teriyaki salmon, ham egg salad, broccoli with mayo, mini tomatoes and mashed kabocha squash.<br />
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Ketchup chicken rice topped with cheese omelets. Grilled corn on the cob and curry flavored potato edamame salad.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-41562777919857115402017-01-04T20:10:00.000+09:002017-01-18T11:13:35.887+09:00Hello 2017Belated Happy New Year everybody! This is my very first bento this brand new year, made with some leftovers from our New Year's foods, not as gorgeous though. I'm not a big fan of Japanese traditional New Year's dishes (Osechi), but at least make our favorite ones every year. I didn't photograph them as I was too busy. Sorry if there is anyone interested in our osechi. In the bento are kuromame (sweet black soy beans), nishime (simmered root vegetables, shiitake mushrooms and chicken ), omelet pieces (naruto, bacon, green onion) and a shrimp dumpling (store bought). <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/31711997830/in/photostream/" title="2017-01-04-0749"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/526/31711997830_3bcc35a35c_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2017-01-04-0749"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-91576337210189353202016-12-22T19:52:00.000+09:002016-12-22T19:52:26.678+09:00Of Course Bento GoingHappy winter everybody! It's late December, believe it or not, LOL. Crazy... I hope you're all doing great and having a lovely holiday season. I've been having a hard time shooting decent bento pictures due to the gloomy winter weather lately. But needless to say, my bentoing is going to continue next year. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/31421998230/in/photostream/" title="2016-10-14"><img src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/1/468/31421998230_89f406de7e_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2016-10-14"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
On beds of rice, kanikama omelets with sweet salty sauce thickened with flour instead of starch. Boiled cabbage tossed with dashi shoyu and sesame seeds. Pickled cuke. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/31794395165/in/photostream/" title="2016-11-04"><img src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/1/256/31794395165_32a2fcd800_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2016-11-04"></a><script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
Carrot kimpira. Spicy grilled chicken. Miso-mayo grilled salmon. Omelet slices (kanikama and green onion).<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/31794394225/in/photostream/" title="2016-11-09"><img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/579/31794394225_7d01dfd080_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2016-11-09"></a><script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
Sweet potato walnut salad. Spinach and bean sprouts tossed with salt, sesame seeds and sesame oil. Chikuwa egg stir-fry. Onion-shoyu chicken. Chinese cabbage pickled with salt and umeboshi.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/31757388046/in/photostream/" title="2016-11-30"><img src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/1/765/31757388046_81772f6eaa_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2016-11-30"></a><script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
Salted salmon and a stir-fry of daikon greens on a bed of rice. Shio (salt) chicken karaage. Spinach tossed with dashi shoyu. Lotus root tossed with mayo and umeboshi. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/31757387426/in/photostream/" title="Cookie factory"><img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/1/336/31757387426_5586ee182d_z.jpg" width="640" height="640" alt="Cookie factory"></a><script async="" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
Yuppi's cookie factory is working at full capacity LOL. Merry Christmas y'all! --- In case I can't do the next post soon. :)<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-86364129385617613342016-09-20T23:07:00.001+09:002016-10-19T23:46:48.282+09:00Summer BentoHappy fall everybody! The summer has gone. How time flies, really. My summer bentoing is almost over, and is about to switch to an autumn version. Here is a roundup of my latest bentos. They contain lots of summer vegetables. These veggies are still available to buy, but you can't get delicious ones anymore because the season is over, sadly enough. It's cold these days. Looks like winter has set in. Plus, we've had too many typhoons already!<br />
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I'll leave with pictures of cosmos I took recently. So pretty, right?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-35768676599993160552016-08-14T08:39:00.000+09:002016-10-15T23:18:49.659+09:00Bento Collage and Taiyaki Bento<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/28663176270/in/photostream/" title="Bento Collage"><img src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8616/28663176270_86558d209a_z.jpg" width="640" height="640" alt="Bento Collage"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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Happy summer everybody! We are having a real hot summer these days. Since our summer is relatively mild here in Hokkaido, I think this heat will end soon. In the meantime, I haven't taken bento pictures that much lately, but just started to be motivated for bento shooting again. These are some of my recent bentos, but I needed to collage them because they all looked boring individually, lol.<br />
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I forgot to put this one below into the collage. These mini taiyaki are actually buttermilk pancakes (with no anko filling of course). It was a bit hectic that morning, cooking the pancakes (ended up cooking more than a dozen from one batch, I did work hard! Lol). But it was totally worth doing because it's so much fun if there is a funny and weird face like this one in your bento box, isn't it?<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/28045079074/in/photostream/" title="bento 2016-07-31"><img alt="bento 2016-07-31" height="428" src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8784/28045079074_5f6c05e8bd_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-25977093967384523232016-06-30T00:01:00.000+09:002016-10-11T21:07:05.421+09:00Omuraisu Lover<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/27892207521/in/photostream/" title="2016-06-27-0724"><img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7304/27892207521_f2aa408770_z.jpg" width="640" height="428" alt="2016-06-27-0724"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
We love omuraisu. It's so easy and quick to make I often make it when I don't feel like thinking what to make for bento. Omuraisu FTW!!<br />
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Yuzu kosho karaage, pickled cuke and a stir-fry of egg, chikuwa and edamame.<br />
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I forgot what I made for this bento LOL. <br />
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Snowflake.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-24659679123401417032016-06-28T14:25:00.000+09:002016-06-28T14:25:06.608+09:00Purple Chinese Cabbage<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/27818369475/in/photostream/" title="2015-12-14-0813"><img alt="2015-12-14-0813" height="427" src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7649/27818369475_a1f478ea51_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
Maze gohan (a mixed rice) bento. I made this bento quite a long time ago, but I really loved this purple chinese cabbage. Was surprised at how delicious it was. Crispy, juicy and had no bitterness. It just tasted like chicory. I loved it to be pickled or fresh salad. I'm looking forward to the next season.<br />
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Meatball bento.<br />
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Honey shoyu teriyaki chicken bento.<br />
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Ajisai hydrangea.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-18688774257181455372016-06-21T20:58:00.000+09:002016-06-23T14:57:19.299+09:00Chicken's Back<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/27108226303/in/photostream/" title="2016-06-15-0716"><img src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7232/27108226303_8e4a16a955_z.jpg" width="640" height="426" alt="2016-06-15-0716"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<b>A cheese omelet with ketchup.</b><br />
<b>Chicken tender pieces</b> --- seasoned with salt and pepper, dusted with curry powder and flour, then pan-fried. <br />
That morning I had to make at least one more item, but came up with nothing. I always always keep aburaage, shirasu and edamame as fridge staples because I love them and they are all healthy foods. I impromptu stir-fried them all together and seasoned with a bit of shoyu. Yay, it turned out one of my impromptu hits!<br />
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<b>Teriyaki salmon</b> --- I marinated salmon pieces in shoyu and sake the night before. In the morning, pan-fried them, and dressed in shoyu and honey.<br />
<b>Chicken seniku</b> --- marinated with salt and a bit of vinegar the night before, then broiled and sprinkled with herb salt.<br />
<b>Stir-fried green onion and shirasu.</b><br />
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<b>Chicken seniku</b> --- marinated with salt and a bit of vinegar, then pan-fried until crispy, and dressed in shoyu and shichiimi togarashi.<br />
<b>A shoyu egg half.</b><br />
<b>Pickled cucumber</b> --- I sliced cucumbers, and pickled with salt and dashi shoyu.<br />
<b>Pickled mackerel</b> --- I dusted salted-mackerel pieces with potato starch, and shallow-fried. Then soaked them in a marinade sauce of vinegar, shoyu, mirin, water and lemon slices. I made this for dinner. <br />
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I know, now some of you are wondering what chicken seniku is. I don't come up with a proper word for it, but I can say it's meat on chicken's back. It tastes better than breast or tenderloin and less greasy than thigh. Plus, it's cheaper than them! I've been using it pretty much every day lately. By the way prepping chicken or fish ahead of time (like how I do the night before) really makes a big difference. I will mention it some of these days.<br />
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Clematis.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-4816214236709707672016-06-15T07:49:00.001+09:002016-06-23T14:50:19.453+09:00Disposable Lunch Box... first time in ages<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/26555991524/in/photostream/" title="2016-05-19-0701"><img src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7573/26555991524_deeeb83c42_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2016-05-19-0701"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
Yuppi had a gathering of her art class with one day stay in a city far away from here. She got a bento in a disposable paper container. I bought the container from Daiso. I don't want to do this so often, but every now and then, it's ok and so much fun, isn't it? She had a karaage cup, two omusubi (one with edamame, scrambled egg and a shoyu okaka filling, and one with simply sesame seeds and salt to go with the karaage) and a pineapple cup for a refreshing dessert. Plus, Jagariko (butter chicken curry flavored) and a bottle of lemon soda for a snack to omnom in her bus or hotel. Later I thought I should have fancied up the container for a little surprise with cute stickers (of course lovebird ^^) or something, geez... <br />
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Spinach nori salad, fried chicken pieces, shoyu egg halves and a chunk of salted sockeye salmon on a bed of rice, sesame seeds and nori. For the chicken, I marinated chicken breast pieces with minced umeshiso overnight, then battered and fried them. Ume-shiso or ume-jiso is red shiso leaves pickled with umeboshi. You can use it as a seasoning as with umeboshi itself. By the way, yukari (a rice topping) was originally the same thing as dried umeshiso, but now yukari is made by a different process.<br />
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For this one, I marinated chicken thighs in miso and shoyu the night before and broiled them in the morning. The rest of this bento are spicy ketchuped potato, tamagoyaki, and asparagus for a green.<br />
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Summer is coming around the corner where I am. But before that, I have to post these pictures that I took over a month ago. Unfortunately I didn't get around to going to beautiful places of sakura trees so I settled for the tiny sakura blossoms in backyard. Since the backyard and trees are not my own, I had to use my lame zoom lens. It sometimes does a good job, but sometimes doesn't. That's my excuse though!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-46317135200425696402016-05-08T10:32:00.000+09:002016-06-29T11:23:19.081+09:00Chicken Soboro<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/26829890755/in/photostream/" title="2016-04-26-0747"><img alt="2016-04-26-0747" height="426" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7730/26829890755_eab654612a_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
<b>Konnyaku</b> --- Cooked in <a href="https://piggry.wordpress.com/2015/12/18/%E7%B0%A1%E5%8D%98%E3%81%A0%E3%81%97%E3%81%97%E3%82%87%E3%81%86%E3%82%86/" target="_blank">dashi shoyu</a>, mirin and sugar.<br />
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<b>Aburaage and onion slices</b> --- Cooked with ketchup, oyster sauce and chili pepper powder. This is my own idea and yes, was a HIT! (Yuppi and I loved it.) Topped with edamame for green.<br />
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<b>Cabbage</b> --- Blanched, tossed with sakura ebi, salt and sesame oil.<br />
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<b>Chicken thigh</b> --- Marinated in lemon juice, salt and black pepper overnight, then broiled.<br />
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<b>Rice</b> --- Topped with ume-okaka and salted sockeye salmon.<br />
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<b>Chicken breast</b> --- Marinated in BBQ-ish sauce of worcester sauce, shoyu and ketchup overnight, then broiled.<br />
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<b>Asuparagas</b> --- Blanched, tossed with syoyu, salt and nori (seaweed).<br />
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<b>Simple tamagoyaki</b> of eggs, sugar, shoyu and salt. There are many variations of tamagoyaki, but I like this type best for bento. <br />
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This type of bento is generally called Sanshoku soboro bento. Consists of scrambled eggs, ground chicken (sometimes pork or beef), a green vegetable (spinach, snow peas, edamame or this time I used asparagus) and rice underneath them. Sanshoku means three colours (green, yellow, brown) and soboro means crumbles of ground meat, egg, fish or tofu, and so on. Everyone makes their soboro into itty bitty grains, but they are literally grainy-flaky and a bit hard to eat because they drop down easily when you eat. For bento, I make mine into a bit larger pieces for easy eating (it's really important that your lunch is easy to eat). I usually use chicken thighs instead of store-ground chicken which has a lot of fat. I think chicken thighs are better for this dish than chicken breasts or tenders are because they are a bit too dry in texture and bland in taste, though, I actually prefer chicken tenders to thighs for other dishes.<br />
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I remove skin and fat from chicken thighs and chop up the meat roughly with a knife. Then I add the usual sweet salty sauce of shoyu, mirin and sugar, and to keep the meat moist and tender, add a tiny bit of potato starch as well. I cook it without covering until just some of the sauce remains in the bottom of the pan. I always want meat to be moist. :)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6832490027047476587.post-79320402823503871182016-04-23T11:00:00.000+09:002016-04-25T08:03:10.536+09:00Carrot Shiri Shiri<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/babykins1206/26480617712/in/photostream/" title="2016-04-20-0747"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1470/26480617712_e315e00dca_z.jpg" width="640" height="427" alt="2016-04-20-0747"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<b>Asparagus</b> --- Blanched, tossed with salt and oil.<br />
<b>Boiled eggs</b> --- Tossed with mayo and curry powder and salt.<br />
<b>Chikuwa (fish cake)</b> Seasoned with shoyu, mirin and shichimi togarashi.<br />
<b>Chicken nuggets</b> --- Chicken tenders minced with knife, mixed with shoyu, mayo and potato starch, coated in potato starch and shallow-fried in oil. <br />
<b>A mineola orange</b> for dessert.<br />
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<b>Purple cabbage salad</b> --- Blanched, soaked in vinaigrette.<br />
<b>Ninjin shirishiri</b> --- Shredded carrot (of course), stir-fried with white maitake mushroom, ham and edamame, seasoned with salt and black pepper.<br />
<b>Chicken tender</b> Spread with miso-mayo sauce then broiled. <br />
<b>Shirasu</b> --- Mixed with shoyu, sesame seeds and sesame oil. On a bed of rice.<br />
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<b>Ninjin shirishiri</b> --- Shredded carrot stir-fried with an egg, shirasu, sesame seeds, salt and black pepper.<br />
<b>Potato salad</b> --- Tossed with mayo, curry powder, lemon juice and salt.<br />
<b>Glossy shoyu chicken</b> --- Cooked in shoyu, mirin, sake and sugar.<br />
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I find myself making ninjin shirishiri for bento very often. It's super easy to make and Yuppi's only favorite carrot dish. Since carrots are full of nutrients, I want to put some good carrot dish in bentos as often as I can. Ninjin shirishiri tastes good at room temperature and goes with rice or even bread. That means it's perfect for bento. (Wait, I may have written the same thing long before. Oh well, nobody remembers, haha!) Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03361682693610349246noreply@blogger.com0