Noriben and Chicken Potato Sandwich and Mock Insalata Caprese

I made Noribento again! I want to make it every now and again. I guess it is like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to American people. No matter if you aren't American you have something to crave at times which brings back fond memories of childhood for you, don't you? What's food like that for you?



This one contains...
Sanma Fry --- Seasoned leftover sashimi of sanma (saury) with Magic salt, then dredged in starch, then shallow fried.
Tofu and Pork Stir Fry --- Stir fried pork slices and atsuage (fried thick tofu) slices, then seasoned with syoyu and oyster sauce.
Scrambled Edamame and Egg with Ketchup.
Zucchini Pickle.
Orange and Blueberries for dessert.



I hate cooked zucchini because of that mushy texture but LOVE pickled one! This pickle only takes like 20 minutes to finish. This time I thin-sliced a zucchini and put in a poly bag, then added Hontsuyu, salt, vinegar and chili oil, then gently kneaded by hand for like 30 seconds. Then set aside for a while. When you have enough time to pickle, it's better to slice zucchini more thickly. Of course you can substitute shoyu if you don't have Hontsuyu (Mentsuyu), or you can season your zucchini as you like. Either way pickled zucchini is yum, and good stuff as a bento gap filler.





Today I made sandwiches and mock Insalata Caprese for bento. Can you guess why it's mock? Just keep reading. By the way the bread is store bought. When I first saw it at the bakery I wanted to make baguette sandwiches so bad. I had come up with an idea for it already.



How to make chicken potato sandwiches

Braise chicken tenders with a bit of water in a frying pan. Then slice and marinate in your favorite dressing (or mayo and lemon juice and olive oil, etc). You can do this process and store in the fridge the night before. Boil cut-potato, then season with salt and your favorite herbs or spices (and a little olive oil if you like). This time I used of course Magic salt lol! Stuff the fillings into your favorite bread. You can taste two flavors at the same time.

I bought a zaru dofu besides the baguette yesterday. *Zaru* means a bamboo strainer (this one is plastic though). Zaru dofu is tofu in it so it's moderately drained already. The taste is richer than normal ones, and the texture is somewhat close to mozzarella. It's tasty cold, but good for mapo doufu and tofu steak as well.



Oh yeah I made tofu Caprese salad! Using the zarudofu, fresh Aiko tomatoes and basil from our little garden, and yellow Aiko (from the veggie store nearby). I sprinkled some olive oil and a bit of salt & pepper on it.


Have a happy Friday Buddies!