Cute Rice Ball with Kikkoman Soy Sauce

This is another bento I made for JapanUp! magazine May issue.
Yaki Onigiri (roasted rice ball) is very popular in Japan!
Since kikkoman soy sauce has a savory aroma, it is perfect for yaki onigiri.

Squirrel  Yaki Onigiri

 About 250g Cooked  rice 

1 tbsp Kikkoman soy sauce 

1/2 tbsp Kikkoman oyster sauce  

1/2 tbsp mirin 

1 mini sausage 

1 fried pasta stick

Acorn 

1 meatball 

1 mushroom 

For face 

A slice of cheese 

Nori seaweed 

How to make

1.Mix rice and 1/2 tbsp soy sauce.

2.Place rice in separate plastic wraps, and make the face, body, tail and hands.  (See picture 5)  Press the rice firmly together so the rice won’t fall apart.

3.Heat a little oil on a non-stick frying pan.  Place the rice balls and cook on medium-high heat until the surface is crispy.  Flip them over and do the same on the other sides. 

4.Make a sauce by mixing 1/2 tbsp each of soy sauce, oyster sauce and mirin.  Brush it on the rice balls.  Be careful not to put too much.

5.Put the rice balls on a plate, and decorate the squirrel head and tail with seaweed.  Wait until they cool and place the head, body and tail in a bento box.

6.For ears, slice the sausage as shown in the picture, stick the fried pasta and attach them on the head.

Make an acorn by cutting the tip of the meatball and attaching mushroom with fried spaghetti.  Put the acorn on the body of the squirrel, and place the hands on both sides.  Make the parts of the face with seaweed, and place them with a pair of tweezers.  For cute eyes, use a sliced cheese cut into round shape.

Japanese Character Bento Classes

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Then come join my bento classes!!

Each month I teach you how to make different character.

Sign up for the class updates through my facebook "email signup" app!!

Register for the classes at Tokyo Central Customer Service Desk

Tokyo Central (Costa Mesa)

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Animal Rice Balls Bento Box

I made 5 cute bento boxes for JapanUp! magazine May issue.  Each character showcased different Japanese products. (See all five here) I used Yamamotoyama's Soy Wrappers for this animal rice balls!!

Looks like this bento is the most popular of five bento I made.
Therefore, I'm posting the instruction for this animal friends bento:)

June Bride Bento Box

Made lunch for Japan Up! magazine June issue.
June Bride Bento!!!
It's omelette-rice that looks like a bride:)

I made ketchup-rice by frying about 160g of rice and seasoned with ketchup (about 2tbs), salt and pepper. Use more or less seasonings to your taste.

For filings, you can use anything that goes well with ketchup.
I like to put ham, cheese or chicken!
Make 2 rice balls for a head and a body.

Gather the ends of plastic wrap.

Transfer to a bento box.

To creates hair, cut a piece of seaweed as shown and make slits for easier wrapping.
(as shown with white lines)
Then wrap the cut nori around the top of a rice ball.

.

To make a top hair, just make a tiny rice ball and wrap nori seaweed.

For the dress, I make a thin egg white sheet and fold to look like a dress!

Below is the directions for regular thin egg sheet.
For a thin egg white sheet, you just need to replace 1 egg to 1 egg white.

Thin Egg Sheet

Ingredients:

• 1 Egg
• 1pinch Salt
• 1/2tsp Potato starch, dissolved in 1/2tsp water (to make a egg sheet less breakable)

 Directions:

1. Mix egg, salt and potato starch/water with a fork.
2. Strain the egg mixture.
   
3. Heat a non-stick pan over low heat.
4. Add a little oil and wipe with kitchen paper.
5. Add the egg mixture in the pan.
6. Cook over low heat until the surface look not very liquidy. (only takes a couple minutes)
7. Turn off the heat and put a lid. Let the remaining heat cook the egg completely.
8. Carefully peel it off from the pan.