Bento of This Month

Please see below for how to make the "sunflower" :)

"Sunflower"

what you need

1 egg (white and yolk)

1 egg yolk

1tsp potato starch

1tsp water

Salt  a little

1 small hamburg steak

Beat egg and egg yolk.

Dissolve potato starch in water. Mix in the egg.

Sprinkle salt.

Heat oil in a small skillet over very low-heat. (I use 8in pan)

Pour the egg mixture and put a lid.

When the surface look not very liquidy, flip it over and cook the other side. Don't burn.

Shift to a plate and fold in half.

Cut the slits like the picture above.

Cut the bottom to make it fit to the meat.

Wrap it around the meat.

Fresh Strawberry Daifuku Made With Rice!

150g  Uncooked sweet rice (I use organic sweet brown rice from Whole Foods Market)
150ml Water
1.5 tablespoon Brown Sugar
Corn starch  for coating rice

4~5 Strawberries
Sweet beans


1. Wash rice.
2. Soak the rice in the water over night.
3. Add sugar and mix. Shift in a FP and mix well.
4. Place in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap.
5. Cook in a microwave for 2mins. Take it out and mix with wet wooden spoon or something.
6. Cook in a microwave again for 2mins. Mash up rice with a wooden pestle.
    If there is still a little hard rice, cook for another 2 mins.

7. Wrap strawberries with sweet beans.

 8. Dust the work surface with corn starch.

9. When the rice cooled down a little, divide in 4 or 5 with a wet spoon and place on the coated surface.

10. Dust your hands with corn starch and push and flatten the rice with your hands.
11. Wrap the strawberries with rice.

If you don't eat right away, wrap it with a plastic wrap and place in a refrigerator. Don't keep more than 2 days.

Chick Omelet Rice Bento

Quick and easy omelet rice for cooking in the mornings!

Ketchup Rice
150g Cooked rice
1/4 Onion (diced)
Ketchup to your taste
Salt and pepper
*Optional
Chicken, Corn, Carrots or any vegetables of your choice

Saute onion with oil in a skillet until soft.
Add ketchup (start with 2tbs) and mix with the onion.
Add rice and your choice of meat/vegetables. Saute.
Adjust the flavor with ketchup, salt and peppers.

Shape round ball, using plastic wrap.
Place in a bento box.

Omelet
1 egg
Salt and peppers

Beat egg and add salt and pepper.
Pour into a small egg mini pan and cook both sides.

Place on the rice in the bento box.
(Cut slits on 4 sides to make it easier to cover the rice)

Monkey Curry Bento

Curry is kinda hard to put in a bento box, since it's too liquidy.
So I made dry curry this time.
It's great for lunch box!

Found vegetarian dry curry recipe on a Japanese cooking website.
http://cookpad.com/recipe/2082913
It got good reviews, like "I made this for my husband and he didn't notice that it was tofu!"
So I gave it a try:) Let's see what my husband thinks!


50g Dried tofu (available at Japanese grocery stores)
2 Chili pequin
1 Garlic clove
1/2 onions (diced)
1 Carrot (diced)
3 Green beans (diced)
1tbs Worcester sauce
3tbs Curry powder
1tbs Sake
4tbs Ketchup
1tbs Soy source
1tbs yogurt
salt and pepper


1. Grate dried tofu 
2.Heat oil in a skillet. Saute garlic, chili and onion.
3. Add carrots, onions and green beans and cook.
4. Add ketchup, sauce, soy sauce, sake, yogurt and soy sauce.
5. Adjust the flavor with salt and pepper.


To make monkey face, shape rice in plastic wrap.

Make monkey's face with seaweed and ears with quail eggs!
You can also make this on a plate.

Ears: Egg

Cheek: Carrot
Face parts: seaweed

Pig Bento☆

Today's lunch bento for my hubby<3

- Pig rice ball
- Eggs and Tomatoes mushrooms
- Ginger pork with carrots
- Vegetable fry balls

I used this mini hot dogs to make the pig.

Slice and poke holes with a cut straw to make a nose.
Cut another slice into two to make ears.
Joint parts with dry pasta. (past will get soften by the time you eat, absorbing the water from the food)
Cut seaweed to make eyes!

 To make the mushrooms, boil quail eggs. ( you can get it at the most of Asian grocery stores)

Cut cherry tomatoes in half and connect with boiled quail eggs using dry pasta.

Poke holes in sliced cheese with straw. Put on tomatoes with mayonnaise.

Silicone side dish cups and leaf shape dividers♪

I got these bento items at Daiso.
They have cute and cheap bento goods! Love the store.