Hello Kitty Onigiri Mold

Taco Rice Bento

BENTO&CO sells a lot of cute and quality Japanese products online.
I received White & Red Retro Moda Lunch Box and Hello Kitty Onigiri Mold Set from them and love both!

The bento box is BPA free and made in Japan. Great size for kids, but also for working women like me.  It provides a right amount of energy and I love the simple and stylish design.

It’s available in red and blue, so get matching bento boxes with different colors with your child ;) 

You can make Hello Kitty shape easily with the mold.

I used about 25g cooked rice to make 1 face.

Eyes and whiskers: nori seaweed

Nose: corn kernel

Flowers: Carrot

I think the set of the bento box and the onigiri mold would be a great gift too:)

Use a coupon code FUNBENTOBOX5 to get a 5% discount! (use by 10/19/19)

Hello Kitty Onigiri Mold

Gingerbread Tofu Man Christmas Bento

Made a batch of gingerbread tofu men last night.
Just drained/pressed tofu and cut out with a gingerbread cookie cutter.
Marinated them in bbq sauce and just baked.

Xmas wreath is made with broccoli.
Ornaments are little rice crackers that I introduced on my last post.

I know these gingerbread tofu men will appear on a lot of my bento this man :)

Disney Silhouette Rice Balls Bento

Went to a concert at a nearby park with this bento tonight!
This silhouette rice balls are easier since you don't need to make face parts.
I had some leftover imitation crabs from the bento class last weekend and wanted to use them up!
Just unwrap a imitation crab to separate red and white parts.
Wrap the red part around rice ball and you'll get this silhouette Disney characters!
In case you don't know what those are.....
Mickey, Minnie, Pooh and Piglet!

For the side dishes, I made chicken karaage and veg spring rolls.
I like wrap a lot of veges with rice paper for picnic bento. It's nice and portable.
Easy to eat with your hands!

Japanese Curry Rice Bento

Made Japanese curry last night! My husband said that curry is better on the next day....
I put the leftover curry in a bento box. Let's see if it tastes better that last night!


We had annual passes for Universal Studio Hollywood when their new minions ride was open!
We both loved the ride:) I'd love to try it again!

Today's bento menu

Minion Curry (eyes: purple potatoes, cheese and nori seaweed / mouth: cheese, nori seaweed)
Haiga rice

Homemade Japanese curry recipe is below.
Add any protein of your choice.
I added left over bbq chicken and my husband liked it:)

うちの旦那は同じものを二日連続で食べるのを嫌がります。。（めんどくせ！ｗ）
なので、今日ごはんだったら明日はパスタとか色々考えてメニュー作り★
しかし、カレーだけは二日でも三日でも続けて食べてくれるんですー！！！！
ちょっと寝かした次の日の方が美味しいからって★
でもスーパーで売っている箱入りのカレーは使いたくないので、ルーは手作り♪

一昨年の会社のクリスマスパーティーで旦那がユニバーサルスタジオの年パスをペアでもらってきたので、4回ほど行きました。
最初にStudio Tourを体験したときは感動～！日本から家族や友達が来たら連れていきたいなー。
でもおススメは新しいミニオンズの乗り物！トランスフォーマーと同じぐらい楽しかったです♪

Ingredients

60g flour
45g Canola oil
10g Curry powder
1tbs Shio Koji, or 1tsp Salt
*See the older post about Shio Koji

1clove Garlic
Ginger, same size as a clove of garlic
1 Onion
1 Potato
1/2 Carrot
1 chicken breast
800ml Water


1tbs Sugar
1tbs Honey
1tbs Ketchup
2tbs Miso
1/2can Diced tomato

Soy sauce to taste


1. Mix flour, oil, curry powder, shio koji or salt together and set aside.
2. Mince garlic and ginger. Cut vegetables and meat into small pieces.
3. Heat a little oil in a pot and add garlic and ginger.
4. Add vegetables and chicken. Cook until the veges get soft.
5. Add water, sugar, honey, ketchup, miso and canned tomato. Cook over low heat about 15 mins.
6. Add the curry paste from step1 and mix well.
7. Taste it and add a little soy sauce if you need.
8. Cook about another 10min over low-heat.


Want to make bear curry? Go to "Homemade Japanese Curry Roux"
      

Steamed Pork Buns

I should have put more effort to their beaks...
I just mixed curry powder to the extra dough and .....overcooked:(

These Donald and Daisy are made with steamed pork buns!
I tried the recipe that I found on a Japanese recipe site.
My husband liked the bread part, but not much the meat inside.....
Will try a different recipe next time!!!
Here is the recipe for the bun.

260g Flour
3tbs Sugar
Pinch, Salt
2tsp Baking powder
6tbs Milk ( I used soy milk)
4tbs Water
2tsp Oil

1. Mix the dry ingredients.
2. Add the wet ingredients and knead.
3. Make a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Let is sit for 30mins.
4. Divide into 2~4 and roll out each dough.
5. Put pork mix inside and shape.
6. Steam for about 10 mins over medium heat.

I like this buns better without meat. Great snacks:)


7月の毎週火曜日に近くの公園でライブコンサートがあるので、その日はピクニック弁当を作って近所の人と見にいっています。昨日は肉まんドナルドとデイジー！！日本にいる妹にこの写真を送ったら”口がテキトー”とか言われたけどｗ。
豚挽きなかったからニジヤのニクの日に買った豚こまをチョップして使いました。。。そのせいか、ちょっと肉がドライだと旦那に言われましたが。。。でもこの皮は美味しかった！！
ごぼうがいっぱい残ってたのでごぼうも混ぜてみた。

簡単手作り☆本格味の肉まん

ちなみに旦那がチキンをBBQグリルで焼いてスイートチリソースをかけて食べるのが好きなので、スイートチリソースを作り置きしてます。
そのソースでエビチリを作りました。これは冷めても美味しくてお弁当にいい！！！

Karaage Bento ~Mickey and Minnie Rice Balls~

There are concerts in a nearby park every Tuesday in July.
We went there last week with bear sliders bento.
This week, I made Mickey and Minnie karaage bento.

Menu

Rice balls
Chicken karaage
Roasted brussel sprouts
Steamed pumpkin
Pickled daikon radish

Chicken Karaage (Japanese Fried Chicken)
Adapted from Japanese Recipe Website

2 Chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
4tbs Soy sauce
4tsp Sugar
1tbs Grated garlic
1tbs Grated ginger
Potato starch, enough to coat the chicken
Oil for frying

1. Mix soy sauce, sugar, garlic and ginger. Marinate chicken and the mixture in a plastic bag. At least 1 hour.
2. Add 1tbs of potato starch and massage the chicken over plastic bag.
3. Put more (a lot enough to coat chicken) potato starch and shake the plastic bag.
4. Fry.




~How to make Mickey and Minnie Rice Balls~

1. Shape warm rice as shown in plastic wrap. (I forgot to include their noses in this picture....)

2. Draw the line with sharpie.

3. Unwrap the plastic wrap and use as a guideline to cut nori seaweed.

**Cut the seaweed big enough to wrap their face. (See the picture on the right) It's easier to wrap seaweed if you cut slits as shown.









4. Wrap seaweed around ears and noses too.
5. Make the face parts with sliced cheese and nori seaweed.

Pooh Bear Bento

Used up leftover curry for bento.
I was going to make rabbit with mashed potato, but the potato I had at home was yellow....
So made pooh bear instead :p
I think the most difficult part of character bento is crating face parts....
It was difficult to cut the narrow lines like mouth><

Again, the hear was made with red pepper<3

Stuffed Red Peppers Strawberry

You need,
Stuffed red pepper
Cucumber
White sesame
Mayonnaise

Stuffed red pepper
1 Red pepper
110g Ground chicken (or pork)
1/2 Onion, chopped
1tbs Soy sauce
1tbs Mirin
1/2tbs Sesame oil
Salt and pepper
1tsp Flour






1. Mix all the ingredients but red pepper and set aside.

2. Take the slice of pepper.

2. Stuff the meat mixture in the pepper.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add the stuffed pepper. Meat side down. When meat is cooked, turn off the heat and put a lid to steam about 5-10 mins.

                                      
3. Peel a cucumber.  Cut with a knife to create hull.

4. Dip chopstick in mayonnaise and dot the red pepper where you will apply white sesame.
5. Put white sesame.

Hello Kitty Cake 3D

What did you make for a xmas party?
I had a fun time with my husband's family in socal! They got 5 girls, so decided to make a hello kitty cake for them. I thought about making it more xmasy, like coloring  the ribbon with green x red, making a nose with red chocolate or something like that. However, I just felt like making a original version after all.

Hello Kitty Chocolate Cake (9in)

-9in sponge cake ( I made chocolate one)
-Chocolate cream
         350ml  Heavy whipping cream
         160g  Chocolate (chopped)
-Whipped cream
         one pint Heavy whipping cream
         70g   Granulated sugar
         a little, vanilla extract
-Fruits (optional, but strawberries go well with this cake I think)

-Pocky (whiskers)



1. Slice a sponge cake into 4. Line a 9in bowl with plastic wrap. Cut the 2 slices of the cake to line the bowl as shown in the picture 1. It's like a puzzle, kinda..

2. Make chocolate cream. Put 160g chocolate and 160g whipping cream in another bowl. Mix then in a double boiler. Slowly melt the chocolate. When chocolate melt, take the bowl out from the double boiler and add the rest of the whipping cream. Mix carefully until thicker. Pour it in a bowl from step 1. (picture 2)
Make ears with a slice of the cake.  Lay the extra cake between cream. (picture 3) Put fruits if you want. Pour the cream to the top. (Picture 4).

3. Put a lid with the 4th slice of the cake. Refrigerate for a couple hours.

4.  Take it out on a cake plate. ( picture 6)

                        *I took this picture when I made a smaller size cake.

5. Connect the ears and the face with Pocky.

6. Make whipped cream by mixing heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Pipe around the face.

7. Make the face parts. (eyes & ribbon: chocolate, nose: ;lemon cream covered almond)

　

Naturally colored blue rice

It's kinda hard to make blue characters with food. Can you think about any blue vegetables??

However, you can create nice blue color with purple cabbage!

What you need

1/4 purple cabbage

2cup Water (adjust the amount of water to get your desired color. More water you put, more light color    you get)

A little  Baking soda

Cooked white rice (When you cook rice, use a little less water than usual.)

1. Boil water and add cabbage. Cook until the water become purple like this picture.

2. Add less than pinch of baking soda and mix. (if you put too much, it becomes green)

3. Add blue liquid little by little too white rice.

Shu-mai Dumpling Ducks and Inari Sushi Football Bento

My husband is a huuuuuuge Oregon Ducks fan!  He said there is a good game tomorrow, so I made "Go Ducks! bento" today:)
I made footballs with inari sushi. Please see Rilakkuma inari sushi bento for the recipe.

Ducks are made with shu-mai dumplings.
I wanted to use up tofu and chicken, so decided to make a lot of shu-mai with them and freeze for bento.
However, a problem is.... I don't have a steamer!! I need a big steamer to make a lot of shu-mai at one time.
I searched online and finally found a good solution....You just need.... CABBAGE! Yes, cabbage.
Please see below.


Shu-mai dumplings

150g Tofu (medium firm)
150 Chicken thigh (or ground chicken)
2 tbs Flour
1tbs  Soy sauce
1tbs Sake
a little Salt&Pepper
20 Shumai skins

1. Boil water and add tofu. Bring to a boil to get rid of water that tofu has absorbed. About 10 mins.
    Or Wrap tofu in a few paper towels and press with something heavy for about 3 hours.

2. Grind chicken with a food processor and mix well with the tofu.

3. Add flour, soy sauce, sake, salt and pepper. Add more flour if the mix is a little liquidy. (depends on how firm tofu is )

4. Place about a tablespoon of chicken mix on a shu-mai skin. Don't put too much.

5. Collect all the edges to the center and wrap as shown.

You can wrap them however you want!

6. Put about 1/2 cup of water and line the bottom of a pot with cabbage.

7. Put shu-mai on top.

8. Wrap a lid with a towel to avoid water from dropping on shu-mai(optional)

9. Cook over medium heat about 15~20 minutes.

10. If you want to freeze them, cool completely and put in a Ziploc and freeze.
      Don't forget to enjoy steamed cabbage too!!

To make ducks, make eyes with sliced cheese and nori seaweed.
Slice a boiled carrot and cut beak shape.
Connect edamame and shumai with a yellow pick.

It's fun to make referee's uniform design with rice and seaweed too:)

Rilakkuma inari sushi bento

Rilakkuma is a very popular character in Japan! I see a lot of Rilakkuma bento out there.
Why not, there are very cute and easy to shape:)
Try this Rilakkuma inari sushi bento^^

You need,
Inari tofu skin
Sushi rice (See sushi cake)
Sliced cheese
Nori seaweed

To make inari tofu skin,  you need
5 long or 10 short Sushi age (Google it, and you will see the pictures)
2tbs Soy sauce
2tbs Mirin
2tbs Sugar
1 1/2 water

1. Roll a chopstick over sushi age. This helps to open age easily and stuff rice inside.
    Cut age in half if you use longer ones.
2. Boil water and blanch sushi age (about 2mins)
3. Rinse with cold water too cool, Squeeze the excess water out
4. Place the age and all the ingredients in a pot and put a otoshibuta. (see otoshibuta)
5. Cook over low-medium heat until only a little liquid left.
6. Cool and squeeze the excess liquid out.

Ok, now time to make Rilakkuma!

1. Open sushi age pouch and stuff rice inside. Don't put rice too much. Especially the edges.

 2. Fold and close the age as shown

3. Pinch the edges where you make the ears.
4. Cut a cheese and piece of seaweed to make ears, eyes and mouth!

Pumpkin whiPOOHed 3D cake

Saw this cake on CookPad, a popular Japanese cooking website and fell in love!

Changed a recipe and direction to make it easier and healthier!!

What you need....

(cake size of Japanese rice bowl )

Base cake (12cm size)



Your favorite cream ( I used homemade black bean cream)

100g ish Mashed and strained pumpkin

1p Very firm vacuumed tofu (or heavy whipping cream)

5 Tbs Maple syrup



1. Cut the cake in 3 layers. Cut 1 of them into 4 and line a rice bowl with it. (picture top on right)

2. Put the cream in a rice bowl

3. Cut another layer of the cake to make the lid. (picture 3rd from top on right)

4. move it over to a large plate

5. Make ears with the last layer, using a heart shaped cookie cutter

6.Put the ears with toothpicks or fried pasta.

7. puree the tofu and maple syrup with FP and strain. Or whisk heavy whipping cream.

8. mix with pumpkin

9. just decorate the cake! (nose part is just creme)

10. make eyes and eyebrows with chocolate:)



Football Meat Pies

My boyfriend loves Oregon ducks and meat pies..so I combined both!

Quail eggs ducks wearing corns and broccoli stems hats and football meat pies.

Pies

Ingredients
2 puff pastry sheets
Meat fillings
Cheese

Direction
Cut out shapes with football shaped cookie cutters, using two different sizes.
First cut out 8 larger football pies, then cut 4 of them again using a smaller cutter.(I made the cutters by myself with a thick paper)
Place the second cut pies on the first ones.
Brush edges of pastry with beaten egg.
Bake in a very hot oven, 400F for 15-20 minutes.
When it's done, put the meat filling in the middle of the pies.
Cut cheese and put on the pies to make it look like footballs.



Meat pie filling
Recipe adapted from food.com

Ingredients
500 g minced beef
1 onions, chopped
1 cup water, divided
2 beef bouillon cubes
1/4 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 pinch nutmeg
3 tablespoons plain flour


Directions
Pre-heat oven at 220 degrees Celsius.
Brown meat and onion.
Add 3/4 cup of the water, bouillon cubes, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce, pepper, oregano, and nutmeg.
Boil and cover for 15 minutes.
Blend flour with the remaining 1/4 cup water until it becomes a smooth paste; add to the meat mix.
Let cool.