Bento Boxes

[Savory]

Originally Posted by spork

1. white miso soup with tofu, wakame seaweed and scallion
2. onigiri & a link of sweet Chinese sausage
3. various cold leftovers from pot of oden
4. saki-ika snack
5. hot green tea


Onigiri are individually plastic-wrapped, frozen, and zapped for 20 seconds in microwave to pack for lunch. Some are mixed with shiso furikake (dried, salted, citrusy leaves of beafsteak plant), Another furikake has dried salmon flakes, nori, sesame seed and other stuff. And my third onigiri has a topping of dried baby anchovies. Yum, I had some of them for breakfast.

Oden is a common street food in Japan, often served as skewers of stuff like winter root veggies simmering in a broth. You pay by the number of skewers left on your plate. Here's the wiki entry: Oden - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia My broth was chicken/dashi about 2:1, soy sauce & sake & sugar to taste, usually stronger than a soup. I have potato, mountain yam, carrot, pork shoulder, gobo-maki (burdock root wrapped in surimi fishcake), and chrysanthemum leaves. I forgot to pack some pungent Chinese mustard to go with my oden. Saki-ika (this one spiced mildly hot) is dried strips of squid. Love 'em! They're like the beef jerky of Asia. Great snacks because chewing them is a natural hunger suppressant.

Looks so beautiful!

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by Savory

Looks so beautiful!

Spork is a Bento Master.

[spork]

Thanks, all. Your kind words encourage me to keep posting the occasional pics of my lunch box. (Secretly, I have second grade fears that someone will comment on my lunches as "benjo." Please don't google for a translation. )

[LPBeier]

Originally Posted by spork

Thanks, all. Your kind words encourage me to keep posting the occasional pics of my lunch box. (Secretly, I have second grade fears that someone will comment on my lunches as "benjo." Please don't google for a translation. )

Spork, your lunches are a masterpiece! Works of art! You are a great inspiration.

I have to go to Vancouver for the day on Thursday and I get a lunch break. Originally I was going to meet a friend but she can't make it now. So, I have already started planning my Bento lunch. I think I will make some more of the vegetarian rice we tried last week, some veggie sushi which I will pick up on my way out of town and to drink I will take some green tea in my thermos and cranberry juice (straight, not cocktail) mixed with club soda in my thermal water bottle!

This will be the first "away from home" adventure for me and my Bento.

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by spork

Thanks, all. Your kind words encourage me to keep posting the occasional pics of my lunch box. (Secretly, I have second grade fears that someone will comment on my lunches as "benjo." Please don't google for a translation. )

I would never call it that!

I love your Bento, they give me inspiration.

[Timothy]

Originally Posted by spork

I found something! The oldest Asian market in town is a hole-in-the-wall which I hadn't been frequenting since three competing gigantic markets were built a few years ago. I stopped by today and found these, supposedly non-stick polypropylene, safe to a hundred degrees Celsius. I was surprised that the store appears to still be doing well; could be that the owner has a loyal following of customers for her weekend cooking classes in back of the store.

That looks perfect! I also discovered that my bamboo rolling mat fits snugly into a gallon baggie. I made some rolls the other night and used it that way and it was as snap to clean. I took the baggie off and trashed it. It did wipe down easily between rolls and the baggie didn't seem to hinder me in my roll making.

[spork]

I saw your earlier post, Timo, and think it's genius. One of the headaches of bamboo rolling mats is brushing it clean afterward. A personal headache of making inside-out rolls is wrestling with sheets of sticky cellophane. This solves both. Great trick!

[Timothy]

Originally Posted by spork

I saw your earlier post, Timo, and think it's genius. One of the headaches of bamboo rolling mats is brushing it clean afterward. A personal headache of making inside-out rolls is wrestling with sheets of sticky cellophane. This solves both. Great trick!

I actually got the idea from watching "mysushidaddy" videos. he uses one that way. I wish I could say that it wa my idea!

[LPBeier]

Woke up to another Bento Breakfast!
- rice noodles with some small cut broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
- spring roll
- rice crackers

My water thermos was filled with cranberry juice and my hot thermos was filled with green tea.

Gotta love my DH

[Timothy]

Originally Posted by LPBeier

Woke up to another Bento Breakfast!
- rice noodles with some small cut broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
- spring roll
- rice crackers

My water thermos was filled with cranberry juice and my hot thermos was filled with green tea.

Gotta love my DH

Your body loves you! What a wonderful breakfast!

[Kathleen]

Spork, like PF says, your Bentos give me inspiration! I love pictures! Heck, my Bentos are often not even Asian in nature - but I post them anyway.

[Timothy]

Originally Posted by Kathleen

Spork, like PF says, your Bentos give me inspiration! I love pictures! Heck, my Bentos are often not even Asian in nature - but I post them anyway.

Kathleen, I have to tell you, your sigline cracks me up every time I read it! When I was a young lad, "Mary Ann" in that show spellbound me. I thought she was just beautiful! Ginger never did anything for me.

For me, I guess it would be "A little bit Ginger, a Whole LOT of Mary Ann!

[spork]

I lusted for Mrs. Howell.

[LPBeier]

Originally Posted by spork

I lusted for Mrs. Howell.

I was "in love" with the Skipper!

I am off to Vancouver today for a very important meeting which will determine if I qualify for a Pain Clinic Day Program. I have an hour lunch break and with my finicky tummy I don't want to eat out.

So, as my Bento and I go on our first big trip together, here is what I am taking.
- two vegetable spring rolls with my neighbour's home made plum sauce,
- The last of the rice dish,
- Some raw veggies
I will take my Cranberry juice in my water bottle and some green tea in my thermos cup.

I am looking forward to lunch already!

[spork]

Originally Posted by LPBeier

I was "in love" with the Skipper!

I am off to Vancouver today for a very important meeting which will determine if I qualify for a Pain Clinic Day Program. I have an hour lunch break and with my finicky tummy I don't want to eat out.

So, as my Bento and I go on our first big trip together, here is what I am taking.
- two vegetable spring rolls with my neighbour's home made plum sauce,
- The last of the rice dish,
- Some raw veggies
I will take my Cranberry juice in my water bottle and some green tea in my thermos cup.

I am looking forward to lunch already!

I hope the meeting and your bento went well. I don't much like the sweet-sour dipping sauce for spring rolls that Chinese restaurants serve, so your neighbor's plum sauce piques me. Nice lunchbox, LB!

[Kathleen]

Originally Posted by LPBeier

I was "in love" with the Skipper!

I am off to Vancouver today for a very important meeting which will determine if I qualify for a Pain Clinic Day Program. I have an hour lunch break and with my finicky tummy I don't want to eat out.

So, as my Bento and I go on our first big trip together, here is what I am taking.
- two vegetable spring rolls with my neighbour's home made plum sauce,
- The last of the rice dish,
- Some raw veggies
I will take my Cranberry juice in my water bottle and some green tea in my thermos cup.

I am looking forward to lunch already!

It sounds very good! How does the neighbor make plum sauce? It sounds great!

[LPBeier]

Originally Posted by Kathleen

It sounds very good! How does the neighbor make plum sauce? It sounds great!

Originally Posted by spork

I hope the meeting and your bento went well. I don't much like the sweet-sour dipping sauce for spring rolls that Chinese restaurants serve, so your neighbor's plum sauce piques me. Nice lunchbox, LB!

I sat in the pain clinic waiting room rather than going to the cafeteria down the hall because it was quiet and they have comfortable chairs! Staff and other patients were intrigued by both the box and my food. The meeting was intense but good - won't know until next week if I qualify for the program.

I want to ask my neighbour for her recipe, so if I get it I will share it. It is not sweet at all, is more red in colour and much more appealing than those commercial sauces.

[spork]

What a fun disaster!

First, I'm like, okay, soy beans don't have mammary glands. Their milk is not really milk. This pot looks way big enough for even five cups of cow milk to boil. Wrong! As soon as you see the soy bean solution from powder begin to rise, you're too late. It froths and boils over like an escaped alien blob creature engulfing your stove top. Yikes! The coagulant is fun though, sort of like molecular cuisine. Here are my molds in the sink for the instructional 20-minute set.

And the resulting tofu from my onigiri molds, topped with traditional scallion, ginger, shaved bonito and soy sauce.


Fun, but more importantly, it didn't taste good. Made me feel inclined to join the tofu-bleh crowd. Were it not for the steaming tofu bakeries I was entrusted to shop weekly as a five-year old for my mother, I will try again with whole dried soy beans and google for a good coagulating agent...

[PrincessFiona60]

They certainly look pretty.

[Damien]

I <3 comfort food... Made a big bowl of miso soup tonight with shredded carrot, cubed tofu, spring onion, seaweed and udon noodles..

Yum!

-Damien