Hello again, my dear readers...! I am still alive and kicking despite of not being active virtually for one whole week :). In fact I feel very well and rather excited because I am officially on a long summer vacation now :D).

I thought about making a bento lunch today, but I finally decided to make a 'normal' meal which wouldn't take so much time to make, since I still had to do a lot of packing.

This soup tastes quite similar to my Szechuan Noodles with Wontons and Meatballs, but this udon noodles soup has got more toppings and looks indeed prettier ;).

Ingredients - serves 2

• 400 g Udon noodles
• 250 g ground pork
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tbs fish sauce
• 3 tbs 'Fried pork with chili in oil'
• 2 tbs oyster sauce
• Dashi powder to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 800 ml water
• Chopped green onions
• Topping suggestions: store-bought meatballs, fish balls, shiu mai, chikuwa (fish cake), shrimps, you tiao (Chinese bread stick), boiled egg, mushrooms and sugar snap peas.

Instructions

• Heat 1 tbs oil in a wok.
• Toss in the ground pork and chopped onion and stir fry until slightly brown.
• Add fish sauce, 'fried pork with chili in oil', oyster sauce and pepper.
• Simmer the meat sauce, stirring occasionally until cooked through.
• Add 800 ml water and dashi powder to taste.
• Add udon noodles and the toppings (except the you tiao) and cook for a few minutes.
• Garnish with green onions and you tiao slices.

Happy Cooking :)!

I was a bit in two minds whether I should make another Hello Kitty-themed bento or Totoro bento to end this week. I finally decided for Totoro, because I do like Totoro better than Hello Kitty ;). But I am sure I will still make the Hello Kitty bento I had in mind in the next few days (or weeks), especially because I do not want to disappoint the people who have been waiting for my other Hello Kitty-themed bentos :).

I don't have the motivation to get back to work again tomorrow, because I have been in summer vacation mode for some time. I guess, I simply need to be patient, because it's only one more week to go and then I am (somehow) free...:D)!! I made today's bento especially cheery to remind myself that my summer vacation is indeed coming soon :). I hope you will all enjoy looking at this bento as much as I did making it :)!

I included all three Totoros this time: Totoro, the gigantic friendly forest plus his companions, the blue Chu-Totoro and the petite white Chibi Totoro. I also made some Susu Wataris (dark sootballs which inhabit dark places and immediately flee in the presence of light) to make the bento more 'Totoro-festive'.

I like this Totoro bento much much more than my first Totoro bento, which I now think looks quite ugly. My second Totoro bento is quite cute IMHO, but the mini Totoros indeed look more like little mice than Totoros :).

I used toasted ground black sesame seeds to colour the rice dark gray (for the giant Totoro). Since I didn't have red cabbage available, I did use a tiny drop of blue food colouring for the Chu-Totoro. If you want to have a natural blue colour, use the juice of red cabbage and a bit of baking soda. The sootballs are made out of cheese and nori, the red flowers of radish and cheese and the yellow ones of cheddar cheese and goat cheese.

The side dishes today include a portion of salad with a few pieces of pan-fried chicken karaage and feta cheese and the smallest bento box is filled with Japanese-style stir-fried pork with peppers, sugar snap peas and shirataki noodles. You can also see one half of soy sauce-soaked egg and a piece of strawberry.

Japanese-Style Pan-Fried Pork with Shirataki Noodles

• 500 grams pork, very thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 200 grams Shirataki noodles
• 100 grams sugar snap peas, sliced
• 5 mini green peppers, seeded and sliced
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 3 tablespoons sake
• A pinch of sugar and pepper

I just did my first aid course today which was supposed to last for 8 hours. Luckily, we managed to finish earlier :). I learned a few new things which are very useful, but most of the things were plain boring, so I am glad it's over....!!

When I was sitting and 'listening' to the first aid lecture, I was thinking of what to make for today's bento :). So, this bento is the result of me being bored in the lecture ;).

As usual, I used red beet juice to make the pink rice. The two little girls are made out of quail eggs, coloured with soy sauce. Underneath the strawberry shaped rice there is pan-fried chicken karaage. The flowers are goat cheese and cheddar cheese, and of course my bento is never really complete without a portion of salad and fruit :).

I am back...:)! What a stressy and tiring week! I am glad it's over. Unfortunately I'll have to be away again tomorrow for a first aid course. I don't feel like doing it, but I need to, since I intend to get a driver's license this summer.

Today's bento is again quite simple and traditional. I used my new bento box from Japan, which you can see below. It looks very sweet and elegant, but it arrived much smaller than I expected. This bento box is very petite - I'd say, great for portion control!

The main course of today's bento is roasted duck with avocado chirashi sushi. I used brown rice instead of white rice and some slices of mushrooms, sugar snap peas and green peppers.

Duck and Avocado Chirashi Sushi

• 1 plate sushi Rice
• 50 grams store-bought roasted duck, sliced
  
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon mirin
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 3 mushrooms, sliced
  
• 2 - 3 tablespoons avocado cubes
• 3 sugar snap peas, sliced
• 2 mini green peppers, seeded and sliced

Instructions

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non-stick pan.
• Add mushrooms and roasted duck and stir-fry for 1 minute.
• Drizzle with soy sauce and mirin. Then add sugar snap peas and green peppers and stir-fry for another 1 minute. Turn off the heat.
• Add sushi rice and mix well.
  
• Decorate with avocado cubes.
  

This was my husband's lunch - looks quite healthy, doesn't it? Unlike last time, this time, I pan-fried the chicken karaage. A much healthier alternative and still very yummy too!

I've not really been in the mood of making cute bentos since a few days ago, probably much to my husband's delight ;). He prefers traditional-looking bento meals like today's bento. I've been feeling very tired for a few weeks, but this is going to be over soon because in two weeks' time I'll have my summer holiday :)!! However, due to work commitment, next week I'll be away for a few days from home. But, once I am back, I promise I'll come up with something new again :).

If I have not visited your blogs or replied your e-mails for some time, I do apologise...! After I am back from the trip, most of my work will be more or less done, so I'll have more time to make more bento meals, visit your blogs and reply your comments and e-mails :D).

Pan-Fried Chicken Karaage

• 4 chicken tighs, deboned and cut into bite-size pieces
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sake
  
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
• 1-2 tablespoons oil to pan-fry the chicken

Mix all ingredients well (except the oil) and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes. Heat your non-stick pan, add the oil and pan-fry the chicken until cooked and golden brown.

My husband loved this chicken karaage! And we didn't even have to have a bad conscience after eating it either, it's relatively healthy and absolutely scrumptious!

I stole the idea of the half avocado/half boiled egg from Shizuoka Gourmet's site :).

The bottom box is filled with rice, decorated with toasted sesame seeds, rucola and two sweet pepper slices. There are also three cherry tomatoes, lettuce border, pan-fried chicken karaage, lemon to zest the chicken and pan-fried green pepper.

The top box is filled with avocado/soy sauce soaked egg combo, tamagoyaki with Serrano smoked ham and salad on top of a bed of Tzaziki sauce.

This is my first time making Chirashi sushi. I was actually never tempted to try Chirasi sushi because I thought that Chirashi sushi always meant sushi rice topped with raw fish, because that's what I always saw in restaurants (and I am not that fond of raw fish, I only can eat raw salmon so far). But then I saw some chirashi sushi posts by Shizuoka Gourmet - he's a French national (I think) living in Shizuoka, Japan. His Japanese wife makes him the most mouthwatering bento, which he posts in his blog regularly, along with his other stories and and pictures of his food adventures in Japan.

Correct me if I am wrong, but apparently chirashi sushi simply means sushi rice (rice mixed with vinegar, salt and sugar) topped with any kind of ingredients you like. Since I love sushi, I thought that I really should give chirashi sushi a try.

Basic Sushi Rice

• 3 cups short grain rice
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• a pinch of salt

Instructions

• Wash the rice until the water almost runs clear.
• Cook the rice/water mixture in a rice cooker.
• Make the vinegar/sugar/salt mixture in a separate bowl.
• When the rice is cooked, pour in the vinegar mixture and gently mix the rice.

Topping Suggestions

• Scrambled egg
• Shiitake mushrooms, julienned and simmered in soy sauce, mirin, a pinch of sugar and dashi powder
  
• Boiled Shrimps
• Sugar snap peas, sliced
  
• Cucumber, julienned
• Blanched lotus root, thinly sliced
• Tobiko (Flying fish roe)
  
• 1 boiled egg, quartered
• Nori (roasted seaweed), cut into thin strips
• Toasted sesame seed
  

Verdict: Chirashi sushi is definitely worth a try! It's delicious and easier than sushi rolls to make :).

Today's song is again from Ayumi Hamasaki, called 'Mirrorcle World'.

Let me just do a quick post: the bento today consists of onigiri decorated with nori and daisy cheese. The side dishes include stir-fried kimchi with prawns, stir-fried bok choy with mushrooms and Indonesian spicy chicken and eggs (seasoned with fresh tomato puree, sambal oelek, a pinch of sugar and lemongrass powder). There's a portion of salad too. The two little chicks are made out of quail eggs coloured with turmeric - yes, these chickies are leftovers from two days ago...!

I have to admit, I didn't make this bento to eat it. I made it for fun, that's why the lack of 'yummy' ingredients. Just eggs and rice, they don't look so appetising, do they? To be honest, I am still very busy, so to get away from my pile of work, I sneaked into the kitchen and made bento instead *uuppss* ;). So for the time being Rilakkuma has to stay overnight in the fridge and I'll probably eat him tomorrow for lunch with a side dish - Wow, I do sound quite brutal, don't I...;)!

Rilakkuma's face is made out of soy-sauce tinted hard-boiled egg and the cow suit of rice and nori. The two little chicks are quail eggs, tinted with turmeric and the facial features are from nori.

I always wanted to make Matryoshka bento, but I thought that the facial expressions looked too complicated to make. But then I saw a picture of an Unazukin doll, which is a reminiscent of a Matryoshka doll, however the facial features are simplified and 'cutified' ;) - which is typical Japanese, I think.

The Unazukin dolls react to voice and can nod and shake their heads when questioned. They are meant to be a special friend who can give you some advice. The idea is actually somehow nice, but it's rather silly, because they will also shake or nod their heads when you bang the table or simply turn on the radio, since they're sound-activated ;)

The Unazukin dolls are created by Bandai, the company which also produces Tamagotchi.

The faces of my Unazukin dolls are made out of soy sauce-tinted quail eggs. The pink one is coloured with beet juice and the yellow one with turmeric powder. Their clothes are decorated with cheese (and salami) flowers and lettuce.

The other bento box is filled with boiled dumplings and chicken teriyaki/hot sauce/salad wrapper.

Yes, I do love my noodles...! As you might have noticed, I do post about noodles quite regularly too, if I don't make bento, I always seem to make noodles somehow ;). I usually eat udon or egg noodles, but this time I wanted to have something different and made something with rice vermicelli. This dish might look complicated, but in reality it's pretty simple.

Ingredients

Rice Noodles

• 100 g rice vermicelli, cooked
  
• 1/2 tablespoon Schweineschmalz (pork lard) or sesame/olive oil
  
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
  
• A pinch of pepper

Toppings (Suggestions)

• Store-bought beef balls, cooked
• Homemade (or store-bought) gyoza
• 1 boiled egg
• Savoury ground chicken/pork (I used leftover gyoza's filling and stir-fried it)
• Chopped green onion
• Fried shallots (or onion)
  
• Soy-sauce soaked mushrooms
• Naruto maki (Japanese fish cakes)
• Bok choy, blanched

Instructions

• Combine cooked vermicelli with Schweineschmalz, fish sauce, oyster sauce and pepper.
• Top the vermicelli with beef balls, pan-fried gyoza, egg, chopped green onion, fried shallot, bok choy, etc - basically anything you want...!

I love eating my noodles with Szechuan chili oil. If you don't have this, you can use other types of chili sauce too.

By the way, I watched the Japanese series 'Ordinary People' when I was still in primary school....!! I have always liked the OST 'True Love' by Fumiya Fujii from this series, this brings back lots of memories...*very old school* ;).

Hello everyone...! Here I am again with another bento lunch :D)! Ever since I have started working, I've learned to appreciate my weekends much much more, because the weekends are always over too quickly...

Anyway, I was inspired to make today's bento after I saw a few Hello Kitty in other Sanrio character suits pictures here. I am actually not a fan of Hello Kitty, but I love seeing her in different cute suits and her facial features are quite simple to make too.

The Hello Kitty on the left is wearing a Keroppi suit. The green suit is made out of eggsheet coloured with a drop of green food colouring. The eggsheet recipe can be found here. The Keroppi's eyes are made out of mozzarella cheese and nori.

 
Keroppi lives with his brother, sister and parents in a big house on the edge of Donut Pond, the largest and bluest pond around. Keroppi and his friends share his love for baseball and boomerangs. Most often he is seen with his little snail friend Den Den, always tagging along a little behind.

(Source: Sanrio.com)

The Hello Kitty on the left is wearing a Kuromi suit. Well, it doesn't really look like Kuromi, but anyway, I think it's not that bad... The suit is made out of nori and Kuromi's facial features are made out of cheese, nori and pink eggsheet.

My Melody’s friendly rival is a tomboy who loves making mischief and causing trouble! Although she may look tough, she is actually very girly and is attracted to good-looking guys! Kuromi enjoys writing in her diary and is hooked on romantic short-stories. Her favorite colour is black and her favorite food is shallots. Fittingly, her birthday is October 31st.
(Source: Sanrio.com)

Both Hello Kitty onigiris are filled with chicken teriyaki and mayo. There are also two slices of okonomiyaki in the bento box:).

For today's song I've chosen 'Green' by Ayumi Hamasaki. To be honest, I don't really like her voice very much and I only like a few of her songs. But her music videos are often very well-made, just like this one. Enjoy...:)!

I know I have been absent for a few days, I've been awfully busy this week and had no real time (and motivation) to cook. Anyway, there is nevertheless a very good news: there is another BENTO CONTEST by CasaBento :D)! You can find the details in BentoChannel.

Long story short, the contest is actually a game where you have to find an onigiri in distress which has lost his way.

If you want to join this bento hunt contest, the only thing you have to do is write an e-mail to bentochannel (at) casabento (.) com and tell them where you have found the image of this little onigiri in CasaBento's site.

The image of Onigiri in Distress which you have to find in CasaBento's site!

The lucky winner will be randomly selected and will receive ALL the goodies below :)!! So, join in...!!! You have time to participate until midnight GMT +1 on 22nd June 2011. This bento game is open to everyone around the world! Have fun :)!