bentolicious!

bento #8

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 14:37:33 GMT

♥ M E N U ♥
* spaghetti
* jazzed-up jarred meat sauce

Not much to say again, because I exhausted my entire story over at bentolunch on LJ and I don't really want to type it over again. Today's bento was kind of boring, but yummy all the same!

bento #7

Mon, 11 Jun 2007 20:55:55 GMT

♥ M E N U ♥
* stir-fry broccoli and carrots
* chicken salad
* egg chick
* pocky
* brazil gourmet passion fruit nectar

Chicken salad was easy-peasy. Hooray for finding leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge~ I just tossed it together with some mayo, pepper, and salt.

Stir-fry was also easy, and the broccoli turned out nice and green and pretty. The egg chick in the middle was made by following the tutorial on Cooking Cute. No recipes for today!

tamagoyaki

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 18:11:45 GMT

So I felt really bored and a bit guilty for not making anything this week, so I put an attempt together to end the week off with something home-made.

Sadly, I didn't really have anything I could make except tamagoyaki. Which is quite good, but a bit plain for my tastes. Happily, you can dress it up with anything you'd like --- it's basically like a rolled omelet --- I just didn't have any meats or veggies on hand (SPINACH?) that I would have wanted to put inside mine.

I also ended up putting too much salt in mine, so my first attempt is really just too salty for me to eat. It honestly would have turned out very good if not for the... overbearing salty flavor. I don't think I can stand it, even with a glass of juice. XD

Anyway, tamagoyaki is a nice Japanese breakfast meal. It can also be packed into an obento for a small snack on the side. I didn't take any pictures of my attempt, so here's an image I pulled off of google:

Sorry that the measurements aren't precise like the Thai-style Beefy Wraps. I've found that it's just too much of a bother to cook according to measurements, so I've resorted to the "a pinch of this, a dash of that" strategy. This will be how I post my recipes in the future, as well.

egg mixture *
♥ 3 or 4 large eggs, depending on how thick you want the roll to be.
- I would only use spices if there was a filling to go inside the roll.
♥ salt (optional)
♥ pepper (optional)

♥ fillings to put inside the roll: e.g. cheese, veggies, chopped meat (optional)

♥ canola oil

utensils
♥ large bowl
♥ fork or chopsticks for whisking
♥ frying pan or tamago pan
♥ spatula
♥ sushi rolling mat (optional, for shaping)

1. Whisk eggs and spices in a large bowl until thoroughly mixed.
2. Heat up your pan on medium or medium-high heat. Pour a bit of canola oil into the pan and coat the bottom.
3. Once the pan is well-heated, pour a thin layer of egg (1/3 or 1/4 of the bowl) into the pan and tilt the pan to coat the bottom. Place a layer of fillings on top of the eggs if wanted.
4. When the egg has cooked through enough that it can be moved without breaking, roll or push the egg to one side of the pan. Pour another layer of egg into the pan and tilt the pan around to let the egg spread out. Place another layer of fillings on the egg if wanted.
5. When the layer of egg has cooked through enough that it can be moved without breaking, roll the egg log back to the other side of the pan. Keep the layers as tight as possible when rolling.
6. Pour a layer of egg into the pan and tilt the pan to allow it to spread out. Place a layer of fillings onto the egg if wanted. When the layer of egg has cooked through enough that it can be moved without breaking, roll it into the egg log.
7. Continue this process until there is no more egg mixture in the bowl. Allow the egg log to brown slightly on both sides before taking it out of the pan.
8. Place the egg log on a moistened rolling mat if wanted and roll it tighter together or shape it into a slightly more rectangular shape.
9. Cut the egg log into as many pieces as you'd like (8 or 4 is fine)
10. Enjoy! ♥

Note: A tamago pan is a rectangular-shaped pan which allows the tamagoyaki to form evenly. With a frying pan, the egg log comes out fatter in the middle than on the outside, which is why I cut the edges off before serving for better presentation.

boredom is your worst enemy

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 08:30:11 GMT

Okay, I know I've been emoing over this for a looong time. Every time I google a recipe I might want to make, I always end up being one or two ingredients short. I might be able to substitute those ingredients or strike them out from the list, but I don't know how that would change the flavor. It makes me sad, because it ALWAYS happens. :( *wrists*

So I'll try making peanut-crusted tilapia fillets tomorrow. The original recipe calls for almonds, and I know substituting peanuts in will definately change the flavor. Either that, or I just won't put any type of nut on the fish. Bah!

I think I'm really just wanting another food challenge. I don't have any steak so curry goes out the window, and I'm missing about half of the ingredients for pad thai.

Oh! I just discovered that they sold bento boxes at Epcot Japan, though. I'll have to get one for myself if they sell varieties other than the ones that I can find at my Sanrio store.

I feel so bad, though. :( I just ate a TV dinner for lunch. After trying to cook my own lunches and trying to eat healthier, I've reversed my path! And it wasn't until after I started cooking my meals that I realized how little flavor was actually in those little boxes. It wasn't too filling, either.

Bah! I'll probably just make curry rice tomorrow. >:( If only my mom had bought those teeny individually packaged tilapia fillets (perfect for bentos!), then I would make an attempt at making pan-fried fish.

(On a random note, boy am I lusting for some onigiri moulds...)

Also, I went back into my blog and retagged the entries for easier finding.

Okay, this was written sometime in the afternoon. Bah, stupid DJ being down.

bento #6

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 17:44:38 GMT

♥ M E N U ♥
* pork jiaozi/gyoza
* rice
* leftover xiang tsai/tofu

Nothing much to say about today's bento. It was good, though. :) I'll post a recipe for the jiaozi the next time my mom makes a big batch of them. The leftovers I really have no idea what was in them, so I just guessed when I was putting it in the menu. My bentos aren't very colorful lately, which makes me sad. I need to get more colorful foods to stick in them!

bento collection and supplies.

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 18:10:07 GMT

Here is my current bento box collection and a list of the supplies I use.

This is my Cinnamoroll bento box with elastic band and divider. It can hold a nicely-sized meal for me or a large snack. However, if I use this to pack a meal, I don't expect to have much space to put other things, even decorations. This is a kid-sized bento that I purchased from Sanrio.

This is my totally cutesy-poo Chi Chai Monchan bento from Sanrio. It's decently sized, and I actually have a bit of trouble filling it all. It has a sealing lid like a tupperware container, and it has a compartment at the top which holds a matching fork and spoon. Too cute!

This is my My Melody bento, which has an elastic band and divider. It can hold a substantial meal just like the Cinnamoroll box, though I'm not sure if it has more or less in the way of space. I also purchased this from Sanrio.

These are my eating utensils, both My Melody. The one on the left is a set, and the pair of chopsticks on the right I bought separately.

This is my Tenorikuma bag, which I use to carry my bento boxes to school.

bento #5

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 16:53:14 GMT

Bento five. No picture yet, because my other computer (where all of my bento photos are) is dead, and it has no internet.

(image added!)

♥ M E N U ♥
* japanese dry rice (curry)
* boiled egg

I had wanted to make some hotdog octopi and crabs, but I couldn't find the mini sausages in the freezer. I guess my mom tossed them out. :(

This bento was pretty good, but the rice was still a bit hard after nuking it in the microwave for 2 minutes. The egg was yummy, but it kind of fell apart after I sliced it. XD

hmmm!

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 02:13:15 GMT

I had an idea! I'll pack a boiled egg surrounded with snacks fortomorrow's side-container. :) The recipe suggests crumbling a boiledegg over the rice before eating. I couldn't make one tonight becausethe pot was already being used to make marbled tea eggs --- yummy.

challenge: curry rice, part 2!

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 02:13:01 GMT

I took the advice from the bentolunch'ers and soaked my box in somevinegar. I'm probably going to have to do the lid too, later. I'll capthe box and lay it on it's top after the bottom is done soaking. I canactually do that because it's a tupperware-ish box. Yay~ I can eat outof it again~

Anyway,I just finished the curry rice with my mom's help. It's DELICIOUS. Iforesee myself making this as a bento dish for myself many times in thefuture.

I ended up not using the Golden Curry base and insteadused my mom's curry powder. I'll be using the curry base to make somesoupy curry for myself some other day.

The curry was very veryvery good --- sweet because of the tomatoes and raisins in the dish andspicy because of everything else. :) It's great as a stand-alone dish,so I don't think I'll be packing anything with it in my bento tomorrow.I'm probably going to go out to the playground to eat because I'll bevery very bored since no one's home. I'll have to think of somethingelse to pack with the rice, though. Probably apple slices and someother fruit, or something like that. I can't really think of any snacksthat would complement the food.

Tomorrow, I might also try making noodles. Wish me luck. :(

challenge: curry rice, part 1!

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 00:57:36 GMT

Okay, before I start talking about curry and rice, I finally got my bentos and supplies back from Carissa. :) My Chi Chai Monchan box was disgusting, though. It had a bit of fuzzy mold in it. I washed it clean, but I'm not quite sure if it's safe to eat out of, still. I just posted on bentolunch asking ways to kill the mold and make sure it's completely dead, so I hope to be eating out of that box again soon. It's too adorable to go to waste. :(

I'll have pictures of my supplies and boxes when they dry out. I'm too lazy to hand-dry them.

Anyway, onto the cooking challenge! Japanese dry curry. I'm not making the stew-type curry, because that would take too long and I am much too impatient to chop up so many ingredients. I suppose I could try making the stew-type some other day, though, when I'm not feeling so lazy.

The recipe is here: http://www.justhungry.com/japanese-dry-curry

I will be preparing the ingredients and heating the wok in a little bit. :)

curry!

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 02:42:41 GMT

Okay, I haven't had a chance to make a bento, even out of leftovers, for two days. It doesn't seem like I'll be able to make one tomorrow, either.

I did discover Golden Curry brand curry bases at my Publix, however, so I bought one of those and I'll be trying out some curry recipes over the summer. I think I'll be doing volunteer work, so I might have a chance to show off my bento skills over the summer too.

I want to try making dry curry rice (perfect for obentos), curry bread, and beef curry. I am pretty sure that they sell the boxes of curry base at my asian grocer too, so I'll be able to pick up some more there if my cooking attempts succeed.

(I also found pad thai sauce at Publix! I'll have to try some of that after I use the sauce that I made up.)

challenge: pad thai, part 3!

Wed, 30 May 2007 02:21:23 GMT

Pad thai again. This time the sauce was a success: used chicken boullion spice instead of the red pepper spice that we had. Didn't use as much sugar, but kind of overdid it with the vinegar again. The fish sauce had a bit of sweetness to it, so it was good that I just sprinkled a bit of sugar in instead of dumping in a large spoonful.

Uh... Soaked the noodles, chopped up some garlic at last minute, handful of bean sprouts, 4 large shrimp, 1 large egg, scallions/green onion.

Defrosted/chopped/washed everything, and soaked the noodles.

First attempt was total failure. I heated the wok up to smoky hot like chez pim said, but didn't know to turn down the heat. I dumped some oil in and threw in the garlic; they were burned almost instantly. I threw in some water to cool down the wok and that just caused a whole bunch of water vapor to go up into my face. It was sooo freaky, and all the smoke went into my eyes, almost blinding me for a little bit. I had to turn the stove off and run it under the sink for a few minutes.

My mom came over to help the second time, and stir-fried the veggies and garnishes while she put the noodles bubbling in another pot --- which is what someone suggested to me when I came back to read the comments to the post I made in bentolunch on LJ.

The second try came out decently, though the noodles were still a bit stiff in some spots (where they had been folded, probably), and I ended up with a lot of egg and bean sprouts left over.

I don't think I'm going to be making this for tomorrow, I'll just heat up some rice and leftovers to put into my bento tomorrow before my mom wakes up. :S I need to learn how to properly use the wok before I try making something with it again --- which is a bit sad, because most of the recipes I want to try call for using it.

Bah! Sandwiches and leftover rice for me now.

Awesome pad thai recipe posted by one of the people:

http://community.livejournal.com/bentolunch/1080145.html?thread=9067601#t9067601

:) I'm going to have to try their variant after I learn how to use the wok.

Rice tomorrow, then~ And if not, icky school lunch again.

challenge: pad thai, part 2!

Tue, 29 May 2007 21:25:31 GMT

Okay, I tried making the sauce this morning? Fail. I added much too much sugar to the sauce and couldn't reverse it even with lots of fish sauce and salt dumped in. The chili powder I used also wasn't so great. I ended up with some cloyingly sweet sauce with a bit of sour in it and a very subtle salty flavor. This has taught me to put in the sugar last. :S I think my fish sauce might actually be a bit sweet, which is why it didn't do much to counteract the sugar I put in.

Uhhh. Which is why you don't make the sauce an hour before school starts. :( I was going to make a small bento with leftovers and rice, but my mom woke up and she didn't want me to pack rice because "it would spoil". Which it wouldn't have. u_u;

So I ended up having lasagna today, crappy school lunch. I'm going to try making pad thai again for tomorrow, but I don't know if I'll just end up making curry rice or not. :S I'll have to look up the recipe on I was really just very hungry. and see which one would be easier --- though honestly, I'd really like to succeed in making pad thai. The pad thai they had at Crazy Buffet was delicious, and I'd like to be able to make some at home. :(

So I guess I'll make a second attempt at making the sauce tonight, this time factoring in some other recipes. I only referred to Chez Pim for my attempt this morning, I'll probably find an actual recipe for sauce so I can cross-reference the two.

Must also remember to prepare ingredients before throwing them in the wok tomorrow morning. Must defrost shrimp, prepare/wash bean sprouts, and chop green onions the night beforehand if the sauce is a success. No fried tofu --- I thought that we had some frozen tofu in the fridge but I guess not. :( Mmm.

Wish me luck on my second attempt~

challenge: pad thai, part 1!

Tue, 29 May 2007 02:44:15 GMT

Okay, I was talking about making pad thai yesterday. :) I'm still very determined to make it for tomorrow, even if I don't have all of the ingredients (tamarind). I'm a bit disappointed that I will have to switch out tamarind for white vinegar --- I think that it will take away some of the texture from the noodles. If tomorrow's lunch turns out well, then I think I shall persuade my mom to buy a jar of tamarind paste so that I can make some authentic pad thai for myself over the summer.

About to whip up some of the sauce right now to use tomorrow morning when I wake up. Going to do it right now so I can just start up the wok and soak my noodles right when I get up tomorrow morning. I had wanted to make some tonight, but I wasn't sure if it would refrigerate/reheat well.

Also, I love this blog: http://chezpim.typepad.com/

Pad thai recipe here: http://chezpim.typepad.com/blogs/2007/01/pad_thai_for_be.html

Awesome. I'm just a bit sad that I won't have any snacks tomorrow if it fills up my entire bento box --- Carissa still has my snack bento as well as my tupperware-ish bento.

More tomorrow. <3

also...!!

Sun, 27 May 2007 03:21:58 GMT

Pad thai coming on tuesday. My mom bought rice vermicelli for me, yay! Now I'll just have to scour the web for a nice recipe. :)

new bento!

Sun, 27 May 2007 03:19:57 GMT

New bento box, that is. I bought that cutesy-poo My Melody bento box when I went to Sanrio today! I'm still waiting to buy the thermos, though I am a bit tempted to get both the large and the small, metal My Melody thermos. And perhaps that Tenorikuma mug I saw, as well.

The My Melody bento box is totally cutesy-poo, with matching elastic band which holds the lid together --- same as my Cinnamoroll bento. There is a removable divider inside. The bento is slightly small, but it's totally enough to fill me up if I am packing for myself only. If I were to pack for two or three, I would bring both this and my Cinnamoroll one. It would also work as a snack bento, though it might be enough to fill up one section with food (pad thai? curry rice?) and then the other with fruits and nibblies.

Alright, I bought this two weeks ago. But it is totally cutesy-poo and small enough to carry one of my bentos to school. For two or more, I would have to deck out the awesome firetruck lunchbox I have. It acts as one of my carrying bags for my bento until I can find a bandana pretty enough to act as a furoshiki.

I really want to get a pretty two- or three-tiered bento from Hakoya, because I definately do not have enough room in my bentos to pack everything that I would like. The bentos on Adorable bento --- a link in the Japanese bento blogs section of Cooking Cute --- show cute little ways to fill up the Cinnamoroll bento that I have, but I do not have the patience nor the time to make something really cutesy like that with all of those different things inside. I am also wishing for an onigiri mould or two -- it takes too long to hand-shape them, and I would really like one of those cutely-shaped moulds too.

That's all for today! My full bento collection shall be coming when Carissa brings my stuff back to my house.

ooh la la (bento 4)

Sat, 26 May 2007 02:28:43 GMT

Bento #4!

♥ M E N U ♥
* maruchan microwave yakisoba
* mini pepperidge farms chessmen cookies
* curry dried bread pieces (from china)

Once again, please excuse the bad photo. I didn't even bother messing with layers on Photoshop today.

Quick and easy bento today. I fixed up a microwave pack of yakisoba and tossed in a few florets of broccoli and some slices of beef from dinner last night (heated up, of course). It wasn't bad, but I think that buying a packet to cook on the stove from the asian grocer would make it a bit better. :) See the noodles? Some got really mushy while some stayed crunchy. If I had a stove pack, then I would be able to make sure that all of the noodles were cooked to a good softness.

No drink today, I bought a can of orangeade again. I really need to buy that thermal water bottle (MY MELODY!!) from Sanrio so I could bring something from home like tea. But oh well --- school's almost over so I can't really show off, so I'll get it in time for next year's bento. :D I am also determined to buy that My Melody bento box to add to my collection, though I really want a nice Hakoya bento or something along the lines of that.

The snack bento was full of chessmen cookies and curry bread from china (neither of which I really touched).

As you can see, this was a bento packed for two people. I packed lunch for both Carissa and I and we had a feast in the middle of the freakin' lunch table. People were jealous. I should learn not to bring so much food next time, however. I was yelling at Carissa to shove food down her mouth and we ended up throwing away a bunch of noodles anyway. The snack bento's still full, so I think she's eating the snacks I packed in it right now (I left my bentos at her house since I went over for a party).

No recipe tonight, sorry. =( Also no bento collection photos, because both of my bento boxes and my utensils are at Carissa's house, as well as my FIRETRUCK LUNCHBOX. The only thing I have on hand that is bento-related is the Tenorikuma bag I use to carry my bento boxes when I only have one on hand.

I'll see if I can't go to the asian grocer tomorrow with my mom. If I don't, then I'll get her to buy a pack of rice vermicelli so I can make pad thai on Monday in preparation for Tuesday. Yay! ♥

first post!

Fri, 25 May 2007 01:01:37 GMT

This is the first post of my bento blog. ♥

I do not have a picture of bento #1 or #2, how sad. )': Bento #1 was a rather pathetic attempt, two riceballs filled with tuna and wrapped with nori on a bed of lettuce. The decorations did not stay in place, the riceballs sucked quite badly. I had to buy cafeteria food after downing half of my first riceball.

Bento #2 was made earlier last week, while I was scraping for time in the morning. It had a sandwich sliced diagonally, with deli sliced turkey, provolone cheese, and spicy mustard inside. The decorations I made were a nori teddy bear face, a nori star, and two wiener flowers. I did have the camera, but the memory card was full so I couldn't snap a picture of it before school.

Moving on to the bento I completed today.

♥ M E N U ♥
* zephyrhills half-pint water bottle
* thai-style beefy wraps
* pack of preserved tofu with seasonings

Please excuse the slightly bad-quality photo. My digital camera does not shoot as sharply as I would like it to, and I was a bit too lazy to sharpen the image up after adjusting layers and resizing it on Photoshop.

Anyway, the beefy wraps were slightly adapted from a recipe on Cooking Cute. They were quite good, says Carissa. I think I could have put more fish sauce to improve the kick from the seasoning I put on the flour tortillas. (I had one roll, then traded the rest of my bento for Carissa's sandwich while proclaiming the godly status of her mom's orgasmic sandwichs. D:)

I hardly touched my bottle of water, I went to buy a can of orangeade because I was in the mood for a bit of flavor that lunch. However, the half-pint bottles that Zephyrhills produces are quite cute, and good for a bento pack. It is also a nice amount of water for one lunch. I found that I didn't even finish my bottle when I had packed one the last time I brought a bento to school.

I didn't eat the pack of preserved tofu either, though I think it would have gone quite well with the wraps. My dad's friend brought a large pack of them over from China, and I found that they were in cute little bento-sized packets. ♥ They're quite yummy and flavorful as a snack, so I shall pack one again when I have a bento with the majority of it being a less flavorful food.

I found that the wraps were quite large and took up all of the room in my bento --- even the room I had wanted to save for perhaps a stick of edamame or two. :( I shall make use of my removable divider for that bento box eventually, though I think I shall use my Chi Chai Monchan bento for tomorrow's meal --- I will probably be packing Yakisoba. Mm!

You could also get the recipe from Cooking Cute, but I've simplified it slightly and reduced the ingredients.

Makes enough for one person, recipe can be adapted for more.

seasoning *
♥ 1/2 Lime
♥ 3 tsp Thai fish sauce (can be more or less, depending on your preference of flavor)
♥ pinch of sugar

wraps *
♥ 1 package roast beef (I bought the type that come pre-sliced, in those red-lidded glad-ware boxes. You can also buy roast beef at your deli or substitute with other deli meat. Amount is to your preference, depending on how beefy you would like your rolls. I used about 1/2 of my box to cover one tortilla.)
♥ romaine lettuce (from a bag or a head of lettuce!)
♥ carrot
♥ tomatoes (optional)
♥ any other ingredients you think would go well in a wrap!
♥ large flour tortilla

utensils *
♥ small bowl
♥ sushi rolling mat (optional, preferred)
♥ sharp knife (not a serrated steak knife, please)
♥ a mixing utensil
♥ a spoon or measuring spoons
♥ plastic wrap

1. Warm the tortilla in the microwave. This will make it easier to roll if it has been in the refrigerator or freezer.
2. Squeeze lime juice into the small bowl. Add fish sauce and pinch of sugar. Mix thoroughly.
3. Spread the mixture onto the tortilla lightly. Be sure not to sop the tortilla, only enough to lightly coat one side.
4. Cover tortilla with roast beef slices, slightly overlapping them. More layers of beef can be added if one prefers meatier rolls.
5. Place romaine lettuce on one side of the roll.
6. Cut the carrot into small sticks or whittle slices off of it (I used a peeler to whittle slices of carrot off and collected them on a plate.), place them on top of the romaine lettuce in a line.
7. Place the tortilla on plastic wrap, which should be on top of the sushi rolling mat if you have one.
8. Roll the tortilla together starting from the lettuce side, making sure not to get the plastic wrap into the tortilla as well.
9. Shape until pleased, then cut into segments which will fit inside your bento box. I like to cut off the unseemly end segments first and then divide the rest up properly.
10. Enjoy! ♥

(I am wondering what these would taste like with a small dollop of sour cream. Hmm~)

I shall post photos of my bento collection tomorrow or Saturday when I have time. ♥ Entry coming tomorrow!