I’m a gadet freak, if that hasn’t become obvious. I’ve lived in four countries and made about move a year since 1997. No only does that mean I’m a bit broke, but it means I’ve amassed a lot of stuff. Well I did at a couple of points in my life, until I figured out that moving all that shite means $$$.
So, last move I finally got the clue that I should go to the 2nd hand store for all my stuff, especially kitchenware. Lo and behold, I started discovering some awesome stuff. George Foreman grills for $3. A single sandwich press(similar to panni makers but circa 1980s) for $1, and a mini Cuisinart for $2(half-off Mondays ) My next mission is to find a pressure cooker under $10.
It didn’t stop at the 2nd hand stores. It grew to late-night lurking on eBay. A distraction that would whisk me away from having to call that next source for an article due at 9 am the next day. I found page upon page of Japanese gadgets to make my bentos a la Julie Andrews in the “Sounds of Music” Oh soo pretty!
On my last post, I talked a bit about the Japanese mandolin I found. And does that baby slice. I made some Japanese potato salad and for that you need paper-thin cucumber. Well, I got it and probably a thicker waist, as I ate all of it.
To compliment my mandolin, I found on Amazon.com a pickle press, another gadget I’ve been drooling over for about a year but never just got around to getting it. Well, I was hoping to find one in the city or at Mitsuwa, a Japanese grocery store outside of Chicago. No such luck and had to order online. Well, it came and I was finally able to make those pickles I’ve been reading about in my macrobiotic book.
However as luck would have it, I would hit the “buy” button, navigate to another page and find out that I could make the darn things with two large salad bowls. Oh such is life–full of irony.
When I got it was amazed by it’s size. I believe it’s about gallon size. I never bothered to really measure the weight on it as, I was too happy, like a diabetic kid in a candy store. So I got to pressin’.
I decided to make some Chinese pickles since I had a craving for them.
You just slice up your veggies and place them in with the brine…
And screw you way to pickle heaven.
And there you have it folks, within 24 hours you’ve got yourself some homemade pickles. Easier ones I made were with salt. Just slice up the veggie you want, layer and then add sea salt in between the layers. As the liquid rises, pour it off. If it’s too salty, then just rinse before you eat.
Bento うU as in “Who“
I did something simple this time around.
A bento with Turkey patties, rice with fukikare, and edamae mixed with miso, dashi maki and stir-fried snow peas.
Nothing special here. I used a regular hamburger recipe for the patties. The rice was just re-warmed to mix in the furikake, mixed boiled edamae (soy beans) with miso and stir-fried the peas in sesame oil.
I guess the edamae with miso was my macrobiotic dish.
Tonight I was a bit tired, so I went for some simple fare, Yakisoba or fried noodles. But it was cool as it gave me a chance to play with my new gadget again. About a week ago I got a Japanese madolin which I’ve been keeping an eye on for months. It’s not really expensive, depending on where you get it. I know of one store in Chinatown that sells it for about $30. But everything in that store is way overpriced anyway. I found mine for $20 at A &J’s.
So, I busted it out to make the shredded veggies needed. It comes with three blades, fine, medium, and coarse to shred the veggies according to what dish you’re going to make. And then there’s one big blade attached. The one cool thing about this is that it can shred your veggies paper thin which is great for making Japanese-style potato salad. Watch this vid by Owen Mack.
Funky, huh? So, I got out my veggies: cabbage, carrot, a few dried snow peas, broccoli steams, and rehydrated a few shiitake mushrooms. Then shredded everything up, except the mushrooms which were chopped. In macrobiotic cooking, it’s suggested to purchase a cutting knife for veggies. Similar to this: .
Now, why a regular ole knife won’t do the trick, I haven’t got a clue but I can’t complain about mine, as it’s been one of the best purchase I’ve made. Reminds me of those Ginsu knives commercials. **Stop for trip down memory lane, pls. **
Ah, I watched too much tv as a kid on Spring break. Well, here’s the bento I mustered up. And the lesson for the day is い which sounds like I as in “Tea“. Ta-Da!!!
Bento い- Yakisoba
A package of frozen yakisoba noodles with veggies, pickled veggies(homemade!!!), and macrobiotic apple sauce.
If you can’t get your hands on packaged yakisoba, then try this.
1 pack of ramen noodles
veggies of your choice
oil for stir frying
2 cups soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 cup mirin
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
Boil the noodles, then set aside, then stir fry your veggies for about 5 mins or so. Don’t overdo it, you want them to be crisp. Then add the noodles back to the pan, add seasonings and stir fry until coated. I usually top it off with a bit of Kewpie mayo, a japanese mayonnaise. But Miracle Whip will do just fine. Don’t over do it. And don’t go, uggh until you try it.
As for the apple sauce, I made that in my best kitchen gadget, my rice cooker The rice cooker will have it’s own post, as I could rave about it for days. Anyway, peel about 5 or 6 red apples, toss in a pinch of salt and raisins to your delight(not in the orginial recipe-but I found they added the necessary sweetness). Cover the bottom of the pot with water and set on porridge cycle. If you don’t have a rice cooker, then use a pot, of course, and bring water to a boil and lower to a simmer. Cook until done, which is about 55 mins or so. The recipe said you could puree them in a food processor but I found mine to be so soft, that a good mash with a spoon was enough.
Well here’s my first bento. I tried to think of something clever for the title but it seemed like I would be bitin’ on my favorite bloggers if I used numbers. So I settled for using hirigana characters number my bentos. Well, I guess that is clever. ;P I get to practice my hirigana again and you get to learn. So “あ” is “A” in Japanese. There’s your lesson for the day.
Right(Top): Mini Turkey burgers, Salad, Kidney Beans in Miso
I mixed rice with furikake, a seaweed seasoning that’s used often in flavoring rice. The kind I used is egg, ’cause I’m allergic to fish. You can find various flavors, like fish flakes (benito), eel, etc. In Chicago, you can find these in Chinatown at the Chinatown Market on Archer across from the Archer Mall.
After mixing it in, I put it into a mold to get the round shapes. You want to do this while the rice is warm. These molds can be found on Ebay or if you’re in Chicago, check out A&J’s in the Archer Mall. They range about $1.99 to $4.00 or so.
For the turkey burgers, I mixed in green onion, green pepper, egg, panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) with a bit of mirin and soy sauce and fried it in a bit of sesame oil. The kidney beans cooked in miso come from “Changing Season Macrobiotic Cookbook: Cooking in Harmony with Nature” by Aveline Kushi and Wendy Esko. I have been attempting to go Macro for about a year, but it takes discipline and giving up some stuff. So I figured I would still attempt it but ease it into my diet. You know, take one thing out and replace it with a macro food. Then suddenly I’m all macro!! Alot of macrobiotic cooking requires using a pressure cooker but I’m not getting one, unless it pops up at my favorite second-hand store. So, I used my slow cooker and waited for it to cook down then I put in the miso and let it cook the rest of the time.
Kidney Beans with Miso
1 cup kidney beans, washed and soaked for 6 to 8 hours
water
1-1 1/2 teaspoons pureed barley miso.
Place beans in a pot. Add just enough water to cover beans. Bring to a boil. Reduce flame to medium-low and cover. Simmer for about 2 hours. Add water occasionally while cooking, only as needed to just cover beans as they expand and absorb water. After 2 hours or so, place pureed miso on top of beans. Do not mix, because the natural cooking action of the beans will draw the miso down. Continue cooking until beans are soft and creamy. Place in a serving bowl and serve.
I love love the Food Network especially “Good Eats” and “A Cook’s Tour”. Well, while surfing for Japanese recipes for my future bentos, I came across this Youtube.com channel by Tomoko called “Oyamake’s” . If you’ve ever wanted to cook those rolled eggs or tried to and ended up with a mess, then you may get a tip or two from her.
I’ll get ya started with her Dashi Maki (rolled eggs). I learned a good tip from watching this vid. She uses a tsp. of katakuriko, or potato starch, which probably gives the eggs a bit of firmness, something I’ve never come across in my recipe books.
When I ordered my first bento, I got it and was like “Huh! This is a small (beep) box!) In my last post, I posted my red bento with measurements. It’s about 6 inches wide and 4 inches tall. So you’re probably thinking, um, I’m an American how’s that gonna fill me up? Well, much to the credit of the Japanese, who know how to get the most out of space, there’s a science to how it should be packed.
Before I get into details, I’m going to give some background on food nutrition via Japan.
In 2005, the powers that be in Japan, figured people were getting too fat, girls too skinny and people too reliant on foreign foods as well as just an overall breakdown in how to eat properly. So, they enacted a law called Shokuiku. Shokuiku is “the acquisition of knowledge about food as well as the ability to make appropriate food choices,” according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).
An excerpt from “What is Shokuiku”:
Some might criticize that eating is such a personal thing that government shouldn’t regulate by a law. However, Japanese situation over food has already reached to a crisis point, and that a law had to be enacted in order to address these issues.
Let us first examine the nutritional balance issue. The Japanese dietary pattern, which consists of rice as a staple, combined with a variety of other food, such as fish, meat, vegetables, fruits and milk, was formulated by around 1980. This dietary pattern was well- balanced from nutritional point of view. However, today we find that the ideal dietary pattern has been totally eroded, especially among males in their thirties to sixties of age group who tend to consume excessive amounts of fat. According to the National Health and Nutrition survey in fiscal year 2003, about 30 percent of males in thirties to sixties of age group are overweight, and in all age groups, except for the twenties, overweight male is increasing.
Meanwhile, excessive desire with acquiring a slim figure “the skinnier, the better” is becoming widespread mainly among young females, due to cultural influences from television and magazines, and has become a social issue.
I think it’s kind of funny that a government could actually “impose” proper eating habits on its citizens. I haven’t been there since 1999, so I wonder if there are ‘diet’ police walking around, watching people as they eat. “Excuse me sir, but please step away from the tempura. You’re five pieces over the limit.”
And then MAFF went about developing intensive nationwide programs, educating people on dietary guidelines. Their aim in creating Shokuiku is the follow:
Helping people to enjoy a healthy diet.
Promoting people’s understanding on agriculture, forestry, fishery and food industry.
Perpetuation of traditional food culture and
Providing information on food safety.
In addition to the guidelines, they created a visual food guide to bring home da law. The Japanese Food Guide Spinning Top is similar in concept to the American version of the food pyramid. It illustrates the recommended daily servings and serving quantities. The MAFF considers their guide to be unique because “recommendations are illustrated and explained using specific dishes.”
Brings to mind Weight Watcher’s points and the Atkins diet book. Hmm. So how does this all get incorporated in a bento?
According to the Spinning guide, bentos are to be packed to a 3:1:2 ratio. 3 parts grain, 1 part protein and 2 parts vegetables. If you follow the guide, then you also would have to pack a bento according to your age and weight. For example, I’m 36 and average height, so I should choose a bento that holds about 600 ml(20 oz). I’ve read that if I wanted to lose weight, I probably would consider a 500 ml size bento. The Mr. Bento is for men, which is has four bowls, 15.2, 10.1, 9.5, and 6.8 ounces. The Ms. Bento’s two bowls are 11.8 ounces for the main bowl and the side bowl is 10.5 ounces. Therefore, I was overeating when I was using my Mr. Bento. Arrrgh!
I couldn’t find an English picture, but pink is for women and blue for men.(Funny how somethings are the same around the world.) And the columns are the same as the English explanation of the spinning guide. So, a woman between the ages of 18 to 69 could consume 5-7 servings of grains, 5-6 servings of vegatables, 3-5 servings of meats or fish, and two servings a piece of milk/dairy and fruits daily.*
*If you see an error, then let me know. Thx
Guide-shmide! Show me the food!
I looked around for some examples for 3:1:2 practice and here’s what I found. Check back in the week to see what I’ve started to do. Thanks for reading!!!
I guess that means you’re looking for new ways to spice up things at lunch. There’s something I’ve learned in all my surfing and reading about bentos, they’re great for several goals.
First, they are great for portion control. There are several bloggers who are using them to lose weight. My favorite is Justbento.com and Adventures in Bentomaking. On Just Bento, Makiko, the author, has excellent pictures, along with instructions and a calorie count. Also, she breaks down the cooking time for preparing a bento. On Adventures, Pikko used her bentos in combination with Weight Watchers, to lose 22 lbs. Yea Pikko! Both tend to use Japanese style foods/ingredients more frequently. If that’s not your style or hard to get in your area, that’s cool. But they both are great to learn how to create a healthy balanced meal for weight loss.
Second, they’re great for cutting costs. We all know that taking your own lunch to school, work, etc puts more bang in your buck. And they’re great to gain attention and create “envy” from lunch partners. Take a unique lunch box to work/school with you on a regular basis, and suddenly people will be stopping by to see what you have. No joke. It’s also a great conversation starter. You may find people actually asking you to make one for you or sliding back to days of yore when you traded lunches in school. But it’s unlikely you’ll want to trade your healthy creation.
Third, they become something to look forward to. For me, there’s something meditative about cooking and creating bentos. When I start thinking about what goes with what and how it will look, it breaks up any stress I have from school.
Bento Boxes
American lunch boxes have been around since the 1950s. Buckets gave way to steel pails with a vacuum bottle (remember the glass insulation?!), and when I was going to school, I had the square aluminum box with a funky Scooby Doo scene.
On the other hand, Japan has been doing it in style since the 16th century and became popular probably around the Edo period (1603- 1868). People carried them to outdoor activities and the theater. Generally, these bentos had rice and side dishes. Bentos began to decline after WWII, being replaced by school-produced lunches.
In 1980s, Bentos gained popularity again because of convenience stores and microwaves. Today, there is plethora of bento blogs on the blogsphere for stay-at home mothers (and a few fathers) who are looking to create artful but healthy bentos for their family.
Jane Singer, an expat in Japan, paints a picture of what bento duty is like, in the “Bento Chronicles:”
This imprimatur is important in Japan. Magazines such as the Housewife’s Friend devote special sections to preparation of attractive lunch box fare, with the admonition that a child’s memories of his or her first bento, or lunch boxes, are planted in the seedbed of consciousness. This memory, more than the nine months of breast-feeding or years of mopping up spilled juice, remains with the child until adulthood, they say. Was your child the envy of his peers as he unhinged his two-tiered Ultraman plastic bento box to reveal apple slices pared to resemble bunny ears and braided fish cakes in red and white, the colors of celebration? A monotonal lunch box with just a few ingredients — or even, dear lord, a sandwich, apple and cookie in a brown paper bag — would damage young Taro’s self-esteem and his standing among his cohorts. Even worse, the photographs always taken of children at lunch would reveal to the other mothers that you’re more concerned with a few hours sleep and getting to work on time than with your child’s best interests.
Bento Box offers another interpretation of the bento box and packing a lunch:
As with so much of modern Japanese culture, the aesthetic (especially for children and young women) is strongly based on a compact cuteness. If you went to a school where kids brought packed lunches, you know how much it means to a kid when Mum (or Dad, or whoever takes care of these things at home) packs his or her favorites, and what a social advantage it is to have a parent who packs lunches that are admired or envied, particularly if the food is handy for swapping and sharing. The same is true in Japanese schools, but the ‘judges’ award a lot of additional points for presentation. There is often some rivalry between housewife-mothers to produce the niftiest bento, which can be fun, but is a source of serious and unwelcome social pressure for some women, who rise early in the morning and agonizes over what to make today, so their children’s friends and teachers won’t think they suck.
Many Japanese bento websites are in Japanese, but have no fear: Google translator gives a decent translation of the sites. E-bento.com is a very popular site in Japan. But beware of the splendor of these bentos and remember they take time!
If you go ‘hardcore’ in bento making considering buying a book or two to get ideas and add variety to your lunches. I’ve only come across one or two in English. There are a few on Amazon.com.
Here are a few bento boxes I own. I guess a “real” bento would have the box, chopsticks, and a carrying bag for it.
Here’s a video from a really cool kid, discussing Bento Basics:
Why is there grass in my lunch?
If you’ve been looking different sorts of bento boxes, you may have noticed “grass” and other sorts of things holding the food. You may have seen eggs in the shape of a bunny, car, star and vegetables shaped like flowers. Again, this is where bentos take on that culture aspect which makes them unique. The grass acts as a divider, keeping food flavors separate, and as an antibacterial agent to keep foods from spoiling. The eggs shapes are made by using molds and just look good.
If you pack a lunch that needs mayo, ketchup or any kind of sauce, there are mini sauce bottles that you can use. If you get them, you may think – How in the heck do I fill these things? I use a plastic syringe I got for free from Walgreen’s. If you order any of the cuter sauce bottles (with animal heads) they come with a syringe, which I find to be useless.
If you can’t find grass dividers, you can use cups. I got a few ideas from, Lunch in a Box. I use silicone-baking cups to hold my vegetables, fruits and other items. You can find them at Bed, Bath and Beyond or any cooking supply store.
Here is the winner of Lunch in A Box’s organizational contest:
Where can I get them?
Finding bento boxes is getting easier. Ebay.com has several stores which carry them and the supplies used in them. Watch out though, if you start liking this practice, you’ll find yourself budgeting for the cute items to “pretty” up your lunch. Generally, bento boxes on Ebay can start from $.99 if you’re bidding and go into the $100s if you’re looking for something elaborate and decorative.
I have also found plain ole Tupperware-type containers do the job. In fact, a few companies are making lunch containers similar to the bento style. Fit & Fresh Lunch on the Go is one type. Dollar Tree reportedly carries actual bentos although I haven’t come across any in Chicago, yet. So, I’ve just stuck to sandwich size containers and larger-sized ones.
When I invested in my Mr. Bento, I figured I would be saving $$$. What I didn’t expect was how much I enjoyed making my lunches. I pretty much started out trying different thing to fill all the containers in the Mr. Bento (and it can be a lot, as it’s a bento for a man. I’ll write about that next). With time, I discovered a new way to spoil myself without breaking the bank, and fuel my creativity.
And how can you have a bad day when lunchtime becomes a culinary oasis?
I haven’t got a clue as to when this obsession began with bentos, but I can say it feeds my love of shopping, cooking and spending money on thingies for my kitchen. If I had to pin point a place in time where the seed was planted, I would have to guess it was around the time I started searching for a decent rice cooker, which I’ll write about later.
Anyway, my love for all things Japanese was born again and through countless hours of surfing the net for information on a popular bento, Mr. Bento. I suddenly got bit with the bento bug and now I’m reading several daily blogs which feature cooking for bento boxes.
On “Play with Your Food”, I’m joining in on the online fun, to concoct a visual culinary delight of combining my budding journalistic skills with my love for cooking and international foods. Each month I am aiming to create different dishes from around the world for lunch, yet grad school studies may when out. But, I’ve gotta eat right?
) My next mission is to find a pressure cooker under $10.
. 
**
Well, here’s the bento I mustered up. And the lesson for the day is い which sounds like I as in “Tea“. Ta-Da!!!
