Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Mochiko Chicken Bento


Mochiko Chicken Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.
Mochiko chicken using hapabento's recipe. Well, based on it...I deviated a bit, but I think it came out okay! The kids loved it, and since it was baked instead of deep-fried, it really wasn't that greasy. Thanks hapabento!

I used chicken thighs, and cut into smallish pieces, easy for kids to eat.
For the sauce, I mixed all together: equal amounts (4T each for my small batch) shoyu, flour, cornstarch, mochiko flour, sugar. Plus I added an egg, salt, minced garlic and finely chopped green onion (white part). Then I added to the chicken pieces and marinated for a few hours. As for the baking, I didn't get the pan super-hot like hapabento advised -- my olive oil was burning, and I should have used a different oil, with a higher boiling point, like peanut oil. So as a result it didn't "sizzle", and I was disappointed. It just quietly baked. Next time I will be sure to get the sizzle.

My boy also gets a rice "cupcake" with lavender purple potato "snowflakes" on top. The rice is actually just a thin layer of white on top -- underneath it's mixed with nori furikake. I also made more roasted brussels sprouts, and there's a "snowflake" satsumaimo and a cherry tomato. I know. It's just a star with holes in it. But I'm calling it a snowflake. Fruit square has grapes, a black plum, strawberries and blackberries.

A tip for really yummy roasted brussels sprouts: make sure you cut a deep "x" on top, toss in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and make sure the vinegar gets into the heart of the sprout. Mix around a bit during roasting too, to make sure they are all well-coated. You will find that the brussels sprouts get nice and soft-crispy, with a yummy rich flavor. Even kids will love it! Try it, you'll see!

A kind of wintry-themed bento, with the snowflakes and all, esp. since the weather here has been very frosty! Though there are really few cute details in this bento, it was extremely tasty, which made up for it :)

14 comments:

  1. tks for the tip on brussels sprouts, anything tat makes it yummier is always welcomed :)

    nice snowflakes, love the colour.

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  2. Looks yummy! Don't say it has no cute details! I love your cup idea^^

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  3. Looks incredibly yummy! I must try it your way with the egg, etc. It sounds like the chicken would be crispier!

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  4. Thanks javapot, if you try it like this, I think you would like it!

    Thanks Lil'chan, so sweet of you :)

    Hapa bento, thank you! It might have been crispier if I had used a hotter pan! So many ways to do this dish... I will have to experiment more too :)

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  5. That look just great. Amazing colors and perfectly shaped fruit!

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  6. Yum, mochiko chicken! Beautiful bento and the Brussels sprouts look great. I'm going to have to try your recipe. :)

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  7. Thanks a lot Amaaris and Susan! I hope you can try the recipe too.

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  8. woah...they are incredibly adroble!! don't you feel guilty for eating them up?! haha

    ~Merry Christmas~

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  9. Thanks a lot mook and My Taste Heaven! Merry Christmas to you too :)

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  10. Hi there! I just wanted to say that I love your beautiful boxes and am going to try some of them. They look so yummy and healthy. I think my husband and I (who could both lose some weight!) would find this kind of lunch so helpful. I have never tried to do luches this way, so I am reading all you experts' blogs and just loving the things I see. You are soo creative, and artistic. Your bentos are just beautiful. Thank you for posting the recipes and how you do it too.

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  11. Thank you very much for your kind comment! I really appreciate it, and I'm glad you happened over here! I hope you can start making bento for you and your husband. It's a lot of fun, and not as hard as you might think!

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