Monday, November 15, 2010

Mochiko Chicken and Kabocha Bento

Today's bento for MisterMan contains pseudo-mochiko chicken (oven-roasted instead of deep-fried), roasted cherry tomatoes, and broccoli and kabocha which I steamed in the rice cooker. That's right, it's kabocha yet another way. I've had my Zojirushi Induction Heating rice cooker for years now, and I never realized you could open the lid during cooking to add other food to be steamed toward the end of cooking. In fact even though someone told me it was okay, I was still afraid the thing would blow up, shut down and catch fire. I tested it a few times, opening and closing the lid, before adding the steaming rack with my broccoli, satsumaimo and kabocha. I added them the last 12 minutes of cooking and it came out pretty good. The kabocha was just perfect. My kids don't like it too mushy so I left it with a little crunch and it's so sweet you don't even need to add anything else. Look how the beautiful golden hue of this squash adds to the appeal of the bento! If you haven't tried kabocha yet, I hope you can find some to try. There are nearly countless ways to enjoy this healthy and nutritious squash. I ate some, fresh steamed, atop a bowl of the fresh-cooked rice it steamed along with; and it was a simple and delicious snack. Also in this bento: fall plum, raspberry, kiwi and carrot flowers. Everything packed up nice and snug in my LunchBots Duo, which happens to be exactly the right size for my second-grader. I love it ^_^

22 comments:

  1. haha..you are now good in cooking kabocha. :) Your bento always full of color, nutricion and healthy. Yummy chicken too. :)

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  2. full of color and delish...just perfect for bento! i bought kabocha a couple days ago but still have no idea how i will cook it. the only recipe i know for kabocha is tempura :D

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  3. All of this kabocha talk, now I'm going to have to go get one! All of the oranges, browns, and reds look so festive, very cute bento!

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  4. Don't you just love preparing foods in the rice cooker! So handy.

    Lovely bento as usual. Baked mochiko chicken is a fine idea!

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  5. Just when I need some inspiration!!! So glad to see this bento cos I just got 4 pcs of squash from a good friend of mine.
    Definitely will try the mochiko chicken, sounds delish!!

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  6. Thank you Emily! Appreciate it :)
    Thanks Sysyl; Have fun with your kabocha! So many ways to do it. Simmered or roasted is easy. You can try different methods.
    Thanks OhayoBento! Yes, I hope you can find kabocha where you are. They're so versatile; it's wonderful.
    Debra, I should really make more use of the rice cooker. It could add so much to my repertoire, and it's so easy! Thanks!
    Cool, Lina! Do try it and let me know how you like it! The mochiko chicken is awesome. My kids eat the whole batch. Thanks!

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  7. Your bentos are always gorgeous and delicious! :) Mochiko chicken is a family favorite!

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  8. Looks so tasty! And wonderful golden color effect on this bento. Love my all in one rice cooker too. Love to pay a bit more but have the multi function rice cooker, is great! I usually steamed the kabocha or batter it & deep fried :)

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  9. Hi Susan! I know, we all love mochiko chicken too! Thanks :D
    Lia, it's amazing how they've improved the basic rice cooker. We're so lucky!! I love the steaming method, and tempure kabocha is always my favorite one in the basket. Thank you!

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  10. Ahaha, it's so fun to read your story about you and the rice cooker :D. The chicken looks sooo yummy :D

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  11. oh, love it..
    the arrangement is nice, also the color composition :)
    yup, it is nice to work with rice cooker :b

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  12. Thank you tatabonita! Hehe :)
    Thanks Yenny! Rice cooker cooking ftw!

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  13. ^_^
    Baked mochiko chicken cuts lots of the calories! Yesh! Great idea! How do you make it? Just bake in high oven temperature?
    Ah.. and that kabocha... uh oh *cravings* . Everything looks amazing :9.
    To end.. I also love those "MacGyver" rice cookers, they are great :P

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  14. I love how beautiful and colorful it is! You do such a wonderful job and so creative at making the food look soo good. I hope book made it to you by now.

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  15. Hi Sheri,
    I just passed on the stylish blogger award for you, please come by and claim it ^_^ Congrats!!

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  16. I have the same fear about the rice cooker and adding things after the cook cycle has started!! Reading your blog post will make me braver :)

    Do you have any tips for picking out kabocha in the store? I've looked longingly at them for a while but haven't known how to choose one.

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  17. You are inspiring me to explore more ways to enjoy kabocha, Sheri! It glows with orange magnificence in your bentos, so beautiful :D

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  18. karaimame: yes, just in oven at high temperature. http://happylittlebento.blogspot.com/2010/06/mochiko-chicken-and-crispy-kale-bento.html
    Not the same crispiness, but less mess and quite easy.
    Gonna get the kids to love kabocha too... Thanks!
    Thank you Michelle! Yes, I got the book, it's so cute and filled with adorable ideas. Some I am already familiar with, as I am already a fan of Maki!
    Thank you Lina; that's so SWEET!!
    natakiya, I'm still not confident it's "okay" to interrupt the cycle, but it seemed to work this time. I always go for the smallest kabocha so it will be easier to cut. I haven't met a bad kabocha yet.
    Thank you bentobird!

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  19. Hi Sheri, I am passing you the Versatile blogger award. Please check it in here
    http://momlunajovann.blogspot.com/2010/11/versatile-blogger-award.html

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  20. Love this bento!!! Looking at it make me so hungry even I have just finished my dinner!

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