Mochiko Chicken Slender Bento

Mochiko Chicken Slender Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

How is it Monday already? I don't think I sat down at all today until just now. Too much weekend excess, I think -- how about you? Well, here's a bento to get the kids going: their favorite mochiko chicken (oven roasted version). Just stick a few piece in a bento box along with a smattering of extras, and that's pretty much a wrap. Just how I like a Monday to go! I can't believe we still had a pluot left; those Flavor Kings were my favorite summer eats this year, and man do I miss them already. We have some plums on the counter now, but they're just not the same. This box is one tier of a double stainless box set I got from Bento & Co, and it's just the right size for TinySprite. I like how the broccoli, carrots and Okinawan sweet potato squeeze in there to keep everything snugly in place. I secure the lid with an elastic felt band and she is good to go!

Hello Kitty Onigiri Bento!

Hello Kitty Onigiri Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This bento is one I made for myself, and it was also meant to be my entry for the annual Bento & Co contest. The theme was onigiri, so I made two Hello Kitty mini-onigiri using my mold. I decorated their faces with nori, corn, and radish bows. I think this is the first time I've used this mini-onigiri mold, which was a gift from a dear friend. It's so cute! I added some oven-baked mochiko chicken pieces to the side, and then squeezed in some sweet fresh steamed corn off the cob, edamame, broccoli, carrots, and grape tomatoes. The second tier contains cherries, a homegrown apricot, raspberries, white peach, strawberries, blueberries and a few slices of steamed Okinawan sweet potato. I think I represented just about all the rainbow colors in this one! I packed it all inside my favorite stainless steel boxes. Each comes with its own gasketed lid, which don't have latches but which will stay leaktight if bound with elastic. You can use only one oblong box if you like, or stack two together and bind them with one larger band, which is what I did. There were 237 entries to the contest this year, and sadly I didn't make the final 10. But you can click over to see the ones that did, and cast a vote for the one you like the best (you have until Monday, July 16th). There are some unbelievably beautiful bento crafted by folks from all over the world; I was amazed and so inspired! Contests like these just go to show you how widespread the bento culture has become, and it's heartwarming to see all the healthy, delicious bento created by people influenced by this meal tradition from Japan. Very cool^_^

Thrown-Together Bento

Thrown-Together Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This bento is from last week: it includes oven-baked "mochiko chicken" (method and recipe here) and kabocha in one tier, and a rainbow assortment of fruit and veggies in the other tier (strawberry, blood orange, carrots, yellow pepper, blueberries in a cucumber cup, grapes, and Okinawan sweet potato. I call it thrown-together because if you look closely you'll notice that I threw the kabocha chunks in there without roasting them! I usually roast some veggies when I make the oven-roasted chicken, since the oven is already hot and all. But my mind was out-of-sorts because I had received a phone call that afternoon; the kind a parent dreads: Your daughter was playing on the play structure, and we noticed her arm is a little swollen. When I got there I saw her cradling her arm gingerly. This girl never does anything gingerly! I rushed her to the hospital and we discovered she had sustained a supracondylar fracture at her elbow joint. She had surgery that night and is now wearing a cast for the next 3-6 weeks. We were worried and nervous, but surgery went well and we are hoping for a quick and successful healing process. TinySprite handled the whole ordeal like a pro, never complaining of pain or feeling afraid of her operation. In fact, the surgeon remarked on her loquaciousness and inquisitiveness about the procedure and the equipment. Even now, 4 days later, she hasn't lost her smile or dampened her high spirits. I've really gained a new appreciation of her fortitude and strength. And don't worry - after the picture I noticed the raw kabocha and quick-microwaved and pan-fried them in butter and shoyu for MisterMan. ^_^

Added to What's For Lunch.

4-Section Mochiko Chicken Bento

4-Section Assist Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I packed this bento in my adjustable 4-sectioned Assist box which I found at Ichiban Kan. This is only the second time I've used it (see my other bento here). It's a nice shape and size, and the lid fits tightly with a rubber gasket and matching strap. Not sure why I don't use it more often. In one section I packed some pseudo-mochiko chicken in a lettuce leaf. This recipe is very tasty, even if it's not exactly traditional. The veggie section contains broccoli, carrots, roasted kabocha, and steamed Okinawan sweet potato. The two fruit sections contain raspberries, grapes, and cinnamon-sprinkled honeycrisp apple chunks. It might look a little big for a third-grader, but the box is on the shallow side. Also, the separate sections ensure that the foods don't mix, so it's not necessary to pack each completely full. And, everything stays put even when it's tossed around in the lunchbag. Great, right? I think it's an ideal box for a kid or an adult.

Mochiko Chick'n Chicken Bento

Mochiko Chick'n Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I made oven-roasted mochiko chicken today (see recipe and method here) and tossed some sliced kabocha wedges in there as well. There's also something in this bento that I don't usually pack. Do you see it? That's right: rice! I got the idea for satsumaimo rice from Hapa bento's Okinawan sweet potato gohan post. I cooked a mix of black and brown rice, then tossed with diced satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potato) which I had tossed in the rice cooker whole midway through the cycle. I cut the imo after cooking, then gently folded into the rice. After packing the peapods, red plum, corn on the cob and Okinawan sweet potato stars, I had a little spot for a tiny hard-boiled quail egg chick. I cut the "eggshell" white with my small paring knife tip, and added nori eyes and carrot beak to the yolk "chick". I have a container of precut nori eyes and such, so that I can just use what I need right away. Too late, I just noticed that the two dots are different sizes. Oops. Still cute though, right?

Triple Mochiko Chicken Pool Bento

Triple Mochiko Chicken Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Guess what? If you guessed another shared pool bento, you're right! Yes, I'm really getting hooked on these stacked stainless steel tiffins. I have this round tiffin in one-, two- and three- tier sets. What, overkill, you say? Pshaw! Actually, each has come in handy several times within the past year. There's also a four-tier version which I am wondering whether I should pick up too. After all, we are a four-person family!

Anyway, getting back to this three-tier one: the three bowls stack upon one another, with the bottom one slightly larger (mine!). They latch together tightly so that only the top tier needs a true lid, and it's a cinch to carry. Really thinking about using these tiffins throughout the entire summer so you may be seeing them quite a bit. Today I've given each of us some oven-baked mochiko chicken. The sides vary but include: steamed bi-color corn (surprisingly sweet!), steamed broccoli, crunchy carrot, Okinawan sweet potato, and summer fruit! White peach, nectarine, cherries, pluot, black velvet apricot, strawberry, cantaloupe and lychee!!

The best of the summer fruit, as far as I'm concerned, is lychee. This year's batch is sweet, juicy, and surprisingly small-seeded. Don't be put off by the greenish hue of the skin. I too was surprised by what I've always expected to be bright red, but the fruit inside is indeed ripe and tender. The skin is tougher and thicker (and harder to peel) than I'm used to, but nothing that my adept fingernails can't handle. So far I'm very pleased. I'll leave you with a couple pics of the bento eaters in action at the pool. We had a fantastic time hanging out together, swimming in the big pool, learning to sit-dive, and chowing down our grinds. MisterMan's summer program starts tomorrow so we won't be swimming together for awhile. Gonna miss him.. but he's looking forward to playing with his buddies!

 "Do you like my purple mouth?"

"Take a picture of me Mom, take a picture of me!"

Added to What's For Lunch!

Mochiko Chicken Bento

Mochiko Chicken Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

I made pseudo-mochiko chicken (oven-roasted instead of deep-fried), and used a slightly different recipe this time. The method (I originally found at Hapa Bento's site but adapted a bit) is the same, though.

Per pound of chicken thighs (cut into cubes):
4T cornstarch
4T mochiko
6T shoyu
4T sugar
2T sake
2 eggs
2T chopped green onion (white part), chopped garlic (to taste), and grated ginger (to taste).

Marinate a few hours, then bake in preheated, oiled pan at 400F. Turn to get all sides brown and crispy. It won't be as crispy as deep-fried, but it's still quite tasty. You can sprinkle with sesame seeds after (which I forgot to do) and serve with rice. Yummy! Both kids get chicken, roasted Brussels sprouts, steamed broccoli and yellow cauliflower, sweet potato, and assorted fruits (cara cara oranges, grapes, berries, and a mini mandarin). These bentos look the same size, don't they? Eek! I'm interested in whether she'll end up eating the whole thing. She LOVES chicken so I wanted to make sure she had enough, but she has a tendency to eat the fruits first. Plus, she's a slow eater. My boy's bento is deeper and actually has a lot more chicken, and it's packed a lot tighter than hers. I have no doubt that he will finish his :)

Mochiko Chicken and Kabocha Bento

Mochiko Chicken and Kabocha Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

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 ^_^

Mochiko Chicken and Crispy Kale Bento

Mochiko Chicken and Crispy Kale Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Mochiko chicken is normally deep-fried, but I've made it using a recipe adapted from hapabento. It's baked instead, and although you don't get the same fried effect, it's still pretty good!

Marinate 1lb chicken (cut into bite-size pieces) a few hours in:
Equal amounts (4T): shoyu, flour, cornstarch, mochiko flour, sugar.
1 egg, one minced garlic clove, finely chopped green onion (white part)

Add chicken pieces to hot, oiled pan at 400F.
Bake until cooked, and broil if necessary to get a crispy crust.

Along with some mochiko chicken I added steamed purple cauliflower and raw carrots. The flower is made of satsumaimo and purple potato. The fruits are kept separate with a lettuce baran, and there are some good summer fruits now! White peach, golden apricot, and look at the little plum! I forgot the variety, but it's dark red inside and out, and sweet-tart. Love 'em. I also made crispy kale using a recipe from Steamy Kitchen. Basically all you do is wash and thoroughly dry your fresh kale, tear into bite-size pieces, toss in olive oil (and garlic powder if desired) and bake at 350F until crispy. Toss a few times while cooking to make sure it's crispy all around. It's prettier if you crisp until just before the leaves start burning, but I'll tell you that the brown bits are crunchy and very fun to chomp. You can seriously eat a whole bunch of kale in minutes this way. Even your kids will like it, no lie!

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 :)