Tebasaki Chicken Wings Bento

Today's bento features that all-time kid (and adult) favorite: tebasaki (crispy salted chicken wings)! Have you had these before? I've made them for my kids' bento many times. Even though by lunchtime they are cold, the kids devour them. I have to make tons because they are small and addictive. I use LovelyLanvin's recipe and method (you can find it here), which I adapted for mini wings and drummettes, which fit better in the bento box.

Speaking of bento boxes, the long stainless steel box is from Bento and Co, and it comes in a set of two. It is of excellent quality and I love it. I often use one of the boxes (as shown here) along with a smaller side box -- in this case the ECOLunchBox Eco Dipper.

I placed the chicken in a romaine lettuce leaf (for nutrition, looks, and grease absorbancy), and six happen to fit perfectly for MisterMan. The little Dipper holds pickled cucumber, carrot and daikon in mini silicone cups, a half satsuma mandarin, and some grape tomatoes. If he wants to, he may sprinkle shichimi togarashi (7 pepper spice) from the penguin (you can find a similar one here) at lunchtime.

The Mid-Summer Bento: Tebasaki in EcoLunchBox!

The Mid-Summer Bento: Tebasaki in EcoLunchBox!, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Helloooooo out there! Is anybody still out there? Or are you all on the beach, kicking back and letting the kids live out their summertime dreams? If you're like us, you've been milking every minute from this long-awaited summer. We took off the very day after the kindergarten graduation ceremony back in May. Literally. Of course, after all the fun at Legoland, Disney, museums, beach, camping, county fairs, concerts, and poolside, the kids still have to eat. But guess what? MisterMan has been picking up the ball and making bento for himself and his sister throughout their summer programs. Score! Me -- since I've been on bento hiatus I haven't even booted up the laptop much less brought out the camera setup to take any photos. But I have been taking phone pics of his creations, and I really want to show you a sample of his handiwork. You know, later.
So yes, I've been enjoying my summer too, bento-wise. However, I did manage to make their bento today, just because I kind of missed it. This simple bento contains tebasaki (crispy chicken drumettes and wings, see the method and recipe I use here); vinegary two-color cabbage slaw; fresh corn-off-the-cob; pickled cukes, carrots, daikon and red onion; cherries; and cantaloupe. All packed up in the very practical and stylish Ecolunchbox Three-in-One. I think I did okay! This is my token mid-summer bento contribution, to keep my chops fresh. Hope you are all having a blast this summer so far! We've still got half the rest of summer yet to go, so see you out there! \(^__^)/

Little Tebasaki Drummettes Bento

Little Tebasaki Drummettes Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

I haven't made tebasaki (salt grilled chicken wings) in a long time, and the kids love it (see the method and recipe here). Usually I use a mix of drums and wings, or the entire wing, but I could only find the drummettes this time. They're kid- and bento-sized, and I was happy to see them fit in this box so perfectly. I made TinySprite a little rice "cupcake" with furikake and a baby radish "cherry", plus some lightly steamed broccoli and purple carrots on a skewer. The removable container holds more carrots, a few homegrown tomatoes, pluots, and a little Okinawan sweet potato bear shape. Just right!

Wings of Bento, and a Celebration

Wings of Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

As I was going through my bento stash, I found this two-tier rectangular stainless steel Ecolunchbox set. It comes with a smaller, lidded box that fits into the top tier and is useful for packing things that you'd like to keep contained. The other Ecolunchbox I have (the oval one you can see here and here) also includes a separate small box, which seems to be where this company stands out. I like the quality of these boxes; the metal is sturdy and well-constructed enough to survive a typical lunchbag-swinging kid. This one, like the other one, has a tight latch, which you might need to practice with your child to make sure he can open and close it easily. Here I've packed some tebasaki (Japanese Grilled Chicken Wings with Sea Salt - method and recipe here), roasted diced taters and asparagus spears in the lower tier, and strawberries, carrots, blood oranges in the top tier, along with cottage cheese and blueberries in the little tin.

As for the kids' accomplishments last Friday, MisterMan finished first in the 3rd Grade District Spelling Bee! He beat out 27 other kids from 8 other schools to take home the medal. Interestingly, although the kids were given a list of about a thousand potential words to study, the second half of the bee drew from a secret list that the kids would only have been able to recognize from their reading. Not surprisingly, most of them were eliminated during that half; and some of those words were tough! MM never cracked under pressure, and spelled the winning word, "admirably", admirably. So proud of him! As for TinySprite, she appears to have performed well in her Kindergarten Readiness Interview, as we received her positive evaluation today. So as promised, they celebrated with their own double ice cream cones this past weekend: pistachio and chocolate chip for him, and chocolate and blueberry cheesecake for her. ^_^

Jack Skellington Chicken Bento

Jack Skellington Chicken Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today's menu is tebasaki (grilled - or in my case broiled - chicken wings with sea salt). See the method and recipe I used here. When I make it, I always have to make several pounds (yes, you read that right) because I tend to snack while cooking. To monitor quality, of course. I sprinkle mine liberally with shichimi togarashi (Japanese red pepper mix), which makes it totally addicting. Even though the kids eat theirs plain, they are very tasty just with the sea salt. They can eat 10 or more wings each, and I packed their bento as full as I could, while still including pan-fried garlic kabocha, tomatoes, and Okinawan sweet potato. The fruit cup contains grapes and grapefruit, and a quail egg Jack Skellington wearing a mini sweet red pepper and radish santa hat. I was going to make Sally too, but after cutting out all those tiny features for Jack, I was done! I'm really not one for itty bitty nori cutting. She would have been very cool-looking though, so I'll have to make her another time for sure :)

Tebasaki and Kabocha Jack Bento

Tebasaki and Kabocha Jack Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Today I packed another guaranteed kid favorite: tebasaki chicken wings. I won't tell you how many we make, but I always make more than I think we'll eat so that there will be enough to pack for bento. Today I cleaned out the wings at the butcher. If you haven't yet tried this recipe (see the method and recipe here), you really should. It's easy, and it's deliciously addicting. You won't be able to stop after 5, or 10, or ... well, now you see why I have to make so many. I skip the shichimi togarashi for the kids, but you can sprinkle furikake instead if you like. They are already salted, so my kids love them just as is, straight out of the oven. They are also good cold or at room temp, making them perfect for bento. I used a deep bento box to pack a bunch of wings, plus the usual sides: corn, broccoli, carrots, pluots, strawberry, blackberries, Okinawan sweet potato car, and my Jack-of-the-day, carved from a roasted kabocha slice. So it's really a Japanese pumpkin jack-o-lantern. How about that? ^_^

Tebasaki Chicken Wings Bento

Tebasaki Chicken Wings Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

This is another TinySprite bento from last week. She got her favorite salt grilled chicken wings (recipe here), of which she can eat massive quantities. If you make these, be sure to make an extra large batch so there will be enough for bento. They taste best fresh, hot and crispy, but the kids do love to eat them at room temp just as well. The adult version has Japanese seven spice pepper (shichimi togarashi) sprinkled liberally, which makes it mouthwateringly delicious for spice lovers. Make sure to pack lots of napkins, as the eating will be messy. She also gets carved carrots, steamed Okinawan sweet potato flower shapes, broccoli, strawberries and blueberries. Simple, colorful, and tasty!

Added to What's For Lunch!

Chicken Wings Bento

Chicken Wings Bento, a photo by sherimiya ♥ on Flickr.

Wings! And drumettes! Yay! All is right in the world. Have you made these for your kids (or yourself) yet? If not, you really should. It's quick, easy and very tasty, especially when sprinkled with togarashi, which is how I eat them (recipe here). The kids get them plain, but they could gnaw on these little guys all day. Make sure you make a big batch because you'll be surprised how addicting they are. Luckily I was able to snag a few for MisterMan's bento, along with some roasted asparagus and satsumaimo, and a side of juicy fruits (strawberries, grapes, kiwi and well, carrots). Done! Who says it takes too long to make home (bento) lunch? ^_^

Drums and Wings Bento

Drums and Wings Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

More and more chicken tebasaki (recipe here) using wings and drumettes. If you make these, be sure to make a ton, since everyone will want a plateful and the kids will ask for them in their bento. Yes, it'll be cold but they won't care. Believe me. The two kids get almost identical bento; one side of each box filled with chicken and the other with an assortment of fruits and veggies. The purple cutouts are made from Okinawan sweet potato which I steamed. I also included some squash in my boy's bento, since there was a bit of extra room. Besides the usual grapes, strawberry, broccoli and carrot, I added seedless mandarin. I'm always afraid these will be dry and tasteless, but luckily this batch is sweet and juicy! I think I got all the colors in there. ^_^

Chicken Wings Bento and Recipe

 Chicken Wings Bento, originally uploaded by sherimiya ♥.

Today both kids get Tebasaki (grilled chicken wings with sea salt), which I made using a recipe adapted from my twitter friend LovelyLanvin. When she told me there were only three ingredients and a single pan, well -- how could I resist? You know how much I love quick and easy cooking! I made these wings for dinner, and they were crispy salty fresh & hot out-of-the-oven just as advertised, but the kids didn't mind packing them for lunch to eat later at room temp. Although the recipe calls for shichimi togarashi (seven pepper mix) I omitted that for the kids' portions. It's still very tasty without it. I made a few changes, maybe because my broiler isn't as hot:

Tebasaki (Grilled Chicken Wings with Sea Salt)      [adapted from LovelyLanvin]
2 pounds chicken wings
Sea salt
Shichimi togarashi

Rinse the chicken wings, drain, and pat dry. Place them in a tray and put into refrigerator uncovered to dry out further.
Preheat broiler, remove wings from refrigerator and salt them generously on both sides.
When the broiler is hot, place tray on broiler rack about 6 inches from heat.
Watch to make sure they don't burn, and when nice and brown (recipe says 5-7 minutes) turn to crisp other side. Note: My broiler took longer; I let them cook about 15 minutes each side. Also, my wings dripped grease into the pan so I actually drained the pan a couple times during cooking. I wonder whether I could use a rack inside the tray next time?
Remove from broiler, sprinkle with shichimi togarashi, and serve hot!

Anyway, they were delicious! So thanks a lot for sharing the method Shirley!
The rest of MisterMan's bento contains roasted kabocha, carved carrots, steamed broccoli and fresh cherry tomatoes. The stunning citrus is blood orange, which we discovered at the farmers markets this past weekend. Yay for new produce! There are also some grapes and blueberries.

TinySprite has a grouchy steamed char siu bao, steamed broccoli, carrot and a chicken drummette. Her fruits include some Cara Cara oranges (another farmers market find!) and grapes. Thanks Susan for the supercute picks!
Linked at What's For Lunch. Take a look to see what everyone else is having!