A quick post for small bento box as it’s been awhile since I featured one of Saba Man’s midnight snacks!

Saffron rice wrapped in shiso leaf, mini tuna burgers, watermelon radish sunomono, cukes, carrots and tomatoes!  That’s it.   I’ll be posting my new recipe for the mini tuna burgers soon as it will be a part of an upcoming “bento stash” series.

At first glance this looks like another shoyu tuna bento… but it’s not!This  final speedy bento  of  the series is made with  leftover chicken salad that I transformed into a savory chicken soboro.  I also use  store bought pre-cut broccoli and carrot slaw but you could prepare your own the night before.

Are you ready to pack this bento in 20 -25 minutes?  Let’s do it.

Chicken Salad Soboro  Speed Bento 5

Cut delicata squash in bite-sized pieces and place in toaster oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

 Place one frozen portion of rice in the microwave for 3 minutes.

Pre-heat skillet.

3-5 minutes

Mix a handful of pre-cut broccoli slaw with a teaspoon of mayo and a white miso , mix then set aside.  The amount of miso depends on how salty you like it.  For this small amount of slaw I use just a “smear” for flavor.

Slice a piece of carrot for garnish and baran.

Remove the  rice place in the bottom tier and let cool.

5-7  minutes (elapsed time 8-12 minutes)

Place a scant cup of chicken salad in the hot skillet with a  teaspoon of sesame oil,  chopped green onion, splash of shoyu and mirin.  If you want it sweeter, you can add a couple drops of honey or a pinch of brown sugar. 

Stir contantly while cooking to reduce the liquids.  When fairly dry turn off the heat and leave in the pan.  This will allow more evaporation without risk of burning.

Remove the delicata squash from the oven and let cool.

6-7 minutes (elapsed time 14-19 minutes)

Fill half the top tier with the broccoli slaw and arrange the carrot slices for garnish and baran.

Place the chicken soboro on the rice and let cool.

Add the roasted squash to the other half of the top tier.

Garnish with a cherry tomato.

Add roasted kim (Korean nori) to the chicken soboro.

6- minutes (elapsed time 20-25 minutes)

I selected delicata squash because it’s a soft skinned squash  that cleans and cooks quickly.  You don’t have to preheat the oven just put it in and turn up the heat which saves more time.  In fact, I may of over cooked these ones a bit… maybe next time 10 minutes will do the job. 

Another speedy bento of  the series  that will only take you 15- 20  minutes to prepare using leftovers.

Ready, set, go!

Grilled Shoyu Salmon Patties  Speed Bento 4

Pop one serving of frozen rice in the microwave for 3 minutes.

 Slice cucumbers, toss in salt, mirin and set aside.  As an option, I used a fork to quickly score the cucumber before cutting to add visual interest instead of peeling.

Pre-heat skillet.

1-3 minutes

Cut 1/2 cup of baked tofu and arrange at one end of the top tier. Garnish with  furikake.  

Remove the rice from the micro and spread evenly to one side of the bento box.  Let it cool.

3-4 minutes (elapsed time 4-7 minutes)

Place a pre-cooked salmon patty in the hot skillet and add a splash of shoyu for flavor. 

Steam a handful of snap peas or other green veggie in the microwave for 1 minute.  Remove and let cool.

Flip the salmon patty and cook the other side.

5-6 minutes (elapsed time 9-13 minutes)

Pat the cucumbers dry and arrange next to the cut tofu.

Add sliced carrots.  I used leftover roasted carrots, but raw is good too.

Remove the salmon from the skillet, cut in half and let cool. ( I placed it in the fridge for a couple of minutes)

Fill the remaining space with the cooled snap peas. Add sesame seeds.  ( I keep a container of pre-toasted)

Add almonds or other shelled nuts.

Place a piece of lettuce leaf next to the cooled rice and tuck in an umeboshi.

Option: Punch out some nori flowers and cut flower shape from tofu.

Lay the salmon on the lettuce baran.

6-7 minutes (elapsed time 15-20 minutes)

There are many substitutions for this speedy bento.  Sausage or garden burgers would work just as well and you can also skip the skillet part and re-heat in the microwave. 

With practice you’ll be able to condense the time even more by always having pre-cut veggies and frozen foods  in your bento-stash.  This speedy bento is  an example of how easily leftovers can be transformed into a pretty decent bento box lunch!

The next time you put away your  dinner leftovers think about how you could pack  them in a bento box instead!

Way back in January our regular group of friends gathered  for a post work day, “ramen and relaxation” session.  Saba Man wasn’t able to attend at that occasion so I treated him to lunch a few days later.

Boom Noodle has two locations, Bellevue and Seattle.  We went to the latter which is located at the top of Capitol Hill in downtown Seattle.  It’s a cool, hip,  and trendy place where these all-white “maneki-neko” (beckoning cats) greeted us as we entered so I just  had  to reply, “O hai” in my best Lolspeak!  They do look like they’re waving hello and  I couldn’t resist.

This sleek modern looking restaurant is what I would consider “Asian fusion”.   I describe the food  as  ”a  little of each Asian culture mixed with American interpretation” .  It’s not authentic of any specific culture nor is it  disrespectful either. 

Their menu offers a variety of well known…almost mainstream Asian-type foods, such as ramen, stir-fry, and curry.  Their recipe ideas and combinations are interesting, “sesame ramen noodle salad”, “broiled miso rice cakes”,   and the dishes are served in lovely arrangements that are neither too large or too small and I appreciate that they offer a variety vegetarian choices.

In fact, with  the leftovers of Saba Man’s entree,  I made a  Chicken Katsu and Curry bento for his snack the next day.  He described  this dish as “perfectly crunchy and flavorful”  and if we hadn’t already  filled up on appetizers  there wouldn’t of been a panko crumb left on the plate . 

We ordered two different “small plates” … one of which was Salt and Pepper Tofu.  This arrived piping hot and  topped with slivers of  jalepenos with green onions.  Next to the stack of fried tofu cubes was  a  sensual mound of white pepper and salt crystals.  When the tofu was  finished I continued the experience by dipping my finger tip into the salt and pepper then tapping the tip of my tongue. 

The second appetizer is my favorite… edamame purée served with grilled eggplant and zucchini with warm sweet potato chips for  scraping every last morsel  off  the plate.   

I ordered the vegetarian pho but wished I had selected the shiitake soba which I ate on my first visit instead.   The pho wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great and I found myself adding more hot sauce  and hoisin for flavor.

I didn’t have my camera  for a photo of the shiitake soba so unfortunately it’s missing from this article and it’s too bad because it really was a standout.   Gee… I guess I’ll have to visit them again to get that snapshot and I while I’m there I should take  more photos of the yummy edamame purée  too!

Boom Noodle-Capitol Hill

1121 E Pike St.

Seattle, WA 98122

206-701-9130

More reviews!

Today’s featured bento demonstrates the use of  cucumbers  to separate your food items.

I used cucumber as both a baran and cup  in this lunch.  A wall of sliced cukes shores up the quinoa and Tofurkey section.  It works well  for stopping  the small quinoa grains from flowing into the garlic simmered mushrooms. 

The  hollowed out  cucumber log  contains red pepper hummus for dipping  just about everything in the box and when it’s empty… this edible container can be munched as well!

Lightly salted watermelon radish is tucked in there too for color and a zing of flavor!   And those are dried cranberries on top of the sausage for a hint of sweetness.

This bento  took less than 15 minutes to prepare and qualifies as a “speedy bento”.  

Actually, it’s a “triple threat”:

1. quick assembly  

2.  natural and edible baran

3.  it’s  vegan

If  all goes as planned, Saba Man will eat everything, including the cucumber cup, and the box will come back perfectly empty!

It’s time to post your B.O.M.B. entries for March! 

When I picked  the theme for March’s “B.O.M.B. Challenge” my brain instinctively went to the “St. Patrick’s Day” idea , which then morphed into a “green” thing and finally landed on “green living things as baran” theme. 

So there you go… the challenge is to use only natural “green” (non-artificial) items  as baran in your bento.  

What is baran you ask?  Baran is an item that’s used to separate foods in a bento box.   Traditionally  it’s supposed to have antibacterial properties as well as acting as a physical barrier between different food items.  Fresh cut leaves  such as shiso and bamboo  are an excellent choice as long as they are green and have no pesticides.  They may also assist in preserving your bento’s freshness. 

Important note: The bamboo I’m referring  to is the  real bamboo leaves, not the “lucky bamboo” you often see on the counter of Asian shops and restaurants.  Though this attractive decorative shrub  resembles bamboo — this plant is the dracaena sanderiana and is not related to the bamboo species at all.  I’ve read that it’s toxic to pets, so I would advise not to use this plant or any other type of plant leaves without further investigation.

Other safe choices for “living” or “natural” baran are red cabbage leaves, cucumber slices, carrot slices or any neutral tasting veggie.  Your choice of  “green baran” doesn’t have to be the color green at all!   How about some jicama? 

Another idea …instead of a silicone or paper cup,  use a cucumber or lettuce leaf to cradle your food.  Be creative and have fun! 

The March B.O.M.B. rules are simple:

1. The B.O.M.B. Challenge starts now.

2. The last day to submit will be March 20, 2010 at Midnight PST.

3. Your submission must be a bento without any artificial baran, dividers or cups.

4. If your bento came with a matching divider or section…that’s okay.

5. Any color of leaf or veggie qualifies.  Just make sure it’s fresh, clean, non-poisonous, and pesticide free.

6. You can enter as often as you like.

7. The B.O.M.B. will be selected randomly so get creative and don’t be shy!

8. Have fun!

Submit your natural and ”green” baran bento box with a link in the comments.

purple: Quinoa salad with parsley
red: Mini omelettes with diced tomato
green: Daikon radish and carrot
yellow: Lightly salted edamame

Congratulations and I’m looking forward to pack this nutritious combination of a   bento lunch!   Saba Man will have to wrestle this one away from me.

Thank you everyone for your submissions.  There are some very delicious sounding combinations and recipes.  Here’s the link back to the original post in case you want to see all 277 entries.  Wowee!

Lumi, please contact me by email  with your mailing address  where I can send your  new “magic 4 sectioned bento”!

This third speed bento of  the series will only take you 20 minutes to make when you have pre-cooked  frozen rice in your bento-stash.

Let’s  do it!

Shoyu Tuna Speed Bento 3

Thinly slice some radishes, toss in salt and mirin,and set aside.  I used watermelon radish  but  any type will work.

Pre-heat skillet.

1-2 minutes

Pop one serving of frozen rice in the microwave for 3 minutes.

Add one drained can of tuna, 1 heaping teaspoon of mayo and a splash of shoyu to the medium-hot skillet and mix.

3-4 minutes (elapsed time 4-6 minutes)

Remove the rice from the micro and spread evenly to one side of the bento box.  Let it cool.

Back to the tuna…stir it thoroughly to break up the chunks and cook until all moisture is evaporated and ingredients are blended.

Remove the tuna from heat and allow to cool.

7-8 minutes (elapsed time 11-14 minutes)

Steam a handful of asparagus (or broccoli) in a microwave steamer for one minute.

Remove, trim, season to your  taste,  and add to box.

Rinse the radishes and pat dry. 

Layer the tuna onto the cooled rice. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

Garnish with the radishes and grape tomatoes.

Option: Punch out some nori flowers. Thinly slice some takuwan for extra color and flavor.

5-6 minutes (elapsed time 16-20 minutes)

There’s plenty of time while everything is cooling to “pretty” this bento up.  This is a fairly simple lunch to assemble and you could easily add flourishes such as carrot flowers and pea pods.

What other foods or items could you  add and still keep it under 20 minutes?

Due to the enthusiastic responses (and  because  I’ll be off-line until then)  , I’m extending this contest until March 1,2010, at Midnight PST!   That’s two extra days to submit your veggie recipes.

Here’s the link!

Thanks everyone for your participation.  I’m thrilled at all the submissions.

Continuing our series of speedy bento boxes with this uber-quick lunch preparation!

Today’s featured bento is also a vegan one and contains Tofurky sausage wraps, leftover salad from dinner, sweet pickels and miso mayo.   You can easily substitute the Tofurkey with your choice of hot dog and exchange this curried quinoa-lentil salad with whatever ready-made veggie item in your fridge! 

Get ready to assemble a bento in less than 10 minutes!  

Here we go!

Tofurkey Wrap Speed Bento

1. Zap one Tofurkey sausage in the micro for 1 minute . While that’s rotating in the microwave…

2. Fill silicone cup with salad and set aside.

1-2 minutes

3. Remove Tofurkey, cut in half and set aside to cool.

4. Fill a small container with miso-mayo, you can make your own but for this bento I used a store bought vegan brand.

5. Fetch a couple of sweet pickle gerkins and set aside.

6. Collect a few grape or cherry tomatoes and set those aside too.

2 -3 minutes (elapsed time 3-5 minutes)

7. Roll each Tofurkey half in a small tortilla, tucking in the sides like a burrito.

8. Set the two Tofurkey wraps in the bento and seperate with lettuce leaves.  You can add the leaves to the inside of the wraps when you are ready to eat!

9. Tuck the salad filled cup in the box and arrange the pickles to keep everything snug.

10. Wedge the miso-mayo container in there too.

11. Cover the salad with the tomatoes to minimize spillage.

2-3 minutes (elapsed time 5-8 minutes)

Your done!   Well, there’s some minimal clean up.

If your interested in the salad… I just mix cooked and cooled quinoa and lentils with corn and carrots then add commercial curry powder to taste.  And if I have any… I toss in freshly chopped cilantro or parsley too  .  It’s a great side dish for chicken— if your into poultry.     I like it along with tomato soup myself!