It's time for another bento. I'll make one tomorrow. I have some leftover rice in the fridge so I'll make fried rice. Easy and tasty. I also have leftover ham from this week's sandwiches so I'll dice up some of that for the fried rice and maybe a couple of those mini cocktail wieners that I like so well. If I had any bean sprouts I'd use those too, but I don't so I won't.
I have lettuce so a little salad would go nice with the rice. I have some cucumbers so maybe I'll make a quick pickle too. I haven't decided if I'll make my favorite tamagoyaki or if I'll just scramble an egg into the fried rice.
Fried rice is easy. All you need is leftover rice (cold is best) and something else to put in it. Even sliced garlic will do (and boy is it good - check this out). My recipe is not authentic. It's just good. Try it and see.
Heat some oil in a skillet. Use a little sesame oil for extra flavor. When it's hot sauté a little chopped onion and/or garlic, if you wish, then toss in the rice. Break up the clumps with a wooden spoon and stir and toss until the rice is pretty even and pretty much heated through. You can push the rice aside and add other ingredients - diced ham, leftover bits of chicken or shrimp, vegetables and bean sprouts - use whatever you like and whatever you have on hand. When those ingredients are heated through mix them all together with the rice.
Now push the rice over to the side again, add a little more oil to the bare spot in the pan (easily done with a folded bit of paper towel dipped in oil) and break an egg onto the oiled spot. You can scramble it first or just crack it right into the pan. Stir it around with a pair of chopsticks to scramble it as it cooks. When it's pretty well done but still soft and tender, mix it in with the rice (if you like it cooked firmer, go ahead).
Now add some sauce. You can just pour in a little soy sauce or you can use a bottled teriyaki type sauce or if you have some leftover dipping sauce from your soba noodles or dumplings, use that. If you want to get fancy mix a little soy sauce with some mirin and sake, or just add these separately, a few dribbles at a time. Stir and toss so the sauce gets mixed all through the rice and you're about done. Serve this garnished with minced green onion or toasted sesame seeds and you're off!
To make a quick pickle, slice cucumber (or zucchini) thinly. Sprinkle with a hefty pinch of salt and toss it around in a bowl, squeezing it to get the salt working. You can weight it with a plate, put it in a pickle press or just leave it for about 20 - 30 minutes. Now squeeze out the excess water, rinse and drain and squeeze again. Dress with a little rice vinegar, or cider vinegar or even lemon juice. Add a pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes or a few thin slices of chili pepper, toss and serve. Pickles like this will last a few days in the fridge so make enough for your next couple bentos and you're all set!
I won't try to tell you how to make a tamagoyaki. Instead, here is a link to my favorite bento web site where you can learn her technique much more easily than by trying to decipher my instructions. Enjoy your bento!
Quotable quotes; in the category Does It Make Me Feel Good Because I Like It Or Do I Like It Because It Makes Me Feel Good?
"Japanese food makes me feel particularly good." David Mitchell
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
What Do You Call These?
If you read my bento posts you know that tamagoyaki is practically my favorite part of any bento. Another favorite is budo mame. As near as I can tell, budo mame means soybeans simmered until tender then simmered in sugar and soy sauce until caramelized. They are, in my humble opinion, delicious. Sweet, tangy, toothsome and tasty.
Of course, they don't really get totally tender. Either that or I have never let them cook long enough. My recipe says 4 -5 hours. I skimped on that last time and the beans were decidedly not tender. Not crunchy, but with lots of texture.
This is a recipe I do not make often. Not because it's difficult - it's actually remarkably easy requiring only a few steps (soaking the beans, simmering the beans, skimming and adding water as needed and simmering in sugar and soy sauce at the end). No, I don't make them often because by the time I think of them it's too late to soak them overnight and to simmer them the required 4 - 5 hours.
Never mind. You are much more organized and forward thinking than I and you will get the beans soaking and cooking well in advance of when they will be wanted.
For an "official" recipe visit my very favorite bento web site. The recipe is here. Enjoy!
Quotable quotes; in the category Having Your Cake And Eating It Too Is A Snap Compared To This!
"Wishing to eat the fugu, but wishing to live too." Japanese proverb
Of course, they don't really get totally tender. Either that or I have never let them cook long enough. My recipe says 4 -5 hours. I skimped on that last time and the beans were decidedly not tender. Not crunchy, but with lots of texture.
This is a recipe I do not make often. Not because it's difficult - it's actually remarkably easy requiring only a few steps (soaking the beans, simmering the beans, skimming and adding water as needed and simmering in sugar and soy sauce at the end). No, I don't make them often because by the time I think of them it's too late to soak them overnight and to simmer them the required 4 - 5 hours.
Never mind. You are much more organized and forward thinking than I and you will get the beans soaking and cooking well in advance of when they will be wanted.
For an "official" recipe visit my very favorite bento web site. The recipe is here. Enjoy!
Quotable quotes; in the category Having Your Cake And Eating It Too Is A Snap Compared To This!
"Wishing to eat the fugu, but wishing to live too." Japanese proverb
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
It's Not Easy Eating Greens
I have been interested in foraging and wild foods for a long time. Several times I have attempted to cook and eat dandelion greens. Somehow, there is something enticing about the idea of foraging for food, something you did not have to plant and cultivate, and having a tasty dish for your trouble.
There is a reason Granny (remember the Beverly Hillbillies on TV?) served greens with possum gravy and pot likker. They taste pretty terrible on their own. Which is why I kept trying them but never actually got around to eating them.
According to some of the books and web sites I have read recently part of the trick is boiling. And boiling. And more boiling. It apparently helps to remove, or at least tame, some of the bitterness.
I happened to have cooked some bacon that morning and had not yet washed out the pan. I figured what better way to cook dandelions than in bacon grease, my Greek cookbook notwithstanding. I headed out to the back yard in the cool misty drizzle (not really rain) and pulled a hefty handful of dandelion greens and a few sprigs of garlic mustard (there was not much that I could reach).
I doused the greens in a pot of water and swished them around, let them stand, then lifted them from the water to allow any grit to settle to the bottom. Drained and rinsed the pan and repeated a couple times to make sure the greens were clean, then I chopped them coarsely (another tip to help with bitterness). I added a fat pinch of salt, brought them to a boil and let them simmer about ten minutes. I tasted and they seemed okay - not overly bitter. Next time I will likely drain and boil them at least two or three times - the finished greens were decidedly bitter.
After boiling I drained them and tossed them into the skillet that contained the bacon grease (and luckily a few specks of bacon which had stuck to the pan). I turned up the heat and let them go a good long time - maybe 20 minutes or so - stirring occasionally and seasoning them with a little more salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes as well as a dribble of olive oil. I would have added a splash of vinegar if I had thought of it.
They were bitter. But not un-eatable. Tender but still toothsome. If I try them again I'll let you know. For now I'll stick with kale and Swiss chard, challenging in their own way but a little easier to relate to.
Quotable quotes; in the category Nuts About Nuts Or Just Nuts?
"I look for natural ingredients in my food. That's why Grape Nuts is part of my breakfast . . . Its naturally sweet taste reminds me of wild hickory nuts."
Euell Gibbons, American Food & Nature Writer, from his Post Grape Nuts commercial
There is a reason Granny (remember the Beverly Hillbillies on TV?) served greens with possum gravy and pot likker. They taste pretty terrible on their own. Which is why I kept trying them but never actually got around to eating them.
According to some of the books and web sites I have read recently part of the trick is boiling. And boiling. And more boiling. It apparently helps to remove, or at least tame, some of the bitterness.
I happened to have cooked some bacon that morning and had not yet washed out the pan. I figured what better way to cook dandelions than in bacon grease, my Greek cookbook notwithstanding. I headed out to the back yard in the cool misty drizzle (not really rain) and pulled a hefty handful of dandelion greens and a few sprigs of garlic mustard (there was not much that I could reach).I doused the greens in a pot of water and swished them around, let them stand, then lifted them from the water to allow any grit to settle to the bottom. Drained and rinsed the pan and repeated a couple times to make sure the greens were clean, then I chopped them coarsely (another tip to help with bitterness). I added a fat pinch of salt, brought them to a boil and let them simmer about ten minutes. I tasted and they seemed okay - not overly bitter. Next time I will likely drain and boil them at least two or three times - the finished greens were decidedly bitter.
After boiling I drained them and tossed them into the skillet that contained the bacon grease (and luckily a few specks of bacon which had stuck to the pan). I turned up the heat and let them go a good long time - maybe 20 minutes or so - stirring occasionally and seasoning them with a little more salt, pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes as well as a dribble of olive oil. I would have added a splash of vinegar if I had thought of it.
They were bitter. But not un-eatable. Tender but still toothsome. If I try them again I'll let you know. For now I'll stick with kale and Swiss chard, challenging in their own way but a little easier to relate to.
Quotable quotes; in the category Nuts About Nuts Or Just Nuts?
"I look for natural ingredients in my food. That's why Grape Nuts is part of my breakfast . . . Its naturally sweet taste reminds me of wild hickory nuts."
Euell Gibbons, American Food & Nature Writer, from his Post Grape Nuts commercial
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Bent uh-oh
I brought a bento to work for lunch today. I am not posting a picture of it because it is decidedly ugly. I tried making a tamagoyaki (rolled egg omelet) with asparagus spears rolled up inside. It failed dismally, falling apart and looking extremely un-photogenic. I know from experience that tamagoyaki is delicious. In fact it's usually my favorite part of the bento and I try to include one in every bento I make, so I'm confident that this ugly duckling will still taste great.
In addition I have beef strips with shitake mushroom and a sort of spicy chicken teriyaki. I cooked the mushrooms the day before, then added them to the beef. I also cooked some carrot, celery and radish (raw veggies from a couple days ago) and glazed them with the chicken. In case you want to try them here are my "recipes". I don't claim they are authentic but they are all based on recipes I have found at other bento blogs and cookbooks with my own adaptations imposed up on them. Enjoy!
Simmered Shitake Mushrooms: my recipe said to use fresh mushrooms. I didn't have any so I soaked dried mushrooms in water, trimmed & discarded the stems, then sautéed them in sesame oil. I added a drizzle of soy sauce, mirin and sake and a pinch of sugar and simmered until the liquid had cooked away and the mushrooms were glazed. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Sesame Style Beef: slice any tender cut of beef thinly against the grain. About a half dozen generous slices will make a nice serving. Marinate 15 - 30 minutes in soy sauce, mirin and sake - about a teaspoon or so of each. Saute over medium high heat in sesame oil, then add the marinade and simmer, turning often, until the liquid has reduced to a syrupy glaze and the beef is coated. Optional - you can add a pinch of red pepper flakes and garnish with minced green onion if you wish. Add the mushrooms and finish the beef & mushrooms together.
Spicy Chicken: use chicken breast or thigh, as you prefer, boneless, skinless or not. Marinate in a little hot sauce such as Tabasco or Picante sauce. Saute in sesame oil until browned on all sides then add a little teriyaki sauce or a dribble each of soy sauce, mirin and sake (are you getting a picture here?) and simmer until thickened and chicken is glazed. Optional, include some celery, carrot and onion or radish, thinly sliced and cooked in sesame oil, soy sauce & mirin. Alternately, toss the marinated chicken in a little corn starch or potato starch, omit the teriyaki sauce, and cook until browned and crusty.
Pack your bento with steamed rice, the beef, chicken and tamagoyaki, if you made one, and some extra spears of asparagus or steamed broccoli florets. Add a couple cherry tomatoes for color. Allow the bento to cool completely before placing the cover on the box. This bento should require no refrigeration as long as it's eaten within a few hours of preparing.
For more bento ideas check out my favorite bento blog, Just Bento.
Quotable quotes; in the category This Way To Tasty But Ugly Tamagoyaki!
"Failures are the finger posts on the road to achievement."
C. S. Lewis
In addition I have beef strips with shitake mushroom and a sort of spicy chicken teriyaki. I cooked the mushrooms the day before, then added them to the beef. I also cooked some carrot, celery and radish (raw veggies from a couple days ago) and glazed them with the chicken. In case you want to try them here are my "recipes". I don't claim they are authentic but they are all based on recipes I have found at other bento blogs and cookbooks with my own adaptations imposed up on them. Enjoy!
Simmered Shitake Mushrooms: my recipe said to use fresh mushrooms. I didn't have any so I soaked dried mushrooms in water, trimmed & discarded the stems, then sautéed them in sesame oil. I added a drizzle of soy sauce, mirin and sake and a pinch of sugar and simmered until the liquid had cooked away and the mushrooms were glazed. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
Sesame Style Beef: slice any tender cut of beef thinly against the grain. About a half dozen generous slices will make a nice serving. Marinate 15 - 30 minutes in soy sauce, mirin and sake - about a teaspoon or so of each. Saute over medium high heat in sesame oil, then add the marinade and simmer, turning often, until the liquid has reduced to a syrupy glaze and the beef is coated. Optional - you can add a pinch of red pepper flakes and garnish with minced green onion if you wish. Add the mushrooms and finish the beef & mushrooms together.
Spicy Chicken: use chicken breast or thigh, as you prefer, boneless, skinless or not. Marinate in a little hot sauce such as Tabasco or Picante sauce. Saute in sesame oil until browned on all sides then add a little teriyaki sauce or a dribble each of soy sauce, mirin and sake (are you getting a picture here?) and simmer until thickened and chicken is glazed. Optional, include some celery, carrot and onion or radish, thinly sliced and cooked in sesame oil, soy sauce & mirin. Alternately, toss the marinated chicken in a little corn starch or potato starch, omit the teriyaki sauce, and cook until browned and crusty.
Pack your bento with steamed rice, the beef, chicken and tamagoyaki, if you made one, and some extra spears of asparagus or steamed broccoli florets. Add a couple cherry tomatoes for color. Allow the bento to cool completely before placing the cover on the box. This bento should require no refrigeration as long as it's eaten within a few hours of preparing.
For more bento ideas check out my favorite bento blog, Just Bento.
Quotable quotes; in the category This Way To Tasty But Ugly Tamagoyaki!
"Failures are the finger posts on the road to achievement."
C. S. Lewis
Monday, April 8, 2013
It's Gonna Happen
My friend made a carrot cake last time she had us over for supper. From scratch. It was good.
I have a penchant for making things from a mix and messin' with 'em to fancy 'em up a little.
I have bags of carrots in the fridge. I have boxes of cake mix in the pantry. I have tubs of frosting in the pantry. I have eggs. I'm gonna make a carrot cake.
Perusing the web I found three different recipes for carrot cake, all starting with a boxed yellow cake mix. Some call for instant vanilla pudding, some for crushed pineapple, some call for 3 eggs and some call for 4.
I also found a recipe for a low-fat, low-calorie carrot cake in an old issue of Prevention Magazine. Ya, THAT ain't gonna happen. At least not this time.
Sometime before the weekend there will be a carrot cake coming out of my oven. I'll let you know how it is. Raisins need not apply.
Quotable quotes; in the category Eating A Balanced Diet Is Its Own Reward!
"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie." Jim Davis, creator of the Garfield comic strip.
I have a penchant for making things from a mix and messin' with 'em to fancy 'em up a little.
I have bags of carrots in the fridge. I have boxes of cake mix in the pantry. I have tubs of frosting in the pantry. I have eggs. I'm gonna make a carrot cake.
Perusing the web I found three different recipes for carrot cake, all starting with a boxed yellow cake mix. Some call for instant vanilla pudding, some for crushed pineapple, some call for 3 eggs and some call for 4.
I also found a recipe for a low-fat, low-calorie carrot cake in an old issue of Prevention Magazine. Ya, THAT ain't gonna happen. At least not this time.
Sometime before the weekend there will be a carrot cake coming out of my oven. I'll let you know how it is. Raisins need not apply.
Quotable quotes; in the category Eating A Balanced Diet Is Its Own Reward!
"Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie." Jim Davis, creator of the Garfield comic strip.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Simple Pleasures Are Best
That's something my sister-in-law often says and usually she's right.
I'm thinking right now about the brownies I bake. No, not from scratch - while I love the idea of from scratch baking I almost always use a box mix of some kind, at least for cakes & brownies. But I have my ways of making them special. And they're all simple and easy.
For brownies, I almost never make a batch without adding something extra. Walnuts or pecans are a natural (unless you're making the brownies for someone who cannot have or does not like nuts). To make them extra tasty toast them before adding. This is as easy as placing the nuts on a baking pan in the oven for a few minutes, or in a skillet on the stove top. Toast just until they become fragrant, shaking or stirring a few times to prevent burning.
Another addition is chocolate. I like to break a chocolate bar up into little pieces, or just toss a handful of chocolate chips into the batter. Pour it into the pan and scatter a few more pieces or chips over the top. The bits melt to different degrees making the brownies extra special. Bits of caramel or candy bar can also be tried.
You can add spices to the batter while mixing. I like to shake in a little cinnamon for a subtle boost of flavor. A shake or two of cayenne pepper adds a pleasant bit of warmth and a hefty pinch of sea salt - well I got those last two ideas from adding chocolate bits that contained those ingredients. I figured if it's good for chocolate it's good for brownies.
Finally, if you like those marbled cheesecake brownies, well it's as easy as this. Combine one beaten egg with one package (8 ounces) cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Beat well. Pour the brownie batter into the pan, then plop spoonfuls of the cheesecake mixture in as well. Use a knife or skewer to swirl the two batters together in a marbled effect until it's as mixed as you wish. Bake as usual.
Next time you bake a batch of brownies, whether from scratch or from a mix, try one or two or all of these ideas to make them a little special.
Quotable quotes; in the category Oh, So That's What That Smell Is!
"Childhood smells of perfume and brownies." David Leavitt, American Novelist
I'm thinking right now about the brownies I bake. No, not from scratch - while I love the idea of from scratch baking I almost always use a box mix of some kind, at least for cakes & brownies. But I have my ways of making them special. And they're all simple and easy.
For brownies, I almost never make a batch without adding something extra. Walnuts or pecans are a natural (unless you're making the brownies for someone who cannot have or does not like nuts). To make them extra tasty toast them before adding. This is as easy as placing the nuts on a baking pan in the oven for a few minutes, or in a skillet on the stove top. Toast just until they become fragrant, shaking or stirring a few times to prevent burning.
Another addition is chocolate. I like to break a chocolate bar up into little pieces, or just toss a handful of chocolate chips into the batter. Pour it into the pan and scatter a few more pieces or chips over the top. The bits melt to different degrees making the brownies extra special. Bits of caramel or candy bar can also be tried.
You can add spices to the batter while mixing. I like to shake in a little cinnamon for a subtle boost of flavor. A shake or two of cayenne pepper adds a pleasant bit of warmth and a hefty pinch of sea salt - well I got those last two ideas from adding chocolate bits that contained those ingredients. I figured if it's good for chocolate it's good for brownies.
Finally, if you like those marbled cheesecake brownies, well it's as easy as this. Combine one beaten egg with one package (8 ounces) cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla. Beat well. Pour the brownie batter into the pan, then plop spoonfuls of the cheesecake mixture in as well. Use a knife or skewer to swirl the two batters together in a marbled effect until it's as mixed as you wish. Bake as usual.
Next time you bake a batch of brownies, whether from scratch or from a mix, try one or two or all of these ideas to make them a little special.
Quotable quotes; in the category Oh, So That's What That Smell Is!
"Childhood smells of perfume and brownies." David Leavitt, American Novelist
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Bento - Finally!
I finally got around to making another bento. I have been meaning to for a long time but it just didn't seem to get done. I am so out of practice this bento took me a half hour or more to prepare. But it was worth it.
I included some of my favorites - chicken teriyaki, sauteed cocktail wieners and my most favorite of all, a tamagoyaki (egg cake). I also included some peppers, onion & carrots cooked in soy sauce & mirin and a cucumber pickle. I placed half an umeboshi plum on my rice. This was my very first umeboshi. It was very salty but tasty in its way.
I put the bento in a recycled take-out container as I could not lay my hands on an "official" bento box. The only problem was I could not pack it quite tight enough to prevent any shifting around so I had to carry it carefully to prevent it becoming "messy".
I hope it does not take me so long to make my next bento. This was fun . . . and tasty!!!
Quotable Quotes; in the category Yes, Especially If There's Bento For Lunch!
"When people you greatly admire appear to be thinking deep thoughts, they probably are thinking about lunch." Unknown
I put the bento in a recycled take-out container as I could not lay my hands on an "official" bento box. The only problem was I could not pack it quite tight enough to prevent any shifting around so I had to carry it carefully to prevent it becoming "messy".
I hope it does not take me so long to make my next bento. This was fun . . . and tasty!!!
Quotable Quotes; in the category Yes, Especially If There's Bento For Lunch!
"When people you greatly admire appear to be thinking deep thoughts, they probably are thinking about lunch." Unknown
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