1. Panda bento rice
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Processing
40 minutes
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Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Panda bento rice For 2 people
Hot rice 2 cups Chicken breast 200 gr Sausages 3 pieces Chicken eggs 5 eggs Broccoli 50 gr Carrot 1/2 piece Shiitake mushrooms 10 gr Quail eggs 10 eggs Cherry tomatoes 20 gr Lettuce 20 gr Sesame oil 1 tablespoon All-purpose flour 10 gr Breadcrumbs 10 gr Seaweed 1 sheet Cooking oil 10 tablespoons Common seasoning a little (salt/msg/seasoning powder)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose good chicken breast
- Choose pieces of breast with white skin because this is mature chicken, and the meat will be more chewy and delicious. When pressing the meat with your hand, it should be elastic, not soft or mushy.
- Avoid choosing pieces of breast with many white streaks; the more streaks there are, the less fat and protein there will be, making it harder for the meat to absorb seasoning when cooked.
How to choose good broccoli
- You should choose broccoli with a round bud because it will taste better and sweeter than a flat bud.
- Choose buds that are dark green and uniform in color, not yellowing.
- The stem should be firm, hard, and crunchy, without insect damage or blemishes.
How to choose good carrots
- You should choose carrots that are straight, with smooth skin and bright orange color.
- Additionally, when holding the carrot, it should feel heavy, firm, and hard, not soft, bruised, or misshapen. Avoid selecting overly large carrots, as they often have more fibers and decreasing sweetness.
How to choose fresh and delicious enoki mushrooms
- You should choose mushrooms that are white because when cooking soups or porridge, the mushrooms will have a better taste.
- The mushroom stems should be short, with round and even caps.
- The size of the mushrooms should be just right, avoiding those that are too large or too small.
- Do not choose mushrooms that have a foul smell or any strange odors.
Tools needed
Panda-shaped rice mold, spatula, non-stick pan,…
How to make Panda bento rice
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Mix the rice
Put hot rice into a bowl, add 1 tablespoon of sesame oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and mix well.
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Prepare the ingredients
The sausages are cut into bite-sized pieces, then split into 4 at one end to create an attractive shape when frying.
The broccoli is cut into small florets about 2 finger lengths, soaked in diluted saltwater for about 5 minutes, rinsed with clean water, drained, and then boiled for about 10 minutes before being removed to a plate to drain.
The carrots are peeled and cut into strips, the straw mushrooms have their dirty stems cut off, then washed clean with water and drained. After that, slice them thinly for easy eating.
The cherry tomatoes and lettuce are washed clean and drained.
The quail eggs are boiled for about 6 minutes then removed and soaked in cold water for 3 minutes, then peeled.
The chicken breast is trimmed of skin with a knife, washed with water, then rubbed evenly with salt and rinsed with clean water.
Next, let it drain or use a clean towel to dry and cut into bite-sized pieces about 2 finger lengths, then make 2 cuts on each side.
Tip to prepare chicken breast without odor
- After rubbing with salt, you can use a mixture of alcohol and sliced ginger, gently rubbing and squeezing the entire chicken breast once more to help eliminate odors and dirt. Rinse thoroughly and let drain.
- Alternatively, you can add lemon to the water and soak the chicken breast for 15 – 20 minutes. Then remove, rinse with cold water, and let drain.
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Frying and stir-frying ingredients
You prepare 3 bowls of flour, chicken eggs, and breadcrumbs, place a pan on the stove over medium heat, add 5 tablespoons of cooking oil, wait for the oil to heat up, then coat the chicken in flour, egg, and breadcrumbs in turn, then fry until golden brown on both sides, and then remove to drain the oil.
You take another pan and place it on the stove over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of cooking oil, wait for the oil to heat up, then add the sausages to fry, gently rolling them until the sausages are slightly golden and the cut ends puff out a bit, then remove to drain the oil.
Continuing with the oil from frying the sausages, you fry 3 quail eggs (depending on whether you like them cooked or runny, you can take them out accordingly).
Also in the pan where you just fried the quail eggs, you add carrots and button mushrooms, stir-fry for about 5 minutes, add 5 grams of roasted sesame seeds, and then turn off the heat.
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Making rolled eggs
You crack the shells of 4 chicken eggs into a bowl, add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar, 1/8 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of seasoning powder, then mix well.
You place a non-stick pan on the stove over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil, wait for the oil to heat up, then pour 1/4 of the egg mixture into the pan to fry. When the egg layer solidifies, you reduce the heat to low.
Next, you use a spatula to roll the egg into 4 parts, continue to pour more egg mixture into the pan to fry and roll the egg until finished.
Let the rolled eggs cool slightly, then cut into bite-sized pieces about the width of a finger.
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Making bento rice
You press the rice into a bear-shaped mold, cut seaweed to create ears and eyes, and the bear’s nose.
You put lettuce into the box, add the pressed rice, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, boiled quail eggs, fried quail eggs, fried chicken breast, sausages, and rolled eggs, and it’s done.
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Final Product
Panda bento rice with eye-catching rice shapes and colors, full of nutrients yet very delicious, crispy fried chicken enhances the rich flavor of the sauce, and the freshness of broccoli, let’s show off your cooking skills and make it right away.
2. Fried squid bento rice
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Preparation
20 minutes
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Processing
25 minutes
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Difficulty Level
Easy
Ingredients for Fried squid bento rice Serves 2 people
Rice 160 gr (1 cup) Fresh squid 500 gr Eggs 2 eggs Sausage 1 stick Cherry tomatoes 50 gr Lettuce 20 gr Unsweetened milk 15 ml Cooking oil 10 tablespoons Salt a little
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose fresh squid
- Color: You should choose squid that has a dark brown color and a shiny surface.
- Firmness: Fresh squid will have high elasticity and firmness. You can press your finger into the squid’s body; if it is fresh, the squid will return to its original state.
- Squid eyes: Fresh squid eyes are clear and shiny white, and you can even see the pupil in fresh squid.
- Squid tentacles: To distinguish fresh squid by its tentacles, pay attention to the suckers on the tentacles. If there are many suckers attached to the tentacles, you can be sure that your squid is very fresh.
How to choose delicious cherry tomatoes
- You should choose tomatoes that have smooth skin, are plump and juicy, with a bright red color, and the stem is still green.
- Avoid choosing those that have black spots or small black dots, or have uneven colors of both green and red.
- If you touch them and they feel too soft or too hard, or if juice comes out, you should not buy them as they may be spoiled.
How to make Fried Squid Bento Rice
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Cooking rice
Use the cup that comes with the rice cooker to measure rice, approximately 1 cup of rice (about 160g) for 2 bowls of rice.
Add water to the rice cooker that already has rice, gently wash the rice by hand and stir well to remove any dust, husk, or debris sticking to the rice grains, then drain the water and continue to add 1.5 cups (about 250ml) of clean water.
Wipe the outside of the inner pot with a dry cloth to ensure the surface is dry, place the inner pot back into the cooker, gently rotate it so that the bottom of the pot makes direct contact with the heating plate. Close the lid, plug it in, and turn on the switch.
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Preparing the squid
To save time, you should ask the seller to clean the squid for you. After purchasing, use 1 tablespoon of salt to rub all over the squid to eliminate the fishy smell.
Then rinse it with clean water, let it drain, and cut the squid into bite-sized rings about 1/2 finger length.
How to clean squid without fishy smell- To clean squid, first rinse the squid under water to remove dirt. Then, hold the tentacles and pull them away from the body.
- Next, remove unnecessary parts such as the ink sac, the membrane, the brown digestive tract, and the spine.
- Rinse again with diluted salt water for thorough cleaning while eliminating the fishy smell of the squid.
See details: How to clean squid without fishy smell.
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Making sausage rolled omelette
You crack 1 egg into a bowl, add 15ml of unsweetened milk, and whisk well.
You place a non-stick pan on medium heat, evenly spread a layer of oil, then pour in 1/4 bowl of eggs to fry. When the egg layer sets, place a sausage in one corner and reduce the heat.
Next, you use a spatula to roll the egg around the sausage, continue to pour more eggs to fry, and roll the eggs around the sausage until finished. Let it sit for about 30 seconds to firm up, then turn off the heat.
You let the rolled omelette cool slightly, then cut into bite-sized pieces about 1 finger thick.
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Fried Squid Rings
You put 80g of all-purpose flour into a bowl, add 70ml of water, 1 egg, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, then use a whisk to mix until you get a thick, smooth mixture. You pour the breadcrumbs onto a plate or another bowl.
Place a pan on the stove over medium heat, add 10 tablespoons of cooking oil, and wait for it to heat up.
While waiting for the oil to heat, coat the squid rings in a layer of batter, then coat them evenly in a layer of breadcrumbs, and drop each squid ring into the oil to fry over medium heat until they turn golden, then remove and drain the oil.
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Making Bento Rice
Wash and drain the lettuce and cherry tomatoes.
Take about 1 cup of rice, wrap it with plastic wrap, then shape it into a triangle, cut seaweed to stick around the triangular rice if desired, and create eyes and a nose.
Put the lettuce in the box, add the pressed rice, cherry tomatoes, fried squid, and rolled egg with sausage, and then it’s done.
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Finished product
The fried squid bento dish is delicious, eye-catching, very unique, easy to make, with crispy squid on the outside and soft, sweet squid on the inside, combined with rolled eggs and sausages for a rich and nutty flavor.
This dish is great when served with soy sauce or dipping squid with chili sauce and ketchup.
What is Bento? Where did it originate?
The word Bento in Japanese simply means lunch box. This is a traditional dish of the Japanese people.
Bento lunch boxes originated from the habit of using fried rice contained in a small box by the Japanese, starting from around the 13th century. Later, the bento lunch box was further developed by the Japanese in the 15th century, not only using fried rice but also sticky rice, white rice combined with various types of food.
And around the 17th – 18th century, bento lunch boxes were widely used by the Japanese, becoming a habit and now a traditional dish of this country.
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With just a few simple steps, you can immediately have bento rice that is delicious and appealing to give to your loved one! Give it a try and wish you success!
*Image and recipe source from YouTube channel: BeeMart and Nino’s Home.
