Thursday, February 25, 2010

Bento 266

#1 had practice after classes and I packed this for her to eat in the car on the way to the practice session. It was a simple dinner bento.

There were two pieces of fried egg with onions and chopped long beans. Some left over Oden and a box of steam Tom Yum Salmon. I usually steam Salmon fish head because it's really delicious. I filleted the Salmon, topped it with Tom Yum sauce and put it into a separate container.

I should have open the container to show the Tom Yum Salmon fillets. #1's reaction to the first mouth full the Salmon was YUMS!! (made my day)

This is the bento box packed and ready to go.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Interesting read

Breakfasts at around the world

Australian meal
Toast, eggs, sausage with tomatoes make a full breakfast meal for young Australians
It’s true that Indians are considered the most eligible tourists across the globe thanks to our zest for travel and also our growing spending powers. However, sitting right here in Mumbai, a traveller’s delight of local cuisines from various parts of the world can make for an interesting start to the day. All you need to do so is eat an authentic international meal or give it a twist by Indianising it by substituting some ingredients to make for a innovative international breakfast. Read on, this one’s bound to tickle your palate.


Japan: Let’s start with Japan — Land of the Rising Sun. Traditional Japanese breakfast is based on rice, seafood, and fermented foods, which do not differ substantially from dishes eaten at other meals in Japanese cuisine. An exception is Natto (a type of fermented soybeans), which is most popularly eaten for breakfast. A typical Japanese restaurant breakfast presentation would be Miso soup, rice with Nori or other garnishes, Natto, rice porridge, grilled fish, raw egg, and a pickled vegetables.

Spain: The entire cuisine is heavily influenced by seafood available from the waters that surround this beautiful country, and reflects the country's deep maritime roots. Spain’s extensive history with many cultural influences has led to an array of unique cuisines with literally thousands of recipes and flavours. These meals are also renowned for their health benefits and fresh ingredients. Contrary to popular belief, Spanish cuisine is actually less spicy in comparison to its North American counterpart, Mexican cuisine. A simple breakfast here includes Churros (warm fritters) with hot chocolate for dipping.

Turkey: Take a keen note of the Turkish words, which sound like Hindi words with a twang. A typical Turkish breakfast consists of cheese (Beyaz Peynir, Kasar etc.), butter, olives, eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, reçel (jam or marmalade; a preserve of whole fruits) and honey usually consumed on top of kaymak. Spicy Turkish sausage (Sucuk), Pastirma, börek, Simit, Pogaça and even soups can be taken as a morning meal in Turkey. Perhaps more so than traditional breads such as Pide, a French style crusty white loaf which is widely consumed. A common Turkish speciality for breakfast is called Menemen, which is prepared with roasted tomatoes, peppers, olive oil and eggs. Invariably, black tea is served at breakfast. Roadside eateries are a visual delight with its traditional glassware and wooden chairs.

Sri Lanka: This one’s similar to Indian breakfast, naturally due to its geographical proximity to India. The Singhalese traditional breakfast usually includes fresh (hot) bread, roti, pittu (rice or manipittu), string hoppers, hoppers, milk rice, appam, or green gram. These are eaten with curry (meat or vegetable), sambol (coconut, maldive fish or seeni-onion fried with chili and sugar) or with jaggery and plantains. Sri Lankans also have a traditional soup-like drink called Kanda. A typical everyday breakfast can simply consist of ‘brother bread’ with butter, and cheese or jam, plantain banana and tea.

Cambodia: In Cambodia, rice congee (babaw) is widely eaten for breakfast. Plain congee is typically eaten with salted eggs, pickled vegetables, or dried fish. Chicken congee, and seafood congee are also commonly eaten. Cambodians also enjoy rice served with sliced pork or chicken with pickled vegetables or a noodle dish (usually a noodle soup called khtieau).

Australia: The typical breakfast of Australians strongly resembles breakfast in many Western countries. Owing to the warm weather in some parts of Australia, breakfast is generally light but in the colder regions porridge or meals similar to the full English breakfast may be consumed. The light breakfast commonly consists of cereals, toast (with a spread) and fruit. A heavier cooked breakfast often includes fried bacon, egg, mushroom, baked beans, sausages, tomatoes, toast with spread. Drinks taken at breakfast include tea, coffee, flavoured milk or juice. A popular breakfast food in Australia is Vegemite, a black, salty spread similar to Marmite, applied to toast or bread.

Sweden: Swedish cuisine, like that of the other Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Norway and Finland), was traditionally simple. Fish (particularly herring), meat and potatoes played prominent roles. Spices were sparse. Famous dishes include Swedish meatballs, traditionally served with gravy, boiled potatoes and lingonberry jam; pancakes, lutfisk, and Smörgåsbord, or lavish buffet. Akvavit is a popular alcoholic distilled beverage, and the drinking of snaps is of cultural importance. The traditional flat and dry crisp bread has developed into several contemporary variants. Breakfast many times includes Filmjölk (sour-milk yogurt) with muesli and banana slices.

Article taken from here.

Bento 265

There is lack a of bento posts this week because #2 has exams. Today's the last day of exams so next week we'll be back with more regular bento posts.

This was a dinner bento for #1 for Monday this week. She had back to back appointments and I decided to pack a bento for her.

I made a huge pot of Oden and packed some for her dinner. I used a small three piece thermos bento to keep the Oden hot.


A side box of rice.


An egg from the Oden stock and some garlic fried long beans.


The Oden goes into the thermos flask to keep hot.


All packed and ready to go with a pair of chopsticks in the sleeve of the Bento bag.


Today's Oden has some deliciously fresh clams.






Yum! Yum! Love this dish.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Kimbab

I've recently discovered Kimbab sold at a (Onigiri) Kimbab stall in 1U and have been a regular. It's being sold at Ringgit 4.90 or USD 1.50 per piece and just in front of the escalator on the ground floor. It's quite delicious and generous with it's ingredients.


Jaya Jusco food court sells Onigiri and it is packed with rice, with little ingredients and sold at Ringgit 2.50 or USD 75 cents. I don't like the taste of the Onigiri or should I say, there's no taste.

My favorite Kimbab is the Kimchi Chicken and Tuna. It's Lent so I bought the vegetarian one to try - it's edible but I still like the Tuna one which I bought. It's a good tasty snack!



One side of the plastic torn away. Very nicely packed and convenient to eat.


Vegetarian Kimbab! Tastes like (meat) floss and sesame seeds. On the sweet side.

Monday, February 22, 2010

"Yan Yat"

Last Saturday was "Yan Yat" - every body's birthday! That was the seventh day of the Chinese Lunar New Year where everybody grows one year older!

My local neighborhood Catholic community (BEC) organized a BBQ. I marinated the Lamb, bought fish from the North Port fishmongers and made a topping for the potatoes.

There is a block of Philadelphia soft cheese, mayonnaise, chopped white onion, chopped celery, mustard, freshly ground black pepper and salt in the tub below.


Fried some chopped bacon.



Crispy and fragrant bacon in a bowl.



Added the fried bacon bits to the cheese mixture.

This was the first to go at the BBQ!


UPDATED
Recipe:
1 block of Philadelphia soft cheese
1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise
1 large white onion (Chopped)
1 1/2 sticks of celery (Chopped)
1 tsp of English Mustard
6 pcs of back bacon (cut in bits and fried)
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Method:
Mix everything up well.

Long bean tamagoyaki

#2's having exams and hours at college are over 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Too short to warrant a bento.

Last week, I made sushi again and this time when I made the tamagoyaki, I added chopped long beans and some chopped Chinese pickled radish (sweet choi poh).

It was basically 2 large eggs, 3 strands of long beans (chopped), hand ful of chopped "Choi Poh", 3 tbsp dashi and 1 tbsp of sugar. Below are some pictures.

After one layer:

2nd roll:


Long bean tamagoyaki sliced and ready for use in sushi:



I was surprised, everyone liked it and was finished in no time!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Bento 264

Again, wishing all who celebrates it, a very Happy Chinese/Lunar New Year!!


Yesterday, I baked a Chocolate cake and got #1 to top it with chocolate ganache frosting. The cake and frosting tasted even nicer today!


This was bento from Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. Meatless with two plain mini Laugens, some raisins, peanuts and okra. The pink container has shoyu in it.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

*sniff* *cough* *cough* (Bento 262-263)

Happy Chinese New Year! This is a late post mainly because I was down with flu and cough over the New Year (food tasting - too many mandarin oranges and cookies!).

Here are two bentos from last week which I didn't post.

This one below has tuna sandwich and some crispy crisp from CNY stash and a box of chopped kyuri, carrots, tamagoyaki, imitation crabsticks and simmered mushrooms in some kewpie mayo.



On another day, there was a tuna croissant and an almond pudding topped with a longan.
There was broccoli fried with onions and carrots in one food cup and more arrowroot fried with pork in another. On the sides were some freshly peeled water chestnuts.




The complete box with it's pretty bento strap looked like this.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Bento 262

It's a long day of replacement classes today. It's the last of the delicious "long yoke" from one of the CNY food hampers. There is a mini Laugen again and some red cherry tomatoes.



There are four nests of spaghetti Aglio Olio to feast on together with the okra or "ladies fingers" as we call it locally.

There was a box of frozen oranges and an energy bar that went with the bento. I didn't have time to take a picture because we were running late this morning.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

CONGRATULATIONS!

Sometime in January 2010, #2 came home from a SASA meeting and declared that she was among seven others running for the Vice-Presidency position of SASA. My first reaction was...how come not the President? After listening to her reasons and explanation, I was convinced that she had made a correct choice.

Amidst preparation for a Piano competition



pop quizzes and tests,

Church commitments and programs,


choir practices




lots of prayers

and a long list of other commitments, she pursued on.

Last night the elections took place at a fellowship organized by the 2009 SASA seniors. It was located at an apartment block in the middle of the city. The rest of the family was also busy attending another event when we received an SMS from #2 "Omgee! Praise the Lord. Won VP. Highest votes. XD. Got 2vp's". Apparently before the elections took place some people tabled a suggestion to have 2 VP's. Quite unconventional, but I think it was a great idea.

It's an opportunity for the learners to learn and for the experienced to share their gifts. An overall win-win situation. The current board now consists of 3 young ladies who delivered their lines and presented a good first impression enough to secure their places. Congratulations to all the winners!



To #2, I only have this to say "mum and dad are very proud of you and may you enjoy this journey!" Praise God!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Bento 261

Friday is usually a no bento day. However, there is a test in the afternoon and tonight #2 joins the HELP Choir to sing at a Haiti benefit in college.

I packed some futomaki for her dinner tonight so she won't need to come back in between the two hour gap. This is a two layer bento box which is ideal for packing makis.

There are four pieces of futomaki in this top box separated by a baran/divider to contain some tamagoyaki/Japanese egg roll. There is a small fish shape shoyu container for #2 to flavor the makis.

The bottom bento box is deeper and thus able to contain more makis. I filled the balance space with three strawberries from Korea.


An aerial view of the bento box.


#2 has been complaining about leaks and I'm trying out other bento boxes and cutting back on 'wet' food. This is how the bento box looks like after snapping it's sides to lock up.


This bento is for dinner and it's about five hours away. To maintain some freshness, I added two cold packs and wrapped it up with an insulated Furoshiki (below)




I spent 2 hours trying to upload this post. Something wrong with blogger today!!!


Thursday, February 4, 2010

Bento 260

It's a busy morning, baking cookies for Chinese New Year resumes. The first batch is all gone and there is more to bake!

When I went out last night to shop for groceries, I came back to the smell of brownies all ready and baked on the table to cool.*shakes head in amazement*

This morning's bento has "long yoke" sandwiches with some brownies which #2 made on an impulse. I think the college tests and other commitments are getting to her and she needed to de-stress.



There are some scones and a mix vegie and fruit salad minus dressing because it tasted sweet enough in it's own natural juices.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Bento 259

Most days you'd see bread in #2's bento, that's because she doesn't like to eat rice. She enjoys most types of bread.

Today's bento has a Focaccia, ham and cucumber bun. There is a sliced Kiwi and a box of mixed veggies with some sliced salami, all tossed in some sesame seed dressing.


Today #2 came back ravenous after college. There was choir practice during the mid-day break and singing had made her very hungry. *grins*

Memories

Sometime in January 2010, we attended a private party at a Japanese Restaurant. It was a small do for about 50 people. The food was delicious and the company, impeccable!

Just wanted to share some pictures and jot down a memory worth remembering.



Delicious sushi, freshly rolled out. Cod fish baked in soy sauce and mirin in foil trays.



Soft and smooth cawan mushi, potato karoke, kakiage, tempura, over abundance of baby octopuses,


A personal weakness!


Hand rolls ...




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