I guess if there’s one thing that’s cyclical with my bento, it’s tonkatsu. Japan’s favorite breaded porkchop, I love tonkatsu for its flavor, texture and ease of preparation. Prepared in advance, you can freeze it then fry it frozen in the mornings. I’m sure I’m not the only one who loves tonkatsu. Why, even Mr. Alien agrees!
My self-imposed ban on buying new bento boxes was lifted recently for a very special reason. Daiso / Japan Home stocked some adorable Onigiri boxes! These bento boxes have two levels. A flat rectangular one on the bottom and a triangular top that lets you keep your onigiri upright. I’ve been wanting this box design forever so I quickly snagged one up, even if I wasn’t a fan of Winnie the Pooh.
I love soup. Whether they be thin, flavorful broths or thick, hearty chunky soups, they’re all very welcome on our dining table. Despite the veritable parade of various soups on our table, there’s one soup that holds a place of honor, having been passed down from one of my great aunts to her daughter and nieces. This chunky, flavorful soup possesses an equally venerable name: Great Wall.
If I tell you that my next entry is another tapa bento, would you roll your eyes and say, not again? I hope not because I don’t think this will be the last, seeing how much I love tapa.
Offal or variety meats are looked upon differently, depending on one’s culture. In the Philippines, they’re put to good use with a lot of delicious and sought after fancy dishes made from these various animal innards. In fact, they’re so mainstream that some dishes made with these variety meats are sold canned alongside cans of sardines and corned beef.
Have you ever eaten zarusoba? A popular summer noodle dish from Japan, zarusoba is made of fat buckwheat noodles that’s served cold on a zaru, a slotted bamboo dish where the noodles are allowed to drain. The noodles are traditionally dipped in zarusoba tsuyu, a dipping sauce that’s made of dashi (fish broth) and soy sauce.
Grabbing a sandwich for lunch is always a quick and easy option, but who says it has to be boring? Brighten up your sandwich lunch by preparing it as an obento. Instead of preparing one big sandwich, think of them as sandwich halves, then insert a little bit of variety. A simple sandwich, easily made special.
