Author: Ophelia Chien

Tandoori Chicken Sandwich

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Sandwiches are never the most interesting lunch option, but with tandoori chicken, the warm spices and juicy filling can surely lighten up your day. Takes only 30 minutes in the oven, Tandoori chicken is very convenient to make during one of these work form home days. Before your 11:30 meetings, place marinated chicken thighs on a baking sheet and send to oven. By the time your meeting is over, your lunch awaits! Tandoori Chicken Sandwich Recipe Yield: 2 bento Prep time: 5 minutes (excluding marination time) Cook time: 30 minutes Ingredients: Marinade for 2 chicken thighs: 1/3 cup Greek yogurt Juice of 1/4 lemon 1/2 garlic clove, grated 1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger 1/2 teaspoon curry powder 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon salt Grounded black pepper Chili powder Method: Mix all ingredients for the marinade. Massage chicken thighs to coat it with marinade. Cover and leave in the fridge for overnight. Preheat oven to 400F. Cook the chicken for 30-35 minutes. 3. Assemble the sandwiches with lettuce, onion, tomatoes and other vegetables of your choice. …

Pineapple and Shrimp Fried Rice

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Sweet, tangy, with a hint of spice, this pineapple and shrimp fried rice is great for summer lunch and so easy to make! Before I moved to the US, I never understand why in many literature, summer night is a time that’s most enjoyable. As in Asia, summer night is usually hot, humid, and sometimes suffocating. Pineapple and shrimp fried rice is a dish represents summer in Asia for me. The tropical fruit fragrant paired with the umami from the ocean reminds me of those holidays on the beach Pineapple and Shrimp Fried Rice Recipe Yield: 2 bento Prep time: 10 minutes (including marination time) Cook time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 5-6 large shrimps, cut into bite size 1 tablespoon cooking rice wine or masala wine A pinch of salt 1/2 cup diced pineapple (it can be fresh, canned, or frozen) 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2.5 cups cold cooked rice 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon ketchup 2-3 teaspoons sriratcha sauce 1/4 cup of frozen edamame or peas Method: Marinate shrimps with cooking rice wine and …

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Slices

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Yesterday I got my second shot of vaccine. I felt well until last night. I then experienced mild fever and sore muscles for the whole night and today. I couldn’t leave bed for too long and I’m extremely fatigued. Luckily, I made my bento yesterday. I love pairing pineapple with pork tenderloin. I got this inspiration from Brazilian churrasco and roasted pineapple. The enzyme in pineapple helps to tenderize the tenderloin and keeps the pork softer and moist. The tropical fruit smell of pineapple goes really well with the spices. For vegetarians, you can try roasted pineapple slices as a starter or serve with ice cream as a dessert! Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Slices Recipe Yield: 4 bento Prep time: 10 minutes (excluding marination time) Cook time: 30 minutes Ingredients: Pork tenderloin marinade: 1 lb pork tenderloin 1 tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon of salt Few grounded black pepper A handful of freshly chopped thyme leaves A handful of freshly chopped rosemary 2 tablespoon pineapple juice Pineapple slices: 10-12 fresh pineapple …

Braised Pork Belly with Meigan Cai

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Ever since I bought a pack of Meigan cai, or pickled Chinese mustard, I feel the urge of making braised pork whenever I see meigan cai. I guess this stuff is addictive! Meigan cai is dried and pickled Chinese mustard. It is known in Taiwan as a ingredient of Hakka dish, but in fact it’s quite popular in the whole south-eastern China. Chinese mustard is a magical plant for me. There are at least five types of popular pickles are made from it. Each pickle go through different phases of process, and thus each has their special flavor. Since Meigan cai is the pickle which takes longest time to make among the Chinese mustard pickle family, it has a very deep, intense, and mild flavor. To “wake up” your meigan cai, you need to soak it in clean water till it turns soft, and then fry it to bring out its fragrance. Even though Meigan cai is generally fermented with salt, sugar, and chili pepper, there are still some minor differences in taste and flavor …

Cinco De Mayo Taco rice

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I celebrated Cinco de Mayo this year with Taco rice, a fusion dish from Okinawa. I always like the origin stories of fusion dishes. It almost feels like reading classic comedies: These stories usually starts with a sad tone of how immigrants feeling misplaced, homesick, or lacking of resources, but with a twist of serendipity and innovation, the ending is nice and delicious. The bravery and perseverance of the inventors in the stories become flavorful seasonings of the fusion dish in our plates. The invention story of taco rice happened in an southern island of Japan, Okinawa, where the US troop locates. To serve the Without using taco shells, Okinawa restaurants used warm rice to pair with the fillings in taco and this dish was popular among the US troops stationed in Okinawa. I used impossible foods to make my taco rice vegetarian. It’s very delicious and easy to make. Hope you enjoy it! Taco Rice Recipe Yield: 2 bento Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 10 minutes Ingredients: For the taco filling: 1 tablespoon …

How to Pack Bento – 4 Steps Bento Packing Video

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After you have planned for the presentation of your bento and prepared delicious dishes that will go into your bento box, now it’s the time for packing bento. (See The Healthy & Balanced Bento Presentation Guide for how to plan for a beautiful and nutritious bento box!) The general tips for packing your bento nicely is to pack it tight and neat, so that the food won’t be toss around in the box while being transported. The packing process which I prefer is: Step 1: Pack the rice in one corner of the bento box Step 2: Pack vegetables from the opposite side of the box Step 3: Place the mains in the center Step 4: Adjust and add garnishments to fill the gaps In this video, the carrot coins falls apart easily so I have to start with the main and then tuck in the carrot coins. You can also adjust the process based on the presentation and shape of food.

The Healthy & Balanced Bento Presentation Guide

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Packing bento without using a compartment bento box may seem strange for many of you. But the truth is that you can actually pack your bento neatly and nicely without the help of compartments. As the bento box with compartments are usually bulky and heavy, using bento box without compartment Step 1: Plan for the portions There are three main elements in bento: protein, staple, and vegetables. When preparing your bento, these elements can be seen as mains, rice, and sides. 3 Portions=vegetable: Protein: Staple=1:1:1 4 Portions= vegetable: Protein: Staple=2:1:1 I usually divide my bento into three or four portions. If it’s four portions, I would double the amount of vegetable/sides since I enjoy eating lots of vegetables and it also makes bento more colorful and balanced in nutrition. Step 2: Plan for the presentation Depends on the shape of your bento box and the food, you can plan for the presentation of the bento accordingly. Most bento can be generally categorized to these 12 presentation styles. You can also follow these patterns to arrange …

Effortless Bento Picnic Guide – Hanami Bento

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I’m always a fan of picnic, I enjoy eating with friends on the grass and chilling together. Especially during this pandemic, I call myself a picnic-holic for the picnics that I had in the past few months were more than the sum of my pre-pandemic life . Speaking of picnic, Japanese are definitely experts in it. Their well-celebrated tradition of Hanami, or Cherry blossom viewing, can be interpreted as a picnic festival which everyone participates at least once a year. What is Hanami? During cherry blossom season, friends and family have picnics under cherry blossom trees to enjoy the view while eating homemade bento together. I had my Hanami picnic this year with 3 other friends in the Golden Gate park. We visited Japanese tea garden but we decided to have a picnic outside for safety reasons. It’s really relaxing to enjoy bento surrounded by beautiful scenes after one year of shelter in place and working form home. The food and planning for the picnic came out well. I didn’t feel exhausted or pressured and …

Orange Sauce Chicken Roll

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Orange sauce is a traditional Taiwanese dipping sauce made from kamquat and chili. It’s popular in northern Taiwan and was mainly made by Hakka people. It has strong citrus fragrance which makes it a perfect sauce for pork and poultry. I was so surprised to find orange sauce in a Taiwanese organic grocery store the other day. It feels almost like a twenty year reunion with a childhood friend🤣 If you don’t have any Taiwanese friend to bring you some orange sauce, you can simply ignore it or use a little bit of marmalade as a easy replacement. Orange Sauce Chicken Roll Recipe Yield: 2 bento Prep time: 10 minutes (excluding marination time) Cook time: 15 minutes Ingredients: 2 boneless chicken, skin on chicken thigh 1 tablespoon soy sauce (marinade) 1 tablespoon cooking rice wine (marinade) 6-8 string beans, blanched in salt water 6-8 carrots, cut into the same length and thickness as string beans, blanched in salt water 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1 tablespoon mirin 2 tablespoon hot water 1.5 …

Tomato Tofu Sauce & 3 Ways to Use it!

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Many followers shared with me about their main challenges in making bento recently. The main reason that people find making bento challenging is the required time and effort. I for one can empathize the pain. There are times when I feel unmotivated and exhausted from work and school, and the least thing I want to do is spending time planning lunch menus. Not to mention cooking! To save your time and still eating healthy homemade bento, I invented this recipe of tomato tofu sauce and three ways of using it in different bentos. These three bentos featured tomato tofu sauce as a: Topping for rice Filling for sushi sandwich Filling for portobello mushroom patty (See our recipes for Mushroom Burger and Sushi Sandwich) The best thing about this sauce is that it can be entirely vegetarian by replacing the minced meat with plant based meat. You can make the sauce in the weekend and use it during the week to make yourself some quick and delicious meals. Tomato Tofu Sauce Recipe Yield: 8 bentos Ingredients: …