Author: Ophelia Chien

Mealprep Timeline: Cold Bento, Warm Bento, and Hot Bento

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You might have learned that bento originated in Japan as a form of packed dried rice, but do you know that even in nowadays, most Japanese people still eat bento without reheating it? Up till today, most Japanese bento makers still wake up at 4 or 5 am to cook for their loved ones or themselves, so that they can enjoy fresh and delicious bento at lunch time. As a result, most Japanese bentos don’t require reheating and can be served at room temperature. However, it’s extremely difficult to follow this traditional bento preparation schedule. I for one am a lover of delicious bento, but I also love my beauty sleep. I deal with this dilemma by: (1) Breaking up the time of mealprep and assembling bento (2) Reheating bentos based on the type of dishes Separating meal prep and assembly process brings more flexibility to my schedule. Usually I meal prep most of the ingredients and dishes in the weekend, so that during the weekdays, I can quickly bring together meals and bentos. Besides, …

Repurpose Pickles for Salad Dressings!

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I try to have as many vegetable as possible in my bento, thus I’m actively searching for different seasonings to create new flavors in my vegetable dishes. Recently I’m exploring various Taiwanese pickles from Asian grocery stores. When I was in Taiwan, I used to eat these pickles alone with rice porridge. Now I don’t eat rice porridge often, and I found these pickles very flavorful, so I use them as seasonings and pair with different vegetables. Pickled bamboo shoot is one of my favorite. It is mildly spicy and full of fermented acidity. I used it as a salad dressing to mix with blanched cauliflower and thinly-sliced cherry radish. With few drops of lemon juice, its flavor is so refreshing and can serve as a cold entree or a reheat-able bento side dish. Repurpose Pickles for Salad Dressing What you need: The pickle A medium bowl A whisk or a pair of chopstick for stirring A courageous mind What to do: Adjust the taste and texture of the pickle to make it become an …

Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly & Extra Firm Tofu

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My ultimate comfort food is Taiwanese braised pork. Whenever I open the cover of a pot of Taiwanese braised pork, for a moment I almost feel that I’m in the lively wet market in Taipei, enjoying hot and yummy food. Normally I use extra firm tofu from Asian grocery stores, but since I found the high protein tofu from Trader Joe’s, I was so addicted to its natural soy flavor and started using it exclusively . By adding Sichuan peppercorn, my braised pork has a little kick of spice, which makes it more addictive. Enjoy! Taiwanese Braised Pork Belly Recipe Yield: 8-10 bento Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 40-50 minutes Ingredients: 3-4 pork belly strips, around 1lb Warm water 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 scallion, cut into chunks 3-4 garlic cloves, minced 1 teaspoon Sichuan pepper corn powder 2-3 chili peppers 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup cooking rice wine 2 tbsp dark soy sauce 14 oz extra firm tofu, diced 3-4 hard boiled egg (optional) Method: In a medium …

How to eat vegetables without noticing? Welcome to my Fried Rice Bar!

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The other day when I was on clubhouse, I heard people talking about meal prep by making a salad bar in the fridge. I’m not a huge fan for salad, but as a vegetable lover, I have something even better—a fried rice bar in my fridge! Now you might be wondering what is a fried rice bar(tm) ? This is an invention of mine. A fried rice bar is a selection of ingredients that you prep ahead to make fried rice in time. My fried rice bar includes diced carrots, diced mushroom, sliced cabbages, trimmed kale, baby spinach, frozen edamame, frozen corn kernels, and most importantly, diced cauliflower and broccoli stem. I love the process of prepping cauliflower and broccoli stems. The outcome is the same as store-bought cauliflower rice, but much more rewarding. I feel so powerful after transferring these tasteless stems into something tasty and valuable. Making vegetable fried rice is my way of eating vegetables without noticing. It’s full filling, easy to make, and so yummy. 3 Steps Vegetable Fried Recipe Yield: …

Lunar New Year Bento🧧

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Last Friday was the first day of lunar calendar for 2021, for the whole weekend I was in holiday mode, which meant eating lots of snacks and hanging out with friends. Traditionally, you expect lots of relatives and friends to visit during New Year, so every household would prepare a red snack box filled with goodies to treat their guests. Today I want to share a classic Shanghai style New Year dish, 四喜烤麩 four happiness wheat gluten(there are four ingredients). You can find wheat gluten in Asian grocery stores as kaofu(烤麩), or mian jin(麵筋). Four Happiness Wheat Gluten Yield: 6-8 bento Prep time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Ingredients: 6 dried shiitake mushroom 1 cup warm water 10oz wheat gluten, sliced into 0.5 inch thick 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 1/2 cup sliced carrot 1/3 cup edamame 1/2 cup wood ear 3 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce 3 tablespoons sugar 1 teaspoon mirin Method: In a bowl, soak dried shiitake mushrooms in warm water. In a medium sauce pan, bring 4 cups …

Sunrise Turmeric Carrot Scramble Egg

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Have you ever seen sunrise in the mountains? Today’s bento is inspired by the beautiful scene of sunrise in Jade mountain, the highest mountain in Taiwan. At first, the mountains are still dark and purple. Only the snow-capped top is visible. But slowly, you can see the golden sun starts to shine and brighten the sky with beautiful orange shades. Whenever I think of that scene, I feel empowered and hopeful. The sun will come out and the darkness will fade away. The ☀️ in the bento is my carrot and turmeric egg ball. As for the mountain which is capped by snow, It’s purple rice ball cooked with coconut milk and then garnished with shredded coconut. Turmeric Carrot Scramble Egg/Egg Ball Recipe Yield: 2 bento Prep time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes Ingredients: 1.5 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup grated carrot Pinch of salt 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder 2 large eggs, whisked with a pinch of salt Method: Use medium flame to heat the pan with oil, and stir fry grated carrot with …

3 Tips on Selecting Your Bento Box

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So, you have decided that you are starting a new life with bento. No matter it’s for you or for your loved ones or both, the first question you face will be what/which bento box you should get. There are various kinds of bento boxes with different design, material, and sizes out there. It could be quite puzzling for beginners to pick a bento box without any context. That’s why I wrote this article to help you sort out the bento box that best fits your needs. I also consolidate an easy comparison table of different bento box materials for you in the end of this article. When selecting a bento box, it’s all about your diet and lifestyle. Yeah, this sounds vague, so I break it down into three simple questions. By answering these three questions, you will have an idea of what bento box to get. Afterall, life is too short for a not fully-functional bento box. I. Do you reheat your bento?  When it comes to bento box selection, the first and …