Hanami Bento (Lunch Box)

Rice Balls With Green Soy Beans (Eda Mame Onigiri)

Prepare:

nori (dry seaweed)

already boiled and cleaned bamboo shoot - sliced thin

How to cook bamboo shoot:

Cook bamboo shoot in a broth (i like fish/chicken)  of 100ml for 200 gram of bamboo shoot, with 1 tbsp of sake, 1 tsp of mirin, 1 tsp of sugar, a little soy sauce and salt for seasoning

What you need to make rice for onigiri:

3 tablespoon of sake, 1 tablespoon of mirin, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt for two cups of Japanese rice

Cook rice as you would do as usual using a rice cooker then put the ingredients above before cooking.

When the rice is cooked, open the rice cooker and stir the rice well so that the beans mix well with the rice.   Then begin to shape the onigiri (i like working by hands - wet your hands before touching the rice).  Wrap it up with nori and top with cooked bamboo shoot.

Grilled Spearfish (Marlin) With Sesame

I put 2 slices of cut Spearfish into 1 tablespoon of soysauce and 1/2 tsp of curry powder mixture and let it absorb the seasoning for 15 minutes.    Then I cover the fish in starch (about 1 tablespoon of starch for the 2), then sprinkle a lot of grind white sesame all over it.    Grill it at 200 degrees in the oven for about 20-30 minutes until it is cooked (Dont forget to flip half way to get an even color).   Alternatively you can fry them using salad oil.

Red Potatoes With Sesame

Deep fry red potatoes like you would do banana fritters.   Alternatively boiled red potatoes in sweet soy sauce (2 cups of water, 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of soysauce).    Then sprinkle with sesame after it is well cooked.

Boiled Rape Blossoms

Salt and water - boiled for only 2 minutes then put them into cold water to maintain freshly green color.