Kirin bento 2 with yaki-udon, kabocha pumpkin mash, mini-hambahgu (meat loaf), and strawberry. This is my second attempt at making a kirin bento, first attempt is here. This time I made the kirin with egg and nori cut outs.
Yaki-udon is quite easy to make. It's similar to yakisoba (or chow mein). Just sautee some vegetables of your liking in some oil (very little -- teaspoon to Tablespoon depending on the size of your pan). I used fresh onions and a frozen variety of veggies which included asparagus, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower. After the vegetables are sauteed, I added mentsuyu to taste. Then add the udon noodles and pour about 1/4 cup of water to separate the noodles. Sautee until noodles and veggies are incorporated, then I added sliced cooked ham. If you are using raw meat, I suggest you sautee that first before the veggies. I don't like to sautee cooked ham too much as it gets too hard. I just like to just cook it until heated through. Once the ham is added, I add more mentsuyu to taste and then you're done! Very easy and a bit different from yakisoba. Sometimes udon comes with the packet seasoning, you can use that in place of mentsuyu as well.
Mini-hambahgu is a frozen food item and is like a Japanese meatloaf. Not to be confused with American style hamburgers. Hambahgu has eggs, bread crumbs, onions, and other spices. Generally, I think American hamburgers have meat and spices, correct? My husband cooks hamburgers with soy, worcestershire sauce, and dried basil which produces excellent hamburgers. Though some Japanese hamburger joints like Mos Burger will use hambhagu instead of hamburger for their patty. It's still all quite tasty, in my opinion.
Kabocha -mash is also quite easy. I have frozen cut kabocha in my freezer (I am obviously a big fan of frozen vegetables -- they are not as good as fresh but they will last longer and will retain their health benefits better than canned items. Plus you can use a bit at a time and save the rest for later use.). Take out one piece, microwave until done, peel off the green skin, mash with butter and sugar to taste. Then take a saran wrap and drop in mixed contents into a saran wrap and twist it closed into a small ball. Place in fridge to set the shape for a while and then place in a decorative cup. In this bento, I didn't place it in the fridge long enough so it kinda fell apart, hence the heart shaped ham on top to cover it up. You could do it over night and the shape would retain nicely.
Add strawberry and lettuce and fini! Strawberries are not quite in season but they are sold and mighty expensive! They sell them at the local grocer which includes about 10-12 strawberries of good size for about 500 yen ($5 US). But I'm trying to support the local grocer who comes by to sell fruits and veggies on his truck and these were actually 750 yen ($7.50 US) for the same package. And these are prices for non-organic!
I'm also using this bento in the montly Wholesome Lunchbox event.
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