Directions:

1. Cut the crusts off the bread, making sure you trim them so the bread fits comfortably in your bento box.

2. Whip the cream with the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract until firm peaks form. But be careful not to over whip, or it will turn into butter.

3. Spread an even layer of whipped cream on 3 slices of bread.

4. Arrange the fruit on the cream, putting the center of each piece of fruit where you will cut the sandwich in half.

5. Top the fruit with more cream, using it to fill in the gaps between the fruit. Cover the sandwiches with the remaining bread and press down on the edges to make the bread form to the shape of the fruit and cream.

6. Refrigerate the sandwiches for at least an hour to make them easier to slice in half.

Directions: Salmon Tempura

1. Cut salmon fillet into 1cm slices.

2. For tempura batter, pour a cup of water into a cup of flour, and gently mix.

3. Wipe off the drain from salmon fillet with a paper towel, and sprinkle flour on both sides.

4. Pour oil into a pan to a depth of 3cm and preheat on medium heat. Put a drop of the batter into the oil using chopstick. If it floats to the surface immediately, oil is heated properly. Cover the salmon with the batter and fry.

Directions: Kakiage (fritters)

1. Pre-cook the mixed vegetables and drain off the water.

2. Put pre-cooked mixed vegetables in a bowl and add the pumpkin cut into 1cm cubes.

3. Dust all the ingredients inside the bowl with the flour evenly.

4. Pour the remaining batter after making the Salmon Tempura onto mixed vegetable and pumpkin cubes which is dusted with flour. Then shape it into a batch using spoon and fry it in the oil.

Directions: Green pea, Spam, Nori Onigiri

1. Sprinkle salt on rice in a bowl.

2. Mix rice nicely so that the salt is evenly mixed.

3. Put 55g of the rice onto plastic wrap and shape it into a ball. Make six rice balls, total.

4. Add boiled green peas to the remaining rice and mix well.

5. Cut 45g of the spam into three slices, and fry until golden brown on both sides.

6. Wrap three rice balls with the nori sheets.

7. Place fried spam on top of three rice balls and wrap it with nori sheet cut into belt shape.

8. Make three green pea rice balls.

9. Slice cooked baby corns and put on top of the rice balls.

Directions: For the filling

1. Core the apple and cut into 1-1.5 cm cubes.

2. Add the apples, sugar, lemon juice, rum, and butter to a heat-resistant dish and cover with plastic wrap.

3. Microwave for 2 minutes at 600 W.

4. Add the raisins and cinnamon. Stir and set aside to cool.

Directions: For making the pies

1. Make the filling.

2. Wet half of the edge of gyoza wrappers with water.

3. Place some filling on the top half.

4. Fold in half.

5. Press the edges together.

6. Use a fork to crimp and seal the edges.

7. Heat the oil to 160 degrees Celsius and fry the pies to a golden brown.

8. Set aside to cool, and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Directions:

1. Remove the tofu from its package and drain on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes (or drain it in the refrigerator overnight).

2. Cut the tofu into 1-inch pieces and sprinkle all sides with the salt. Leave the tofu pieces on paper towels to drain while you prepare the other ingredients.

3. Add 2 inches of vegetable oil to a heavy-bottomed pot and heat to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C).

4. Pat the tofu dry with paper towels and carefully lower into the oil. Fry the tofu until browned on one side (about 5 minutes).

5. Flip the tofu over and continue frying until golden brown on all sides. Transfer the tofu directly from the oil to a bowl with the sweet and tangy sauce.

6. Sprinkle on the sesame seeds and toss to coat the tofu.

Sweet and tangy sauce

1. Add the sugar, sake, soy sauce, ginger, and black pepper to a pot and bring to a boil. Cook for 1 minute or until it no longer smells like alcohol.

2. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the black vinegar.

Directions: Sweet and Sour Meatball

1. Place all the meatball ingredients into a bowl and knead well.

2. Form into 25-30 g meatballs (should make 15-18 meatballs).

3. Coat with potato starch.

4. Deep fry in oil heated to 170 degrees C.

5. Test with chopsticks and remove when firm.

6. Add the 4S ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil.

7. Once the sugar has melted, add the meatballs and glaze over low heat.

Directions: Colorful Vegetable Pickles

1. Cut the carrot, cucumber, and red bell pepper into easy-to-eat pieces.

2. Cut the lotus root and cauliflower into easy-to-eat pieces, then add them to a pot of boiling water to cook for a minute.

3. Remove the tough strings from the celery and cut into easy-to-eat pieces.

4. Place all the ingredients in a sealable food storage bag and marinate overnight.

Directions:

1. Add the soy sauce, sake, mirin, sugar, and garlic into a saucepan, and bring the mixture to a boil. Adjust the heat down to keep it from overflowing, and boil the sauce until it starts to thicken (2-3 minutes).

2. To prepare the pork belly, remove the skin and trim off any excess fat (but don't remove all of it). Slice it into 7 mm-thick slices.

3. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the pork in a single layer and fry until golden brown on one side. Flip the pork belly over and fry the second side until golden brown.

4. Transfer the pork to a plate and use a paper towel to wipe all of the oil from the pan.

5. Add a few tablespoons of the sauce to the clean pan and bring it to a boil. When the bubbles become big and glossy, return the pork to the pan and glaze each slice by flipping it over repeatedly.

6. When the pork has a nice thick glaze, transfer it to a wire rack, and use a kitchen torch to caramelize the glaze.

7. Pack two bento boxes with rice, then drizzle some of the remaining sauce on top. Top the rice with the grilled pork.

Directions: Nasu Meat Rolls

1. Peel the egg plant in stripes. Cut lengthwise in half, dip in water, and cover both halves with plastic wrap. Microwave at 500 W for 90 seconds.

2. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside until cool enough to handle. Place each half on a slice of pork and roll up. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and potato starch.

3. Sauté the rolls until brown. Add the sake and granulated chicken soup, and simmer to glaze.

Directions: Bell Pepper Curry Pickles

1. Use star-shaped cookie cutters to cut out several pieces from the bell peppers. Cut the remainder into bite-size pieces.

2. Place the bell peppers in a heat-resistant dish. Add the sushi vinegar, curry powder, salt, and pepper, and microwave at 500 W for 90 seconds.

3. Set aside to cool while stirring occasionally.

To make decoration: The little tomato ghost

1. Cut the cherry tomato in half.

2. Cut out a piece of sliced cheese for the mouth, and pieces of nori for the eyes.

Directions:

1. Slice the salmon into one inch-thick slices (2.5 cm).

2. Dust every side with a thin coating of potato starch using a tea strainer.

3. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat until hot. Add the oil and then add the salmon to the pan.

4. Fry until it's browned on one side, roll the salmon onto the next side, and brown. Repeat until 4 of the surfaces are browned.

5. Remove the salmon from the pan and use paper towels to wipe all of the oil from the pan.

6. Add the 3-S sauce and ginger juice, and bring the mixture to a boil.

7. Return the salmon to the pan and glaze it by rolling it around in the sauce. The salmon is done when the sauce is nice and thick and has caramelized around the salmon.

Directions: Apricot Butter Chicken

1. Cut the onion and bell peppers into irregular shapes of uniform size using the ran-giri technique. Blanch the snap peas for one minute and cut in half.

2. Trim off the excess fat from the chicken thighs and cut into easy-to-eat pieces. Season with salt and pepper, and dust evenly with potato starch.

3. Melt the butter in a frying pan and sauté the chicken. When golden brown on both sides, remove from the pan.

4. Add the onion and bell peppers (add more butter if needed) and sauté until slightly brown.

5. Return the chicken to the pan and add the apricot sauce. Turn up the heat to high to burn off the alcohol, then simmer over low heat to glaze. Add the snap peas.

To make decoration: The rolled omelet bumblebee:

1. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the sliced cheese for the wings.

2. Use nori for the eyes, mouth, and body stripes.

3. Add ketchup for the cheeks.

Directions:

1. Put onions in a microwave-safe bowl, and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave for 5 minutes at 600 watts. Let the onions cool enough to handle.

2. Add the beef, pork, onions, panko, cream cheese, soy sauce, and egg to a bowl. Use your hands to knead the mixture together until it is uniform in color.

3. While considering your bento box's size, shape the mixture into 8 round patties that are about 3/4-inch (2 cm) thick. Lightly dust both sides of the patties with potato starch.

4. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the Hamburg steak patties, and fry the patties on one side until golden brown.

5. Flip the patties over, and lower the heat to medium-low. Let the patties cook until they are golden brown on the other side. Then check the internal temperature to see if it has reached 160 degrees F (71 degrees C). If they are still not cooked through, flip them again, and continue cooking them until they reach 160 degrees F.

6. Transfer the Hamburg steaks to a plate, and wipe out the pan with paper towels.

7. Add the 3S sauce to the pan and bring it to a boil. Continue boiling until the sauce starts to thicken, and the bubbles get big and shiny.

8. Return the Hamburg steaks to the pan, and cook them in the sauce. Flip them over repeatedly until the sauce has glazed the patties in a thick, even layer.

Directions: Chirashi-zushi

1. Soak the shiitake overnight (8-10 hours) in approximately 200 ml of water in the fridge, or reconstitute in warm water for 20-30 minutes.

2. Cook the rice.

3. Boil the abura-age for about a minute and drain. (Alternatively, pour boiling water over the abura-age or microwave to remove the excess oil.)

4. Cut the reconstituted shiitake, carrot, lotus root, and abura-age into thin slices. (Instead of soaking the lotus root in water with a dash of vinegar to prevent discoloration, cut and cook immediately.)

5. Add the shiitake liquid and 3S sauce (equal parts soy sauce, sake, and sugar) to a pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium or low, add the sliced ingredients, and simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.

6. Drizzle the sushi vinegar over the cooked rice and mix using a cut-and-fold motion. Then, mix in the cooked ingredients.

7. Pack the sushi into a bento box, sprinkle with kinshi tamago, and decorate with boiled carrots cut into fish shapes, and boiled snap peas cut into star and fish shapes.

Directions: Kinshi Tamago

1. Add the sugar, salt, and a dash of water to the beaten egg and mix well. Filter through a tea strainer.

2. Add enough of the egg liquid to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. Cover and cook over low heat for 3 minutes, then turn off the heat and set aside for 3 minutes to cook through with residual heat. This way, you don’t need to flip the paper-thin omelet over. Once the omelet is cool enough to handle, cut into threads.

To make decorations:

1. Boil the sliced carrot and snap peas. Use fish and star-shaped cookie cutters to cut the carrot.

2. Make a V-shaped cut on one end of the snap peas, and use a straw to cut out the eyes. Make an incision for the gills.

Directions:

1. Sprinkle the chicken tenders evenly with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cover and let them cure overnight in the refrigerator.

2. To poach the chicken, bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the chicken. Cover the pot with a lid, and let the water return to a boil. Turn off the heat and set a timer for 8 minutes.

3. Drain the chicken, and then soak it in cold water to cool it to room temperature. Shred the chicken with your hands.

4. To prepare the dressing, whisk the sesame paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sugar, doubanjiang, and grated ginger together in a small bowl. Split the dressing between two small sealed containers to pack with the bento.

5. Back the bento box by lining the bottom and sides with torn lettuce leaves. Pack the cucumbers, bell peppers, chicken tomatoes, and celery from left to right. Garnish with cilantro leaves, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Directions: Miso Tsukune

1. Mince the onion. 2. Skin the chicken breast and cut into bite-size pieces. Use a food processor to coarsely mince.

3. Put all ingredients into a bowl and knead well.

4. Once the mixture is thoroughly combined, shape into patties of preferred size.

5. Oil the pan, and fry both sides of the tsukune to cook through.

Directions: Spinach, corn kernels, and red bell peppers in butter sauce

1. Place all ingredients in a heat-resistant dish, and cover lightly with plastic wrap.

2. Microwave at 550 W for 30 to 60 seconds.

To make decorations:

1. Use nori and sliced cheese to cut out the parts for the little piggy.

Directions:

1. Rub the steak with the vegetable oil, and sprinkle both sides with the salt.

2. Heat a frying pan until hot, and then add the steak. Fry the steak until it’s browned on one side, then flip and brown the other side.

3. Turn down the heat to medium-low, and continue frying the steak until it reaches an internal temperature of 150 degrees F (around 65 degrees C).

4. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest while you prepare the sauce.

5. Wipe out the oil from the pan using paper towels.

6. Add the onions, dashi, soy sauce, and sugar to the pan, and simmer the onions in the sauce until tender.

7. Mix the potato starch and water together. When the onions are tender, add the starch and water mixture, and immediately stir it into the onions. The sauce is done when it has thickened.

8. To pack the bento, add a serving of rice to each bento box, slice the steak thinly at an angle, and split it between the two bento boxes. Top with the sauce, and garnish the bento with green peas and pickled ginger.

Directions: Kanitama

1. Cut the shiitake into thin slices, and then chop into easy-to-eat pieces. Cut the wakegi into rounds.

2. Beat the eggs, and mix in the crabsticks, shiitake, and wakegi.

3. Add the oil to a frying pan, place over heat, and make one large omelet (for adults) and one small omelet (for kids). Sprinkle green peas over each.

Directions: Ankake Sauce

1. Mix the potato starch and water in a cup to prepare the potato starch thickener.

2. Pour the water (100 ml) into a frying pan, and dissolve the granulated chicken soup. Mix in the salt, sake, soy sauce, and sugar. Place over heat and turn off just before it comes to a boil.

3. Stir in the potato starch thickener and mix briefly over heat to thicken.

4. Allow the sauce to cool and pour into a food container.

To make the baby crab decorations:

Make the following incisions into the sausages and boil.

Directions:

1. Cook the rice in a rice cooker with the vegetable stock and saffron.

2. Add the vegetable oil and zucchini to a frying pan over medium-high heat, and fry in a single layer until the zucchini is lightly browned on one side. Then, flip the zucchini over and lightly brown on the second side.

3. Move the zucchini to the sides of the pan and add the shrimp in the center. Brown on one side, then flip over and brown the other side.

4. Add the butter and soy sauce. Toss everything together until the shrimp is fully cooked, and the butter and soy sauce has emulsified into a sauce.

5. Pack the butter soy sauce shrimp with the saffron rice, and add other vegetables, such as snap peas and cherry tomatoes, to give it a little more color.

Directions: Ebi Katsu

1. Partially thaw the peeled shrimp. Coat with potato starch and rinse in sake.

2. Drain and coarsely mince until sticky.

3. Mince the onion.

4. Add the shrimp, onion, flour, egg white, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to a bowl and knead well.

5. Form the mixture into patties, and set aside in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

6. Dust the shrimp cakes with flour, then dip into the beaten egg (plus the remaining egg white) and coat with panko.

7. Heat the oil to 170 degrees Celsius and fry the shrimp cakes. Fry the star-shaped carrots for decoration.

8. Drizzle with tomato ketchup to taste, and garnish with parsley.

To make decoration: Carrot flowers

1. Parboil the carrots and green asparagus.

2. Use floral cookie cutters to cut out two different sizes of petals. Secure in the center with black squid pasta.

3. For the leaves, slice the asparagus.

Directions:

1. Add 3 cm of oil to a pan and heat it to 170 degrees Celsius. Prepare a paper towel lined rack.

2. Fry the potatoes and carrots together until they are tender. You can use a toothpick to test them. Drain them on the paper towels.

3. Fry the onions and beans together until the beans are vibrant green. Drain them on the paper towels.

4. Dust the beef with the potato starch and fry until light brown. Drain on the paper towels.

5. Add the 3S sauce and powdered dashi to a frying pan. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.

6. Add the fried vegetables, and toss to coat evenly with the sauce.

7. Add the beef, and continue tossing until everything is glazed, and there is no liquid remaining in the pan.

Directions: Colorful Shumai

1. Mince the onion and grate the ginger.

2. Mix the ground pork, onion, ginger, sesame oil, sugar, oyster sauce, and potato starch in a bowl, and knead well.

3. Form into meat balls, about 15 g each.

4. Sprinkle a generous amount of potato starch over the corn kernels and edamame.

5. Use your hands to moisten and cover the meat balls with corn kernels and edamame.

6. Sprinkle the wrapped meat balls with potato starch. Heat the oil to about 170 degrees Celsius and fry for 3-4 minutes.

Directions:

1. Make the walnut miso by stirring the miso, minced walnuts, and sugar together until it forms a uniform paste.

2. Butterfly the chicken tenders by cutting a slit parallel with your cutting board down the center of each tender, and opening up the resulting flap.

3. To make the ume shiso rolls, lay a butterflied chicken tender flat with the tapered side pointing away from you. Place two shiso leaves towards the broad end of the chicken and then spread a thin layer of umeboshi on the shiso.

4. Roll the chicken from the broad end towards the tapered end. Use a toothpick to pin the seam shut.

5. For the walnut miso roll, lay a butterflied chicken tender flat with the tapered side pointing away from you. Place two basil leaves towards the broad end of the chicken and then spread a thin layer of walnut miso on the basil.

6. Roll the chicken from the broad end towards the tapered end. Use a toothpick to pin the seam shut.

7. Dust the rolled chicken with the potato starch, using a tea strainer to apply an even layer on every side of each roll.

8. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and then add the vegetable oil.

9. Place the rolls in the pan with the seam side down. Fry until the chicken is golden brown on one side, and then flip the chicken over.

10. When the second side has browned, add the sake, and immediately cover the pan with a lid. Steam the chicken for 2-3 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

11. When the chicken is cooked, transfer the rolls to a cutting board. Cool them to room temperature before removing the toothpicks.

Directions: Norimaki Meat Roll

1. Mince the onion and grate the ginger.

2. Mix the pork, onion, ginger, miso, mayonnaise, and potato starch in a bowl. Knead well to make the filling.

3. Use a tea strainer to sprinkle potato starch over one side of each nori sheet. 4. Spread half the filling on a sheet, leaving a 2-3 cm strip on the side away from you. 5. Form the roll as you would a norimaki. Use a tea strainer to sprinkle additional potato starch over the roll.

6. Repeat the process to form another roll.

7. Pan fry the rolls, placing them seam-side down.

8. Once the rolls have firmed up, cover and turn off the heat to cook through with residual heat.

9. Cool and cut into bite-size slices.

To make decorations: For kids

1. Place the shiso leaf on the rice to form the hair.

2. Use a green pea for the nose, and use cut-out pieces of nori for the eyes. Then, use a slice of cocktail sausage for the mouth. Last, use a sprinkling of white sesame seeds for the cheeks.

To make decorations: For adults

1. Place two small pickled ume plums on the rice, and use shiso leaf stems to form the cherry stems, and use green peas for the leaf.

Directions:

1. Add the sake, soy sauce, light brown sugar, and ginger to a pot and bring the mixture to a boil.

2. Add the chicken, cover with a lid, and turn down the heat to low. Simmer the wings for 20 minutes.

3. Remove the lid and turn up the heat to reduce the remaining sauce.

4. When there is almost no liquid remaining, add the shishito peppers, and toss together until the shishito are cooked through but still vibrant green.

Directions: Stuffed Mushrooms

1. Remove the mushroom stems and slice for later use.

2. Place the mushrooms cap-side down and sprinkle with flour.

3. Soak the panko in milk.

4. Mince the onion and add to a bowl along with ground pork, beaten egg, milk-softened panko, salt, pepper, and soy sauce. Knead well.

5. Stuff the mushrooms with the meat filling.

6. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the mushrooms cap-side up until brown.

7. Turn the mushrooms over and brown the other side.

8. Drizzle with sake, cover and steam for about a minute.

To make decoration: Bunny

1. Place the stuffed mushrooms cap-side up on the rice.

2. Use the sliced cheese to cut out the ears and nose. Use nori for the eyes and tip of the nose.

Directions:

1. Season the pork chops generously with salt and pepper, then dust them on all sides with flour.

2. Bring a pot with 1 liter of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil.

3. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat.

4. Submerge the spaghetti in the boiling water, and stir for the first 30 seconds.

5. Add the olive oil and pork chops. Fry on one side until it starts to brown.

6. Flip the pork chop over and add the sliced onions. Continue frying the pork chops, stirring the onions periodically until the other side of the pork has browned.

7. Add the ketchup and flip the pork chops over a few times to coat them evenly. Remove the pork from the pan and set on a cutting board to cool.

8. Add the peppers to the sauce remaining in the pan.

9. When the pasta is done, transfer the pasta directly into the pan with the sauce. Scoop some boiling liquid from the pasta into the pan. Toss and stir together until the peppers are cooked, and the pasta is well coated with sauce.

10. Portion the pasta into bento boxes while it is still hot, but let it cool before covering with a lid.

11. Slice the pork chops into bite-sized pieces and add them on top of the pasta.

Directions: Curry Pilaf

1. Rinse and drain the rice.

2. Melt the butter in a pan, and sauté the minced onions and cocktail wieners cut into rounds.

3. Once the onions are translucent, add the rice, corn, granulated consommé, curry powder, salt, and water. Turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes. Cover and steam for 10 more minutes.

To make decorations: Baby penguin and seal

1. Cut the hard-boiled eggs in half.

2. Use cut out carrots and nori to make the face and flippers.

Directions:

1. Add the vegetable oil to a frying pan over medium-high heat, then add the carrots and onion. Sauté them until they start to get tender.

2. Add the ground beef, 3S sauce, and soy sauce, and break up the meat with a spatula, being careful not to break up the carrot flowers.

3. Continue cooking the mixture until the beef is cooked through and there is no liquid left in the pan.

4. Boil the spinach, then drain and rinse with cool water. Line up the stems of the spinach, and use your hands to squeeze out any excess water.

5. Mince the leaf parts of the spinach finely and save the stem parts to use for garnish.

6. Toss the minced spinach leaves with 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil, and season with a pinch of salt.

7. Fry the quail eggs in a non-stick frying pan with a teaspoon of vegetable oil.

8. To assemble the bento, spread a layer of rice along the bottom of a bento box.

9. Spread half of the meat mixture evenly over all of the rice.

10. Spread the other half of the spinach mixture evenly over the front third of the bento box.

11. Place a fried quail egg at the back corner of the bento.

12. Add some spinach stems coming out of the minced leaves, then decorate each stem with a flower.

Directions: Scotch eggs

1. Boil the quail eggs for 4 minutes, drain, and place in a sealed container filled with cold water. Shake vigorously to peel off the shell.

2. Coat the eggs in flour (other than the listed amount).

3. Combine the ground meat, onion, flour, salt, and pepper. Knead well to make the meat mixture.

4. Spread 80 g of the meat mixture on a piece of plastic wrap. Place the large boiled egg in the center, gather up the wrap, and twist to form a ball.

5. Repeat the process for the quail eggs using 25 g meat mixture.

6. Coat the eggs in flour (other than the listed amount), dip in beaten egg and coat with panko. Preheat the oil to 170 degrees Celsius and fry for about 4 minutes.

7. Once the eggs are cool enough to handle, cut in half. Cut out circles from the cheese and place on top of the quail eggs.

Directions: Sweet cucumber pickles

1. Sprinkle the cucumber with salt, and roll on a cutting board to draw out excess moisture. Cut into bite-size pieces and pickle in rice vinegar.

To make decorations: Quail egg flowers

1. Press the boiled quail eggs into flower-shaped molds, set, and cut in half.

2. Cut out circles from cheese and place in the center.

Directions:

1. Mix the scallions, parsley, 2 tablespoons of panko, mayonnaise, mustard, salt, and white pepper in a bowl until it forms a uniform paste.

2. Add the chopped salmon to the mixture and stir to combine.

3. Spread the remaining panko into a tray.

4. Use a spoon to scoop a quarter of the salmon mixture onto the panko and use your hands to form it into a patty that's about 1 inch thick. Be sure to use the panko to keep it from sticking to your hands.

5. Once the patty is formed and coated in panko, repeat three more times to form the rest of the patties.

6. Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a frying pan until 180 degrees C (355 F).

7. Fry the salmon menchi-katsu on one side until they're golden brown, and then flip them over and brown them on the other side.

8. Transfer the salmon menchi- katsu to a paper towel-lined cooling rack. Let them cool to room temperature before you pack them into a bento box.

9. To make the tartar sauce, add the boiled egg, mayonnaise, celery, scallions, lemon zest, and salt to a small bowl, and use a spoon or small spatula to break the egg up and stir it together with the other ingredients.

Directions: Chicken Nasu with 4S Sauce

1. Cut the chicken into bite-size (35-40 g) pieces and coat in potato starch. 2. Peel the eggplant in stripes, cut lengthwise in half, and rinse in water.

3. Cover the eggplant with plastic wrap and microwave (500W) for 2-3 minutes. Set aside to cool, then cut into bite-size pieces.

4. Combine the sake, sugar, soy sauce, and black vinegar to make the 4S sauce.

5. Stir-fry the chicken in a generous amount of oil until golden brown. Remove from the pan and wipe off the pan.

6. Return the chicken to the pan along with the eggplant and 4S sauce. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer to integrate the sauce and ingredients.

Directions: Tuna, Green Bell Pepper, and Carrot Salad

1. Cut the bell peppers and carrot into thin strips.

2. Place in a heat-resistant bowl, add the Chinese soup stock, salt, and pepper, and lightly cover with plastic wrap. Microwave (500W) for 2-3 minutes.

To make decorations: Puppy tamagoyaki

1. Use a round or oval food cutter to cut out the ears and nose from the carrot.

2. Place the carrots and nori on tamagoyaki.

Directions:

1. To make the sauce, whisk together the water, 3S sauce, miso, doubanjiang, and potato starch until the mixture is smooth and free of lumps.

2. Heat 2-inches of vegetable oil to 360 degrees F (180 C). Prepare a wire rack lined with several sheets of paper towels.

3. Add the eggplant to the oil, skin-side down, to lock in the color of the skin. Fry until the eggplant just starts to brown around the edges (about 30 seconds). Drain them on the paper towel-lined rack and use more paper towels to pat any excess oil off of them.

4. To finish the Mabo Nasu, add the sesame oil, ginger, and garlic to a frying pan, and heat over medium-high heat until the aromatics are fragrant and tender.

5. Add the ground pork and use a spatula to crumble it up. Stir-fry it until it's cooked through.

6. Turn up the heat to high, and add the fried eggplant and sauce. The Mabo Nasu is done when the sauce thickens up enough to coat the eggplants.

7. Garnish with the chopped scallions.

Directions: Sauce Katsu

1. Cut the chicken breast into bite-size (40-45 g) pieces.

2. Cover with plastic wrap and pound into thin even slices with a rolling pin.

3. Pat dry with paper towels. Dab a small amount of whole grain mustard off-center of each piece, and roll them up.

4. Season with salt and pepper. Dust with flour, dip in beaten egg, and coat with panko.

5. Heat the oil to 170 degrees Celsius, fry the breaded cutlets, and drain.

6. Combine the ketchup and Worcestershire to make the Katsu sauce.

7. Coat the Katsu thoroughly with the sauce and sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

8. Put over rice to make Sauce Katsu-don.

Directions: Boiled cabbage

1. Shred the cabbage and red cabbage and parboil.

Directions: Bear decorations for kids

1. Cut the quail eggs in half for the ears.

2. Cut out the nose, mouth and eyes from cheese and nori.

3. Sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

Directions:

1. Add the peeled and sliced kabocha to a microwave-safe bowl, and cover with a lid or plastic wrap. Microwave at 800 watts for 5-6 minutes, or until the kabocha is soft.

2. Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and add the onions. Sauté the onions until they are tender and just starting to brown.

3. Add the ground chicken, salt, and white pepper. Stir-fry, breaking up any clumps of meat with a spatula until the chicken is cooked, and there is no liquid remaining in the pan.

4. When the kabocha is tender, add the cream cheese to it, and mash it together with the pumpkin until it's smooth.

5. Add the chicken and onion mixture to the kabocha mixture and stir to combine. Chill this mixture in the refrigerator until it firms up (2-3 hours)

6. Prepare 3 bowls with the flour, egg, and panko in each one.

7. Shape the kabocha mixture into patties, and then dust each one with an even coating of flour. 8. To bread the karokke, dip each patty in the egg to coat, and then roll the egg coated patties in the panko to give an even coating. If you aren't going to fry them right away, keep them in the refrigerator, so the insides stay firm. Otherwise, they will explode when you fry them.

9. To fry the karokke, heat 2-inches of oil to 340 degrees F (170 C).

10. Fry the karokke until golden brown and crisp.

Directions: Ebi-mayo

1. Partially thaw the frozen shrimp. Rub well with sake and potato starch. Rinse under running water.

2. Pat dry the shrimp and dust with potato starch.

3. Pan fry the shrimp in a generous amount of oil. When cooked through, remove the shrimp and wipe down the pan.

4. Combine the sauce ingredients.

5. Boil the snap peas for two minutes, drain, and cut in half.

6. Warm the sauce in the pan and add the shrimp and snap peas. Stir until coated thoroughly, and sprinkle with black pepper.

Directions: Carrot Kinpira

1. Cut the carrot into shreds.

2. Sauté until tender and season with 3S sauce.

To make decorations:

Cut out the shooting star and seahorse shapes from thin slices of carrot.

Directions:

1. Put the chicken, soy sauce, sake, and fresh ginger in a bowl, and mix well to combine. Let this marinate for at least 15 minutes, or as long as overnight.

2. When you're ready to make the orange chicken, fill a pot with 4 cm. of oil and heat it to 170 degrees Celsius.

3. Drain off any excess marinade from the chicken and put the potato starch in a separate bowl.

4. Dust each piece of chicken with potato starch as you add it to the hot oil and fry the chicken until is golden brown and crisp. Transfer the cooked chicken to a paper towel lined rack.

5. Once the chicken is fried, combine the orange juice, marmalade, 1/4 teaspoon of potato starch, and salt in frying pan and bring the mixture to a boil.

6. Add the fried chicken into the sauce and toss to coat until the chicken is evenly glazed with the sauce. Let the orange chicken cool before adding it to the bento box.

Directions: “Tuna-burg”

1. Remove the cap from the king oyster mushroom and cut the stem lengthwise in half to make two 2 x 4 cm sticks. Chop up the cap and remaining stem.

2. Cut the sliced cheese into 5 mm squares.

3. Pour milk over the panko and let it sit until the milk is fully absorbed. Mix in the tuna, chopped onions, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, corn kernels, curry powder, and potato starch and knead well.

4. Divide the mixture into three 40 g pieces and two 30 g pieces and form into patties. (For kids, sprinkle the mushroom sticks with extra potato starch and insert into the patties to form a mushroom shape.)

5. Place a frying pan over medium heat and cook both sides of the patties. Drizzle with a small amount of sake (other than what’s called for in the recipe), cover and steam for about 30 seconds to allow the mushroom to cook through. Uncover and allow the sake to burn off.

Directions: Pickles

1. Use a vegetable peeler to peel long strips from the cucumber. Sprinkle with salt and roll back and forth over the cutting board in what’s called “itazuri” to remove any bitter taste. Cut into 1 cm slices.

2. Cut the bell peppers into bite-size pieces and place in a food storage jar. Add the sushi vinegar and oil from the canned tuna, seal and shake well.

3. Marinate overnight for at least eight hours.

Directions:

1. Prepare the veggies.

2. Preheat a large pot filled with 4cm of oil to 180 degrees Celsius.

3. Make sure all the vegetables are very dry. Use paper towels to remove excess moisture if necessary.

4. Add the onions, shiitake, green beans, carrots, and edamame to a bowl and then toss with the chickpea flour.

5. Add the 3 tablespoons of sparkling water and stir until the mixture is all wet. You can add a bit more if there isn't enough to wet all of the flour.

6. Add half of the batter onto a spatula and shape it as round as you can make it. Submerge the spatula in the hot oil and slide the batter off using another spatula.

7. When the kakiage starts to firm up, flip it over.

8. When the kakiage has crisped, remove it from the pan, (draining as much oil as possible) and transfer it to a paper towel lined rack. 9. Repeat with the remaining batter.

9. Let the kakiage cool completely before packing it into your bento box.

10. To make the sauce, add the 3S sauce and soy sauce to a small pot and bring to a boil. Boil until the sauce starts to thicken and you can see big shiny bubbles. Let it cool before drizzling onto the kakiage.

11. To pack the kakiage donburi, add a layer of rice to the bottom of a bento box. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Top the rice with the kakiage and then drizzle with the sauce.

Directions: Sweet-and-Sour Chicken Buns

1. Trim off the excess fat from the chicken thigh and cut into bite-size pieces of about 35 g each.

2. Season the chicken with a pinch of pepper and two pinches of salt. Marinate in beaten egg for about 20 minutes.

3. Coat the chicken with potato starch. Preheat the oil to 170 degrees Celsius and fry the chicken.

4. To make the sauce, combine the sugar, soy sauce, sake, and black vinegar in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

5. Lower the heat to reduce the sauce. Add the chicken to glaze.

6. Steam the Chinese bao buns for about 5 minutes. Once they are cool enough to handle, open up and fill with lettuce, sweet-and-sour chicken, and sliced tomatoes.

7. Add on the character’s eyes with sliced cheese and nori. Pack with lettuce and food on a stick.

Directions: Okowa

1. Cover the dried shiitake mushrooms with 400 ml of cold water and rehydrate them overnight. Squeeze out any excess water from the shiitakes and chop them into 1cm pieces. Reserve the soaking liquid for the rice.
2. Put 300g mochi rice in a bowl and wash until the water runs clear. Drain the rice in a strainer and add it to the bowl of a rice cooker. Then, add 300ml of shiitake soaking liquid and soak it for 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.
3. While the rice is soaking, add the chicken, carrots, onions, shirataki, dried shiitake, 3S sauce, soy sauce, and salt to a frying pan over medium heat.
4. Simmer the mixture until the chicken is cooked through and there is no liquid remaining (about 7 minutes). Take the pan off the heat and let it cool while you wait for the rice to finish soaking.
5. Cover the mochi rice soaked in shiitake soaking liquid with the chicken mixture (4). Flatten out the mixture but don’t stir into the rice.
6. Set the rice cooker as you would normally cook rice.
7. When the rice is done, mix it together and then pack it into your bento boxes. Be sure to wait until the rice has cooled to room temperature before covering the bento boxes with a lid.

Directions: Kinpira Celery & Carrot

1. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat until hot.
2. Add the oil, celery, and carrots and stir-fry until the carrots are vibrant orange, and they are starting to wilt.
3. Add the 3S sauce and salt and stir-fry until the vegetables are cooked to your liking, and there is no liquid left in the pan.
4. Finish by tossing in the sesame seeds.
5. Let the kinpira cool completely before packing it into your bento.

Directions: For Meat-wrapped Onion Rings

1. Cut the onion against the grain into 8 mm slices. Remove the core.
2. Wrap thin slices of pork around the onion rings and season with salt and pepper.
3. Dust the rings with flour, dip in beaten egg and coat with panko.
4. Heat the oil to 160 degrees Celsius. Deep-fry the onion rings for 3-4 minutes until golden brown.
5. Combine equal parts Worcestershire sauce and ketchup for the sauce.
6. Drizzle the sauce over the onion rings and sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

Directions: Scrambled Eggs with Onion Ring Leftovers

Mince the leftover onion.
1. Sauté until translucent.
2. Add the beaten egg and sausages, scramble and season with salt and pepper.
3. Drizzle with ketchup, to taste.

Directions: Sausage Aliens

1. Make the incisions for the feet, hands and mouth, then boil.
2. Apply black sesame seeds for the eyes.

Directions

1. Wash the rice thoroughly under cold running water until the water runs mostly clear.

2. Add the rice and water to a pot with a lid and bring to a boil.

3. Once the water comes to a boil, turn down the heat to low and set a timer for 12 minutes.

4. When the timer is up, turn off the heat and let the rice steam for another 15 minutes without opening the lid.

5. While you're waiting for the rice to cook, dissolve the salt in the white balsamic vinegar.

6. Lay the prosciutto in a single layer on a double layer of paper towels and microwave at 800 watts for 60 seconds, or until the ham is dried out and crisp.

7. When the rice is done steaming, dump it out into a sushi oke, or large bowl, and drizzle the salt and vinegar mixture on top.

8. Use a spatula to fold the vinegar into the rice so that each grain is coated with the mixture while fanning the rice to cool it down rapidly. The rice is done when it's shiny and no longer hot.

9. Add the basil and dill leaves, and then crumble in half of the crisped Prosciutto. Fold everything together. Let this cool to room temperature before packing it into a bento.

10. To pack, add a layer of rice into each bento box.

11. Top with the cherry tomatoes and parsley leaves, and crumble on more prosciutto.

Directions: Sesame Chicken Nuggets

1. Cut the chicken into 25 g pieces by slicing at an angle.
2. For the black nuggets, combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, grated ginger and garlic and marinate half the chicken for 20 minutes.
3. For the white nuggets, season the remaining chicken with salt, grated ginger and sesame oil and marinate for 20 minutes.
4. Divide and add the beaten egg to the two bowls and set aside for 5 minutes.
5. Cover the chicken in each bowl with the appropriate sesame seeds and press firmly to coat.
6. Heat the oil over medium-low heat and deep-fry the nuggets until cooked through.

Directions: Chinese Cabbage Salad

1. Cut the Chinese cabbage into thin strips.
2. Rub with salt to squeeze out the excess water.
3. Heat up the 1.5 tbsp of sesame oil, 1.5 tbsp of sushi vinegar and dried red chili in a pan and mix into the cabbage.