Directions:

1. Trim any excess fat or gristle off the chicken, then dust the chicken with a thin, even coating of potato starch.

2. Place the chicken skin-side down in a cold frying pan and turn the heat onto medium-low.

3. Cook this slowly to allow the fat to render out from the skin. Once it's browned and crisp on the skin side, flip it over and cook the other side.

4. When the chicken is mostly cooked through, use paper towels to wipe out as much of the rendered fat from the pan as possible.

5. Add the 3S sauce and flip the chicken repeatedly until the sauce has formed a thick glaze. Transfer the chicken and any remaining sauce in the pan to a plate and let the chicken cool completely.

6. While you wait for the chicken to cool, prepare the cucumbers by slicing them very thinly. Toss the cucumbers together with the salt and let the mixture rest for at least 10 minutes.

7. Peel the boiled eggs and then cut each egg into 6 even slices.

8. Finish preparing the cucumbers by massaging them with your hand until they are soft and translucent. Next, use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid from the cucumbers as you can and set them aside.

9. Once the chicken has fully cooled, use a sharp knife to cut it into slices.

10. To assemble the sandwiches, spread a layer of mayonnaise on one side of each slice of bread.

11. Divide the squeezed cucumbers between two slices of bread.

12. Divide the chicken and spread it on top of the cucumber.

13. Top the chicken with slices of egg, lining up the pieces with yolk along the center, where you will cut the sandwich in half. Top with the remaining slices of bread and give the sandwiches a gentle press to shape the bread around the fillings.

Directions:

1. Make the beef toppings. Combine all ingredients except for the beef in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and add the beef to cook through.

2. Make the egg toppings. Beat the egg with a pinch of sugar. Pour into a pan and cook at low heat. Allow to cool and cut into shreds.

3. Make the shrimp toppings. Thaw the frozen shrimp in running water and pat dry. Place in a sealable food container and coat with 1 tbsp of sake and a pinch of salt. Microwave (600 W) for 30 seconds. Turn over and microwave for 20 more seconds. Open the container and allow to cool. Cut lengthwise in half.

4. Make the crab stick toppings. Cut the crab sticks so that they fit into the ice tray.

5. Use a vegetable peeler to cut the cucumber into thin slices. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and set aside for 2-3 minutes to draw out the excess water. Pat dry with paper towels and cut to the length of the individual ice tray compartments. You’ll need 5-6 slices.

6. Sprinkle the cooked rice with sushi vinegar and sesame seeds, mix using a cutting motion, and cool.

7. Moisten the ice tray and fill with the prepared toppings. Add approx. 35 g of sushi rice to each compartment and pack with a spoon. Shake the ice tray and flip over to remove the sushi.

8. Cut a strip of nori to wrap the crab sticks like a band.

9. Pack into the bento box. Decorate the crab stick sushi with black sesame seeds for the eyes, cheese for the hands, and nori for the mouth. Top the cucumber sushi with a quarter slice of lemon, and the beef sushi with chopped scallions.

Directions:

1. Whisk the sake, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and honey together in a bowl to make the sauce.

2. Use scissors or a knife to cut slits into the fat cap side of the pork chop about 1 inch deep.

3. Season both sides of the pork with black pepper, then dust the pork with flour.

4. Add the oil to a frying pan over low heat and fry the garlic in a single layer, flipping them repeatedly until they start to tan around the edges and there are no longer bubbles coming from them. Transfer the garlic to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

5. If you're making asparagus, turn up the heat to medium-high and add the asparagus to the garlic oil. Stir-fry and season with salt and pepper. Remove the asparagus from the pan.

6. Add the pork chops to the pan and fry until golden brown on one side, and then flip it over and fry the other side.

7. Remove the pork from the pan and use paper towels to wipe out all of the oil from the pan.

8. Add the sauce ingredients to the pan and let the mixture boil until the bubbles get big and shiny. Then, add the pork chops back into the pan and flip them repeatedly to glaze with the sauce.

9. Transfer the pork to a cutting board to cool and pour any remaining sauce into a bowl.

10. Once the pork has cooled, slice it into bite-sized pieces and pack it into your bento box. Drizzle any remaining sauce over the top.

Directions:

For Clam Rice

1. Rinse the rice and soak in water for at least half an hour, then drain.

2. Thaw the frozen clams in running water and drain thoroughly. Cut the ginger into shreds.

3. Combine the sake, sugar, salt, soy sauce, and water in a pot, and bring to a boil. Add the clams and ginger and simmer for 2-3 minutes while skimming off the surface scum. Turn off the heat and drain the clams, reserving the liquid for the rice. Set aside to cool.

4. Add the rice and clams to your rice cooker and fill it to the corresponding line with the seasoned liquid. Add water if necessary.

5. If you are cooking the rice in a pot, add the rice, clams, and the liquid prepared in step 3 (use additional water if necessary). Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12-14 minutes. Turn off the heat and steam for 10 minutes.

6. Sprinkled with chopped scallions and ginger to taste.

For the Konnyaku Bear Cubs

1. Use a couple of braised konnyaku balls.Decorate with carrot ears and nose and nori for the eyes.

Directions:

1. To make the miso sauce, add the chicken stock, sake, sugar, and miso to a bowl and whisk until smooth and free of lumps. Transfer the mixture to a pot and bring to a boil until the sauce has thickened.

2. For the tonkatsu, lightly score the cutlets with a knife in a cross-hatch pattern. This helps the panko to adhere to the cutlet.

3. Season the pork on both sides with salt and pepper, and then dust both sides with a thin, even coating of flour.

4. Dip the pork in the egg to coat evenly, then place it on the panko and cover the top surface with more panko. Roll the cutlet around in the panko, gently patting the breadcrumbs to encourage them to stick.

5. Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a pot to 170 degrees C (340 degrees F).

6. Deep fry the tonkatsu, flipping it over periodically until it's golden brown on both sides and reads an internal temperature of 66 degrees C (150 degrees F).

7. Drain the tonkatsu on a paper towel-lined rack.

8. When the cutlets are cool enough to handle, slice them into bite-sized pieces and top with the miso sauce and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.

Directions:

For the Miso-chicken

1. Place the mame-miso, sugar, and sake in a resealable plastic bag and knead to make the marinade.

2. Trim off the excess fat from the chicken and cut out the sinews.

3. Put the chicken in the plastic bag and rub the marinade into the chicken.

4. Marinate overnight (6 to 8 hours) in the fridge.

5. Scrape off the marinade or use a paper towel to wipe it off. Add a dash of vegetable oil to a pan and place the chicken skin-side down. Fry both sides until nicely browned. If the oil splatters, cover with a lid.

For the Miso-chicken Sandwich

1. Slice open a hot dog bun (or your preferred bread) and toast.

2. Spread with mayonnaise and fill with bite-size pieces of Miso-chicken, sliced tomato, and lettuce.

For the Sweet Potato Stars

1. Blanch the sliced sweet potato and use a star-shaped cookie to cut out. (Blanching makes it easier to cut.)

2. Use nori to form the eyes, mouth, and bow tie with two ▲ shapes.

Directions:

For Satsuma-age

1. Add the cod, egg, rice flour, sugar, sake, soy sauce, salt, and ginger juice to a food processor and run until the mixture comes together into a ball (about 2 minutes).

2. Transfer the fish paste into a bowl and add the diced green beans, onions, and corn. Fold the vegetables into the fish until they're evenly distributed.

3. Heat a pot of oil to 180°degrees C (360° degrees F).

4. Wet your hands and grab a golf ball-sized amount of fish paste, squeeze the mixture in your hand to press out any air, and then shape it into a patty that's about 7 mm (1/4-inch) thick. Lower the patties straight into the preheated oil as you shape them.

5. Let the patties fry undisturbed until they start turning a light tan around the edges. Flip the satsuma-age over, then continue frying and flipping periodically until they're golden brown on both sides.

6. Drain the satsuma-age on a paper towel-lined rack, and let cool completely before packing into a bento box.

For carrot salad

1. Cut carrots into thin matchsticks, salt, and then squeeze. Finish by tossing with toasted sesame oil.

Directions:

For the Garden Beef Rolls

1. Blanch the red cabbage leaf for about 30 seconds and cut into 3-4 mm wide strips. Blanch the asparagus spears for about a minute and cut into the same length as the width of the sliced beef. Cut the red bell pepper into 5 mm wide strips.

2. Place the baby corn, cabbage, asparagus, and red bell pepper on one end of the sliced beef and roll up.

3. Sprinkle potato starch over the entire roll.

4. Add a dash of oil to a frying pan. Place the rolls seam side down, and fry until nicely browned all over.

5. Add the 3S sauce and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer at low heat to glaze.

6. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then cut in half and sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

For the Carrot Chick

1. Boil a piece of carrot until tender and use an oval-shaped cookie cutter to cut.

2. Use a straw to cut out the beak from the cheese.

3. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the cheese. Cut the heart in half to form the wings.

4. Use black sesame seeds or nori for the eyes and feet.

Directions:

1. Peel the shrimp, leaving the tail intact. Remove the telson from the tail (the sharp spike in the center). Devein the shrimp.

2. Put the shrimp in a bowl with the baking soda and salt, and massage them together. Let these marinate for a few minutes while you prepare the batter.

3. To make the batter, whisk the egg and water together until it's uniform in color. Next, add the flour and whisk until it's smooth and free of lumps.

4. Preheat a pot with 3 cm of oil to 170 degrees C (340 degrees F).

5. Wash the shrimp until the water runs clear. Then, drain and dry them thoroughly using paper towels.

6. Use a knife to cut shallow slits into the underside of the shrimp at a 45-degree angle. Then, flip the shrimp over and press the backside with your thumbs from one end to the other (you should hear a popping noise). Next, use a knife to scrape out any water in the tail, and repeat this step with the rest of the shrimp.

7. To bread the shrimp, hold by the tail and dip into the batter. Then place the battered shrimp on a bed of panko, and mound the panko over the shrimp, pressing lightly to make it adhere to the batter. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.

8. When the oil is at the right temperature, add the shrimp to the oil and fry until is golden brown and crisp, flipping it over halfway through. This should take about 2-3 minutes.

9. Drain the fried shrimp on a paper towel-lined rack and repeat with any remaining shrimp.

10. To make the tartar sauce, mix all of the tartar sauce ingredients together in a bowl.

Directions:

For Cabbage Rolls

1. Turn the cabbage over and make incisions around the core. Place the cabbage under running water to loosen the leaves so that they fall apart while retaining their shape. If the leaves are over about 17 or 18 cm long, trim off the excess and save for the pickles. Blanch the leaves for 30-60 seconds.

2. Cut the sliced pork belly into bite-size pieces and divide into five portions. Squeeze out the excess moisture from the cabbage leaves. Take one leaf and lay it flat. Place a portion of the pork belly in the center, cover with sliced onion and cheese, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Fold the leaf over the filling in the order of ● and ★, then roll it up. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Secure with a piece of spaghetti. Repeat the process to make a total of five cabbage rolls.



4. Melt the butter in a frying pan and place the rolls seam side up. Fry over medium-low heat until nicely browned.

5. Turn over and fry for 1-2 more minutes.

6. Add the granulated chicken soup and sake, cover, and steam for 2 minutes to cook through.

For the butterfly and flower decorations

Butterfly:

Peel the cucumber and cut the peel into thin strips for the antennae. Use a butterfly-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the carrot and place the cucumber antenna on top.

Flowers:

Cut the baby corn. Cut tiny circles from the nori and place in the center of the corn.

Directions:

1. To make the sauce for the tantanmen, whisk the tahini, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and rayu (chili oil) together in a bowl. Next, add the boiling water and whisk it in to create a smooth sauce.

2. Mix the cold pork, soy sauce, mirin, doubanjiang, and Sichuan pepper together with chopsticks. The mixture should still be crumbly.

3. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil, chopped scallions, grated garlic, and grated ginger. Fry the aromatics until they start to brown.

4. Add the marinated pork and use a spatula to crumble it up. It's done when there is no liquid left in the pan.

5. Boil the noodles according to the package directions. When they're done, drain them and rinse them in several changes of cold water to chill them and remove any excess starch from their surface.

6. Drain the noodles well and put them in a bowl along with the Tantanmen sauce. Toss to coat evenly.

7. To pack the bento, put a layer of noodles at the bottom of the bento box and top them with the stir-fried pork, julienned cucumbers, and scallions.

Directions:

For the Vegetable Wrapper Shumai

1. Peel the eggplant and zucchini using a mandoline slicer. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the carrot. Soak the eggplant in water to prevent discoloration.

2. Cut the peel into 2-2.5 cm wide strips.

3. Combine the ground pork and minced onion. Then add the potato starch, oyster sauce, and salt and pepper, and knead well.

4. Divide the mixture into 25 g meatballs.

5. Wrap the vegetable strips around the meatballs.

6. Coat the edges with potato starch and sprinkle some on top.

7. Oil the frying pan and place the vegetable wrapper shumai seam-side down.

8. Once the edges are fixed, turn the shumai up and fry for 2 minutes over low to medium heat.

9. Add 1 tbsp of water, cover, and steam on low heat.

10. Once the water has evaporated, uncover, turn up the heat to medium-low, and fry to a crisp.

11. Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out pieces of bell pepper. Deep-fry and place on the shumai.

For the deep-fried vegetables

1. Cut the zucchini, bell pepper, and eggplant into bite-size pieces.

2. Deep-fry in oil preheated to 170 degrees C.

3. Season with grated ginger.

For the Baby Seal Onigiri

1. Sprinkle salt over the rice and form into oval-shaped rice balls.

2. Cut out the nose from the cheese. Cut out the nori for the eyes and an accent for the nose.

Directions:

1. Add the chicken to a bowl, along with the 3S sauce, curry powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Stir with chopsticks to mix together.

2. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat and add the oil and garlic. Saute until it's fragrant and just starting to brown.

3. Add the seasoned chicken mixture and stir-fry it while using the side of a spatula to break it up into small crumbs.

4. The chicken soboro is done when the meat is crumbly, and there is no liquid left in the pan.

5. For the vegetables, add the sliced carrots to a pot of water and bring them to a boil. Cook the carrots until just tender enough to slide a toothpick through, but not mushy. Add the broccoli and boil for another 30 seconds.

6. Drain the vegetables and let them cool enough to handle.

7. While you are waiting, add the sesame oil, soy sauce, and curry powder for the broccoli to one bowl. Add the vegetable oil, curry powder, and salt for the carrots to another. Mix each to dissolve the curry powder.

8. When the carrots are cool enough to handle, cut the slices into 4mm thick strips, then cut the strips into cubes. Add them to the appropriate bowl and toss to coat evenly.

9.　For the broccoli, shave off the tips of the florets using a knife and then mince up the stems. Add the broccoli to the other bowl and stir to combine.

10. To pack the bento, add a layer of rice and then top with the chicken, carrot, and broccoli soboro.

Directions:

For Saba Katsu

1. Drain the mackerel and pat dry with a paper towel to remove excess water. Mince the onion.

2. Combine the mackerel, onion, tofu, curry powder, potato starch, salt, and pepper. Mix well.

3. Form into 5-6 balls . Dice the sliced cheese and place a piece in the center of each ball.

4. Bread in flour, beaten egg, and panko. Preheat the oil to 170 degrees Celsius and fry to a golden brown.

For Quick Pickled Cucumbers with Lemon

1. Massage a generous amount of salt into the cucumbers and soak in lemon juice for half an hour.

For Fried Potato Fishies

1. Use a fish-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the fish shapes from sliced potato, and use a straw to cut out the eyes.

2. Fry together with the saba katsu.

Directions:

1. Bring the onions and carrots to a boil and toss them with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Set these aside.

2. Preheat a pot with 1 inch of oil heated to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C).

3. Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper on both sides, then dust them with an even coating of flour.

4. Fry the salmon until it starts to brown around the edges and is cooked through (about 2 minutes). Let the salmon drain on a paper towel-lined rack.

5. Massage the carrots and onions together to coax out their liquid, then squeeze them between your hands to remove as much liquid as you can.

6. Transfer them to a clean bowl and add the rice vinegar, sugar, and chili peppers. Stir to combine.

7. Place the fried salmon and peeled eggs in a container that's just large enough to hold them in a single layer. Dump the carrot and onion mixture on top in an even layer.

8. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

*When using boiled eggs in your bento, be sure to cook them thoroughly.

Directions:

For Braised Pork

1. Place the pork and tea bags in a pot, cover with water and bring to a boil.

2. Remove the surface scum and simmer over medium heat for 40-50 minutes.

3. In a separate pot, add the soy sauce, sake, rice vinegar, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the pork to marinate while hot. (Use a deep and narrow pot so that the pork is completely immersed in the marinade.)

4. Once the pork and marinade have cooled to room temperature, transfer to a zippable food storage bag along with some hard-boiled eggs and quail eggs, and marinate overnight in the fridge.

5. The following morning, slice the pork to taste.

6. Pour 80-100 ml of the marinade into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add potato starch mixture (1 tsp potato starch mixed with 2 tsp of water) to thicken.

7. Place the sliced pork over the rice, and pour the sauce into a separate container.

*When using boiled eggs in your bento, be sure to cook them thoroughly.

For the Kabocha Pumpkin Salad

1. Lightly cover the sliced pumpkin with plastic wrap and microwave (600W) for 4-5 minutes.

2. Mash, season with salt and pepper, and mix with mayonnaise.

For Quail Egg Bunnies

1. Make two slits in the quail eggs and insert the ears (made from strips of boiled carrot).

2. Use nori for the eyes, nose, and mouth.

Directions:

For Saikoro Steak Pepper

1. Crack the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle, or you can use the bottom of a heavy pot to crush them on a cutting board.

2. Add the black pepper, beef, oyster sauce, sake, sesame oil, and potato starch to a bowl and combine evenly.

3. Heat a frying pan over high heat and add the oil and garlic.

4. When the garlic starts to get fragrant, add the beef in a single layer, reserving any marinade in the bowl for later.

5. Brown the beef on one side, and then flip it over and brown the other side.

6. When the beef has browned on two sides, add the bell peppers and onions and stir-fry until the beef has cooked through and the vegetables are vibrant in color but still crisp.

7. Pour in the remaining marinade and toss to coat until the sauce has thickened.

For corn and scallion fried rice

1. Stir-fry rice with canned corn, seasoned with sesame oil, soy sauce, and black pepper.

2. Finished with chopped scallions.

Directions:

For Sweet Potato Rice

1. Cut the sweet potato into 3 cm cubes and soak in water. Change the water three times and soak for about 10 minutes to remove the surface starch. Drain thoroughly.

2. Place the washed rice and water in a pot. Add the sweet potato, sliced bacon, granulated chicken soup, sake, and salt. Bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 12-14 minutes. Turn off the heat and steam for 10 minutes.
You can also cook automatically using a rice cooker.

3. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds.

For the Lotus Root and Konnyaku Simmered in Shirodashi

1. Peel the lotus root, cut into 5 mm slices and then into bite-size pieces. Soak briefly in water with a dash of vinegar, then drain.

2. Add the sesame oil to the pan and stir-fry the lotus root with the ito konnyaku cut to an easy-to-eat length.

3. When coated evenly with oil, add the shirodashi and water and simmer until the liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

To make the Baby Chick Tamagoyaki

1. Boil a piece of carrot for the beak and comb and place on the tamagoyaki.

2. Use nori for the eyes and ketchup for the cheeks.

Directions:

For Ganmodoki

1. Crumble the tofu into a clean dish towel or butter muslin and squeeze the excess water out. You should end up with about 300 grams of tofu.

2. Put the tofu into a bowl with the potato starch, sugar, and salt. Knead the mixture together using a spatula until it is smooth and free of lumps.

3. Put the carrots and shiitake mushrooms in a bowl, and cover with a microwave-safe lid. Cook in a microwave oven set at 800 W for two minutes.

4. Add the carrots, shiitake, edamame, and sesame seeds to the tofu and stir until combined.

5. Shape the mixture into 6 egg-shaped patties.

6. Preheat 2 inches (5 cm) of vegetable oil to 340 degrees F (170 degrees C). Prepare a paper towel-lined rack.

7. Deep fry the ganmodoki until golden brown on the outside (about 5-6 minutes), flipping them over several times once the surface has set to ensure they brown evenly.

8. When the ganmodoki are done, transfer them to the prepared rack to drain.

9. To make the sauce, add the dashi, 3S sauce, and potato starch to a frying pan and stir to dissolve the starch. Put the pan over high heat and bring the sauce to a boil.

10. Once the sauce has thickened, add the ganmodoki and roll them around in the sauce to coat.

Directions:

For Pork Kinpira Burger

1. Cut the potato and carrot into thick matchsticks.

2. Season the pork with salt and pepper and dredge in potato starch.

3. Add the oil to the pan and stir-fry the pork to an even, light brown.

4. Add the carrot and potato and continue frying until slightly wilted. Add the 3S sauce and turn up the heat to high to boil the sauce, then reduce to medium and then low heat to glaze. Remove a portion for the kid’s bento. Sprinkle the chili over the rest.

5. Toast the buns and slice in half. Spread with mayonnaise to season and to keep the buns from getting mushy from the lettuce.

6. Top with lettuce and add more mayonnaise to taste.

7. Fill the buns with kinpira cooled to room temperature.

For the seal cub decoration

1. Use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the nose from the cheese.

2. Use nori for the eyes and nose.

3. If the nori won’t stick to the buns, use mayonnaise as glue.

Directions:

For Harumaki

1. Add the soy sauce, mirin, ginger, sesame oil, and 2 teaspoons of potato starch to the ground pork, and stir with chopsticks to combine.

2. Dissolve the potato starch in the chicken stock and set aside.

3. In a frying pan over medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil, carrots, and bamboo, and stir-fry until the carrots start to wilt.

4. Add the marinated ground pork and break it up into small pieces using a spatula.

5. When the pork is cooked through, mix the chicken stock and starch mixture and pour it into the pan. Stir the filling until it has thickened up.

6. Transfer the filling to a metal bowl or tray and spread it out across the surface of the container.

7. Once the filling has cooled to room temperature, stir the flour and water together into a paste.

8. Spread a spring roll wrapper on a clean work surface with one corner pointing towards you.

9. Divide the filling mixture into 6 segments and spoon one segment of filling into a spring-roll-shaped strip in the bottom center of the wrapper.

10. Roll the bottom corner over the filling and continue rolling just past the center of the wrapper. Fold the left and right flaps of the wrapper over the top of the roll, and then spread some of the flour paste along the top edges of the wrapper like you're gluing an envelope shut.

11. Loosely roll the remainder of the wrapper, leaving about a finger's width of space between wrapper layers.

12. To fry the spring rolls, preheat a pot with 2 inches of oil to 340 degrees F (170 degrees C).

13. Add the spring rolls to the hot oil and fry until the wrappers have crisped, rolling them over a few times to ensure they brown evenly.

14. Drain and cool the spring rolls to room temperature on a paper towel-lined rack before packing them into your bento.

Directions:

For Soy Meat Dry Curry

1. Mince the carrot, bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms.

2. Reconstitute the soy meat flakes by soaking in warm water for about 5-10 minutes, or as instructed on the product, then squeeze out the excess moisture.

3. Oil a frying pan and sauté the soy meat and minced vegetables.

4. Once the vegetables are wilted, mix in the flour, salt, and spices.

5. Add the tomato juice, ketchup, and water. Simmer until the liquid evaporates.

To make the Sausage Aliens

1. Cut each sausage in half and make 3-4 slits on the cut surface to form the legs.

2. Cut a straw in half and use the sharp edge to make a slit for the mouth. Boil for 30 seconds.

3. Add black sesame seeds for the eyes.

Directions:

For Miso-butter Salmon

1. Whisk the miso, butter, and sugar together until smooth.

2. Split the miso-butter between the two salmon fillets and spread it out evenly.

3. In a deep frying pan with a lid, add the vegetable oil, cabbage, onions, carrots, and enoki. Stir-fry the vegetables over medium heat until they're vibrant in color and starting to wilt.

4. Place the salmon fillets on top of the vegetables and then pour the sake over the vegetables. Immediately cover the pan with a lid and turn down the heat to low. Let this steam for 6 minutes or until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily.

5. Garnish with chopped scallions.

Directions:

For Fried Stuffed Nasu

1. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the eggplant in stripes. Cut into 8 mm slices and soak in water.

2. Combine the ground pork, minced leek, water, salt, and pepper in a bowl and knead well. Form into small meatballs.

3. Drain the eggplant slices. Place a meatball on one slice and cover with another slice to form a sandwich.

4. Combine the flour, potato starch, and water to make the batter.

5. Dip the eggplant sandwiches in the batter.

6. Heat the oil to 170 degrees C and fry the eggplant.

7. If desired, serve with simmered 3S sauce thickened with potato starch.

For the Green Bell Pepper and Carrot Kinpira

1. Cut the carrot and bell peppers into thin strips. Sauté in sesame oil.

2. Add the granulated chicken soup, pepper, and sake, and sauté until tender.

3. Sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

To make the Carrot Birdie

1. Use a four-petal flower cutter to cut out the carrot.

2. Trim one of the petals. Add the corn and nori for the beak and eye.

Directions:

For Chicken Cordon Bleu

1. Add the chicken, panko, egg, and salt to a bowl, and knead together by hand until the mixture is uniform in color.

2. Divide the chicken mixture into 4 parts.

3. Spread 1/4 of the mixture onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Form the mixture into a rectangular shape, about 13 x 10 cm (5 x 4 in) in size.

4. Wrap a piece of cheese with the ham, and then place it on the right side of the chicken.

5. Fold the left half of the chicken over the ham and cheese using the plastic wrap, then remove the plastic wrap. Press out any air around the cheese and shape the patty by hand.

6. Place the patty in the flour and roll around to coat evenly. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.

7. To bread the chicken, coat it in egg, then shake it in a bowl of panko to coat evenly with breadcrumbs.

8. Preheat 5 cm (about 2 inches) of vegetable oil to 340 degrees F (170 degrees C) and prepare a wire rack by lining it with paper towels.

9. Fry the Chicken Cordon Bleu until the panko is golden brown and the patty has puffed up. Drain it on a rack until it cools slightly before cutting it in half to pack it into your bento.

For Rice pilaf

1. Add the butter and broken vermicelli into a pot over medium heat, and fry the pasta until golden brown.

2. Add the carrots and onions and sauté for 1 minute.

3. Add the rice and chicken stock and season with salt to taste. Bring the liquid to a boil.

4. Cover the pot with a lid and turn down the heat as low as it will go. Set the timer for 12 minutes.

5. When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and let the rice steam for another 12 minutes.

6. Fluff the rice when it's done.

Directions:

For Yakiniku

1. Dredge the beef trimmings in potato starch and stir-fry in an ample amount of oil. Once the beef is browned, coat with 3S sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

For vegetable fillings

Red Cabbage Namul

1. Cut the red cabbage into 5 mm strips and blanch for 30 seconds.

2. Soak in ice water and squeeze out the excess moisture.

3. Season with granulated chicken soup, sesame oil, salt, and pepper.

Quick pickled carrots

1. Cut the carrot into fine strips. Massage with salt and rinse. Soak in sushi vinegar.

Cucumber

1. Cut the cucumber in half and then into matchsticks.

For Yakiniku Norimaki

1. Place a sheet of nori on the makisu mat. Spread 180 g of rice evenly over the nori, leaving a 2 cm strip of rice on the far end.

2. Lay the fillings across in a line that’s slightly closer to you and roll up.

3. Let the roll rest for a while.

4. Use a dampened knife to saw the roll into bite-size pieces.

5. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

To make the tomato mini mice

1. Make two slits on the top of each tomato, and insert the sliced almonds for the ears. Cut out the eyes and nose from the nori. Use cocktail picks for the tail.

Directions:

For Colorful Inari-sushi

1. Cook the rice according to your rice cooker's instructions, but reduce the amount of water by 1 tablespoon.

2. Add the baking soda to the shrimp and mix; let this sit for 5 minutes. Then, rinse the shrimp to remove the excess baking soda.

3. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the carrots and boil until tender.

4. Add the shrimp and boil until the shrimp are cooked through.

5. Add the sugar peas and cook for 20-30 seconds. Drain the carrots, shrimp, and sugar peas, and dump them into a bowl of cold water to chill them rapidly. Drain and separate the ingredients.

6. When the rice is done, dump it into a large bowl and then drizzle with sushi vinegar. Fold the vinegar into the rice until combined. Add the cooked carrots, edamame, and black sesame seeds, then fold them into the rice. Use a fan to cool the rice to room temperature.

7. Beat the egg together with a pinch of salt.

8. Pour the vegetable oil into a non-stick frying pan, and use a paper towel to spread it around in a thin, even layer. Heat the pan over medium-low heat, and then add the egg mixture. Swirl around to coat the bottom of the pan evenly.

9. When the egg is mostly cooked through, peel up an edge and then flip it over.

10. When the egg is cooked through, transfer it to a cutting board and then roll it up. Next, use a sharp knife to slice it into thin threads.

11. Slice the sugar peas into thin strips.

12. To make the inari-sushi, spread open the cut side of the inari wrapper to make a pocket. Then, use a narrow spoon to pack 1/8 of the sushi rice mixture into the pocket. Repeat with the remaining wrappers.

13. Pack the partially filled inari-sushi into your bento box.

14. Top the inari with the shrimp, sugar peas, and egg.

Directions:

For Cabbage Menchi-katsu

1. Cut the cabbage into 5 mm strips and massage with a pinch of salt. Squeeze out the excess moisture.

2. Combine the ground meat and cabbage, then season with pepper (no need to add salt as the cabbage has already been salted). Add the flour to bind, and knead well.

3. Form into 8-9 balls.

4. Dredge in flour, dip in beaten egg, and coat with panko. Fry for 4-5 minutes in oil heated to 170 degrees C.

5. Drizzle the katsu with the sauce, made by combining equal parts ketchup and Worcestershire sauce.

For Bacon Okra Rolls

1. Blanch the okra for about a minute, and wrap with bacon.

2. Fasten the seam with a toothpick, and pan-fry or broil.

To make the Baby Potato Chicks

1. Boil the potatoes and scoop out balls. Use boiled carrot for the beak, comb, and wings. Use nori for the eyes.

Directions:

1. Wash and cook the rice according to your rice cooker instructions.

2. To make the sushi vinegar, whisk the sugar and salt into the rice vinegar until they're dissolved.

3. When the rice is ready, drizzle the sushi vinegar evenly over the rice and fold it in while fanning to cool the rice.

4. Drain the can of tuna and lightly squeeze out any excess oil. Add it to a bowl along with the sriracha, toasted sesame oil, and black sesame seeds. Mix to combine.

5. Sprinkle the shredded carrots with 1/4 teaspoon salt and let them sit for 15 minutes to wilt them. Use your hands to squeeze out any excess liquid from the carrots and toss with 1/2 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil.

6. To assemble the sushi sandwich, place the nori with the shiny side down and use scissors to cut a slit halfway up the center.

7. Place the sliced avocado in the lower left quarter of the nori.

8. Place half of the tuna in the upper left quarter.

9. Spread a thin layer of sushi rice in the upper right and lower right quarters.

10. Spread half of the carrots on top of the rice on the upper right quarter.

11. Place two leaves of lettuce on top of the rice on the lower right quarter.

12. Fold the lower left quarter over the upper left quarter and continue folding clockwise.

Directions:

For Norimaki Salmon Fritters

1. Cut the salmon into bite-size pieces and wrap each piece with a 1 cm-wide strip of nori.

2. Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.

3. Heat the oil to 170 degrees C.

4. Combine the flour, potato starch, mayonnaise, and cold soda water to make the fritter batter.

5. Dip the norimaki salmon in the batter and deep-fry for 2-3 minutes.

For the zucchini fishies

1. Cut the zucchini into 6-7 mm-thick slices and deep-fry without batter.

2. Cut a 5 mm-thick slice of carrot and boil.

3. Cut the carrot radially into six pieces and attach one each to the zucchini to form the tail fin.

4. Cut out the eyes and mouth from the nori. Shave the broccoli stalk for the fins.

For the Norimaki Salmon Fritter fishies

1. Cut out the eyes and mouth from the nori and place on the fritters.

Directions:

For Fried Wontons

1. Add the shrimp, pork, scallions, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, and potato starch to a bowl, and mix together well with a spatula.

2. Prepare a bowl of water. Start heating a pot with 2-inches of vegetable oil to 340 degrees F (170 degrees C).

3. Put a wonton wrapper in the palm of your non-dominant hand and add a teaspoon of filling to the center of the wrapper.

4. Wet your finger in the bowl of water and then wet the perimeter of the wrapper with that finger.

5. Fold the wrapper in half diagonally to form a triangle.

6. Make a crease in the bulge where the filling is and bring the corners together. Wet the corners and seal them together. Repeat with the remaining filling and wrappers.

7. Fry the wontons until they are golden brown and crisp. Drain them on a paper towel-lined rack and allow them to cool to room temperature before packing them into your bento box.

For Spicy Cucumbers

1. Rub the cucumbers with salt and let pickle for 30 minutes.

2. Squeeze out the excess liquid from the cucumbers.

3. Toss the squeezed cucumbers with the doubanjiang and sesame oil.

Directions:

For Whole Tomato Pilaf

1. Core the tomato and make a crisscross incision on both ends.

2. Add the rice, water, and olive oil to the pot.

3. Mix in the granulated chicken stock and salt.

4. Place the tomato in the center, add the sliced bacon. and cover the pot. Place over high heat until it comes to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.

5. Once the rice is done, uncover and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Break up the tomato and mix into the rice.

6. Cover and steam for 5 minutes.

7. Pack into the bento boxes and sprinkle with chopped parsley and grated cheese. The rice is mildly seasoned, so use the cheese to adjust the taste.

For the cauliflower lambs

1. Cut out the eyes, mouth, and nose from the nori and place on the boiled cauliflower florets. Use edamame for the ears.

Directions:

For Yaki-udon

1. Mix the Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce, and honey in a bowl until the honey is fully dissolved.

2. Add the vegetable oil to a frying pan over medium-high heat, and then stir-fry the cabbage, onions, and carrots.

3. When the vegetables are cooked, add udon noodles and stir-fry until the udon is warmed through.

4. Drizzle the sauce over everything and stir-fry until the sauce has caramelized around the udon.

For Sausage Rabbit

1. Cut each sausage diagonally, so you have a large piece and a small piece of sausage.

2. Lay the larger piece of sausage on the cut edge, and then roll the sausage 90 degrees. Cut off the bottom of the sausage so it's able to sit on the cut edge.

3. Cut a slit into the center of each flap of sausage (this will be the legs and the ears).

4. Boil the sausage until the ears and legs curl, and then drain.

5. Place the large pieces of sausage with the cut edge facing down and the legs facing towards you.

6. Break the spaghetti into 3/4-inch pieces.

7. Use the spaghetti as a skewer and insert it into the large sausage pieces right above where the two "legs" meet.

8. Affix the smaller piece of sausage (head) onto the larger sausage (body) by skewering it onto the spaghetti.

9. Add a dot of mayonnaise onto either side of the head of the rabbit. Press a black sesame seed into the center of each dot of mayonnaise to make the eyes.

Directions:

For Rice Korokke

1. Add salt and pepper, butter, chopped parsley, corn and diced ham to the rice and mix.

2. Cut out tiny circles from the cheese to use as decorations (circles for the dice “spots”) and divide the remainder into 8 portions.

3. Make three 35 g balls of rice for the kids’ korokke, and place one portion of cheese in the center. Form into a square shape. This is the best size for a kids’ bento.

4. Make five 40 g balls of rice for the adults’ korokke, and place one portion of cheese in the center to form into a croquette shape.

5. Bread the stuffed rice balls by coating with flour, beaten egg, and panko. Heat the oil to 160-170 degrees C and fry the korokke.

6. For the kids’ bento, decorate the square-shaped korokke with ketchup, cheese, and ham to look like dice.

7. For the adults’ bento, garnish the korokke with ketchup and chopped parsley.

For the shrimp and egg salad

1. Cut all ingredients into easy-to-eat pieces and pack into the bento boxes.

Directions:

For Lamb Chops

1. Mix the ginger, garlic, olive oil, curry powder, soy sauce, and salt in a small bowl to make a paste.

2. Spread the seasoning paste onto the lamb and then let it marinate for at least one hour, or up to 12 hours.

3. Preheat a grill pan over medium heat until hot.

4. Stack the lamb chops so that the fat cap is facing the same direction, and add the lamb to the pan with the fat caps facing the pan. Grill this until most of the fat has been rendered out from the fat caps.

5. Lay the lamb chops down and grill one side until grill marks appear on that side.

6. Flip the lamb over and grill until marks appear on the other side. Check the internal temperature of the lamb with an instant-read thermometer. Lamb for packing into a bento should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 150 degrees F (66 degrees C).

7. Toss the onion and red bell pepper in 2 teaspoons of olive oil and grill until it has marks on both sides.

For Raisin rice

1. Add the rice to a rice cooker bowl and wash it until the water runs mostly clear. Fill the rice cooker to just above the 1 cup marker.

2. Add the vegetable bouillon powder, turmeric, and raisins to the rice, and stir to combine.

3. Set the rice cooker according to the manufacturer's instructions to cook the rice.

Directions:

For Tangy Chicken

1. Trim the excess fat from the chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. Cut the Japanese scallion into 3 cm lengths. Parboil the snap peas for 1-2 minutes.

2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

3. Dust the chicken with potato starch.

4. Add a dash of vegetable oil to a pan and scorch the scallions until brown. Remove from the pan.

5. Add the chicken to the pan and lightly brown both sides.

6. Return the scallions to the pan.

7. Add the sauce ingredients to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and glaze the chicken and scallions.

For the Red Cabbage Namul

1. Cut the red cabbage into thin shreds and rub with salt to draw out the excess moisture, then drain.

2. Season with sesame oil, granulated chicken soup, salt, and pepper.

3. Sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

To make the strawberry decoration

1. Stack the sliced ham and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut out three pieces.

2. Peel the cucumber and use a star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out three pieces.

3. Place a star on top of each heart to form the strawberries.

4. Sprinkle with white sesame seeds.

Directions:

For miso butter

1. Add the butter, miso, and sugar to a bowl and allow the ingredients come up to room temperature so the butter softens.

2. Mix the ingredients together.

For Shiitake Yaki-onigiri

1. Clean the shiitake mushrooms with a damp paper towel and remove the stems.

2. When the rice is cooked, place a sheet of plastic wrap on the counter. Put a shiitake mushroom in the center with the bottom of the cap facing up.

3. Add 1/4 of the rice into the shiitake mushroom, wrap the plastic over the rice, and press it into the mushroom, giving it a round shape. Flip the onigiri over so the mushroom is on top, and press it into the counter to flatten the rice.

4. Unwrap the onigiri, and dust the rice side with a thin layer of potato starch. Set it aside and stuff the remaining shiitakes.

5 .Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add half of the oil.

6. Add the onigiri to the pan, mushroom-side down, until they're cooked through.

7. Flip the onigiri over and add the remaining oil. Let fry until the rice is crisp.

8. Transfer the onigiri to a wire rack with the rice side up, and then spread some miso mixture onto the rice side. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the miso (you can also do this in a broiler or toaster oven).

For Unohana

1. Add the shiitake stems, red carrots, dashi, usukuchi soy sauce, sugar, and salt to a saucepan, and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn down the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the carrots are tender.

2. Add the okara and edamame, and stir well until there is no liquid left and the okara is hot.

Directions:

For béchamel sauce

1. Microwave (500W) the butter in a heat-resistant dish for 20-30 seconds.

2. Mix in the flour.

3. Add warmed milk in increments and mix thoroughly. Microwave (500W) for 40 seconds. Stir thoroughly and microwave for 30 more seconds.

For Kani Cream Korokke

1. Warm 100 ml of milk and mix into the instant mashed potatoes.

2. Cut the crab sticks in half and shred. Mix into the mashed potatoes along with the béchamel sauce.

3. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Divide the mixture into 5-6 equal portions and shape into balls (approx. 45 g each).

5. Place on plastic wrap to cool. Dust with flour, dip in beaten egg, and bread with panko. Heat the oil to 170 degrees Celsius and fry the korokke.

For Pasta Salad

1. Boil the pasta 1-2 minutes longer than shown on the package and drain. Set aside 3 or 4 to use in decorating the kid bento.

2. Peel a strip from the cucumber for use in decorating the kid bento.

3. Cut the remaining cucumber into thin slices and rub with salt, and squeeze out the excess moisture. Mix together with the pasta, minced boiled egg, and mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper.

To make the butterfly decoration:

1. Before frying the korroke, fry the boiled bow-shaped pasta to a golden brown. Sprinkle with salt to taste. Cut out V-shapes from the cucumber peel and place on the pasta to turn into butterflies.

Directions:

1. Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with salt and white pepper.

2. Prepare a tray with flour. Beat 1 egg in a second small tray. Add the panko to a third small tray.

3. Dust each piece of chicken in an even layer of flour, and then dip in the egg to coat evenly. Place the chicken in the panko, and coat evenly. Be sure to press the panko into every nook and cranny.

4. Deep fry the chicken katsu in a pot of oil set at 340 degrees F (170 degrees C). When it's cooked through, drain the chicken katsu on a paper towel-lined rack.

5. Beat the remaining 2 eggs in a bowl or measuring cup with a spout until uniform in color.

6. Dissolve the potato starch in 1 tablespoon of water.

7. Add the onions, dashi, soy sauce, and 3S sauce to a frying pan and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook the onions until they are tender.

8. Add each piece of katsu into the pan and flip over once to evenly coat the breading with the dashi mixture. Remove from the pan and repeat with the other pieces of chicken katsu.

9. Stir the starch and water and drizzle into the pan. Quickly stir the sauce until thickened.

10. Drizzle the egg into the thickened sauce from high above. This helps make the egg fluffy. Let the egg cook before stirring a few times to ensure the egg is fully cooked through.

11. Slice the chicken katsu and pack it over rice along with the egg and onion sauce.

Directions:

For Ketchup Rice

1. Rinse the rice, soak for about 30 minutes at room temperature, and then drain.

2. Add the rice, ketchup, sausage (cut in quarter lengths and minced), minced onion, and mushrooms to the rice cooker, add water to the level slightly below that for plain white rice and cook.

For Maki-maki Omurice

1. Coat the frying pan with oil and heat over low heat for 30 seconds.

2. Add the beaten egg and spread evenly. Cover and cook at low heat for 2-3 minutes.

3. Cook through with residual heat for 2-3 minutes.

4. Repeat the process to make 4 thin, round omelets.

5. Place one of the omelets on a piece of plastic wrap and lay 100 g of ketchup rice across the center.

6. Use the plastic wrap like a makisu mat to roll up the rice.

7. Set the roll aside to fix the rice and omelet.

8. Rewrap with plastic wrap, twist both ends, and secure with ribbon.

9. Decorate one of the rolls by placing pieces of ham cut into floral shapes on the rice before wrapping.