Tag Archives: Japanese

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/31): New Home Bento!

Due to our moving to a new home just completed the Missus simply had not the time to make a bento for me for nearly a month!
Thus this is my first bento made in our new home!

The Missus kept everything simple this time. She said more complicated affairs will still have to wait!
After having steamed she rice she mixed it with her own pickled Japanese pepper seeds/sanshou/山椒 and added a “kinpira” of carrots and burdock roots/gobou/牛蒡 she had prepared last night. It certainly made for simple and nice colors.

The “side box/dish” also came in simple colors and healthy balance!

She deep-fried (actually shallow-fried) “tontoro/soft pork” cut into rough strips, not with breadcrumbs, but with karaage crumbs which are a lot finer. She placed them on a bed of Shizuoka-grown celery (our Prefecture grows half of the total Japanese crop!) and added a touch of color and balance with lemon pieces for seasoning and sweet pearl tomatoes for taste and vitamins!

She finally added her own pickled cucumber (with black sesame seeds) and boiled black beans (bought in a market).

If she plans to concoct something more complicated in the future I’m not going to complain! LOL

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

With a Glass,
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Izakaya: VILLA D’EST QUISINE

Service: Friendly and unassuming
Facilities: old-fashioned but very clean with cute washroom
Prices: reasonable
Strong points: Home-style seasonal cuisine. Wines, sake and shochu. Very traditional Japanese atmosphere!

It seems ages since Toshiharu Matsuura opened his charmingly quaint izakaya, Villa D’Est Quisine, in Takajyo, Shizuoka City, when the area was not yet the famed gastronomic venue it has become since!

The whole place was conceived in Traditional Japanese style all with dark wood for a cozy meal, especially appreciated by ladies.

From the inside you don’t see the street hidden by greenery.

You can sit at the counter, tables or on the floor at a Japanese traditional low table.

View of the counter and kitchen from the table seat!

Mr. Matsuura will be glad to explain if you cannot read the hand-brushed menu!

Cute white wine decanter!

Tasty snacks (o-tooshi) coming with the first drink!

A favorite sake of mine, Morimoto Brewery from Kikugawa City!

Mr. Matsuura’s cuisine is a mixture of Japanese, ethnic and European creations, making for an interesting fusion-style style.
The above is fresh Spring vegetables and asparagus salad with Parmeggiano cheese.

Fried Spring Vegetables with Katsuo bushi/dry bonito flakes.

Another favorite sake of mine: Kaiun by Doi Brewery in Kakegawa City!

Mr. Matsuura’ specialty: maboodofu!

Sansai/Wild Mountain Vegetables tenpura!

Home-style yummy and crunchy!

For a closer view!

Sauteed “Jidori” Chicken from Fuji City!

Don’t worry, this is only the first article as I will visit it again to taste seasonal food!

VILLA D’EST QUISINE
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajyo, 3-10-19
Tel.: 054-251-4763
Business hours: 17:00~24:00
Closed on Thursdays
Parties welcome
HOMEPAGE/BLOG (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
With a Glass, Foodhoe’s Foraging
Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

BBQ with Shizuoka Agricultural Products Under Mount Fuji!

Last Monday we were lucky and blessed with splendid weather before Typhoon No1 fell around our ears the next day!

Our merry band of gastronomes rode from Shizuoka City to Fujinomiya City getting nearer and nearer Mount Fuji!

We finally arrived at our destination, Bayern Meister Bier, run by Stephan Rager already busy preparing the BBQ in the space outside the Brewery.
Alright before I lose them for good let me imtroduce the true gastronomes of Shizuoka Prefecture who attended the event:

Mr. Yoshimura from Uzu Restaurant in Shizuoka City.
The leader of the band! Sorry, but I just couldn’t catch him alone during the whole day!

Mr. Shimura from Narusei tenpura Restaurant in Shizuoka City.

Mr. Takashima from Takashima Sake Brewery in Numazu City.

Mr. Nakata from Hiro Sushi Sushi Restaurant in Kikugawa City.

Mr. Sano of Sanoman Co. in Fujinomiya City.

Mr. Tozaki (nice guy, actually!) from Hana Oto Chinese Restaurant in Shizuoka City.

Mr. Sano from Kamoshibito Japanese Restaurant in Shizuoka City.

Mr. Kuawahara from Yukai Co. in Fujinomita City.

Mr. & Mrs. Rager from Bayern Mesiter Bier in Fujinomiya City.

At any BBQ (in Japan) you expect beer and a lot of it!
What better place then to hold our BBQ at Bayern Meister Bier! Stephan Rager, the only German Beer masterbrewer owning and making beer in his own brewery in Japan founded his establishment 7 years ago.

Stephan’s Diploma!

One can visit the brewery any time of the year as it also includes a small restautrant and shop (it can be really cold in winter there!).

Of course the whole place, inside and outside can be rented for parties!

Stephan even grows his own hop for special limited brews!

The bier!

The three regular beers: Weissen, Prinz and Spezial (don’t worry, a more detailed interview is in the offing!)!

All the meat, beef, pork and chicken (all local!), and local vegetables were provide by Mr. Sano of Sanoman. Extravagant!

That’s the Man!

Fresh vegetables from Fujinomiya City.
Soon I will run articles on the incredible vegtables grown in that area!

Prime beef!

Not only Mr. Sano provided all the food but he spent most of his time cooking it!

Prime pork. Sorry for the blurry pictures, what with beer and the sun, I had a hard time focusing!

A novel way to draft black beer!

Sausages, of course!

The whole range (well, a small part) from Sanoman Co.!

Fresh liver!

A late arrival, Mr. Kunugi from Kunugi Trout Farm in Fujinomiya City!

A whole plate of sashimi of Fuji Rainbow Salmon Trout!

Yakitori!

While the yakitori grilled we took a pause for the very Japanese tradition of self-introctions (mine was the shortest!LOL)!

Ready to eat! With a little salt and pepper, nothing else, just perfect!

And then the start of the real Fujinomiya Yakisoba!

Sano San of Sanoman Co. busy at work again!

The real Fujinomiya Yakisoba for the true gastronomes only!

After the BBQ we visited Mr. Kuwahara’s Yukai Farm where truly extravagant pigs are bred in incredible surroundings!

Right under Mount Fuji which provides all the water to the farm!

Everyone had to comply to the strict hygiene rules and sterelize their footwear!

Although the pigs tend to herd together they benefit from more space than in any usual farm. And their sties are cleaned twice a day.
The pigs are taken away from other herds kept at a long distance to avoid any disease and the culling is done away from the farm by a specialized company or maximum quality and minimum stress.

Visitors must go upstairs to observe the pigs without causing any stress to the animals.

They are literally kept in an incredibly clean “house” naturally ventilated. Not only the water but also the air they breathe is pure!

As for their feed, even humans can safely eat it. I actually did (sweet corn!)!
The motto is: “Quality, not quantity”!
As for traceability, you just can’t beat them!

As the last stage of our day we visited “mangenton” delicatessen owned and run by Mr, Sano’s Sanoman Co.

They even have a restaurant for private parties!

An embarrasment of choice!

The sausages!

A very busy place, any tine of the day of the season! Just look at the number plates of the cars and you will be surprised!

They even have a TV screen to suggest you recipes!

Last but not least they sell their own smoked ham!
I don’t need to tell you what my next visit will be all about!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
With a Glass,
Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

Yakisoba: Fujinomiya Yakisoba-The real one!

Fujinomiya City is famous all over Japan for the so-called B-Class Gourmet Fujinomiya Yakisoba.
Actually I have little liking for this “B-Class Gourmet/B-Kyu-Gourmet/B級グルメ” branding which has been invented by scoop-hungry TV channels in Japan with a total disregard for authenticity and true local gastronomy.
Well, at least some honest gastronomes are fighting hard to put things into their right place!
Yesterday I spent the whole day in Fujinomiya City as I was invited to a grand BBQ (article coming soon!) where a true Fujinomiya-style yakisoba was prepared with the best ingredients that could be found in Fujinomiya City!

The pork, the same as shown in above picture was provided by Sanoman Co/さの萬株式会社 which produces some of the best pork in Japan.
As for vegetables, good quality cabbage (especially in the Spring!) grown in Fujinomiya City is enough as it will contribute all the water you need!

Just a little good oil to fry the pork and the cabbage together. The pork will add all the necessary extra fat for a lighter fare!
Good salt and pepper only for first seasoning! The yakisoba are first put on top while more pork is added.

And naturally who else but Mr. Sano, President of Sanoman, would graciously volunteer to cook it all!?

Hot work, even for Mr. Sano!
Luckily the BBQ was held at Bayern Meister Bier run by Stephan Rager, the only German Brewmaster to run his own Brewery in Japan (article coming, too!).

The best yakisoba are not prepared with water, but with beer!
And Stephan added his own beer! Extravagant!
(A lot of picture taken for posterity!)

A good (not cheap common stuff!) yakisoba sauce chosen in person by Mr. Sano and here you are:
Healthy, tasty, simple and extravagant Fujinomiya Yakisoba!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
With a Glass,
Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope, Agrigraph, The Agriculture Portal to shizuoka!

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/30): Wasabi Pork Sausage Bento!

Wasabi sausages!!??
Yes, they certainly exist!
These were conceived with the best pork you could find in Japan produced by Sanoman Company in Fujinomiya City. The wasabi of course is from Shizuoka Prefecture, that is, from a nearby wasabi field.
Actually, I went to Fujinomiya City yesterday to report on a grand BBQ organized by Sanoman Co. and I just couldn’t resist bringing back these sausages to the Missus!

The Missus just steamed plain rice before filling the box and sprinkling them with black roasted sesame seeds and adding some fresh ginger pickled in sweet vinegar.
As for the vegetables she prepared “kinpira” with burdock roots/gobo/牛蒡, local chili pepper and dry shredded cuttle-fish. She filled the other other half with hot Chinese-style sauteed eggplant and green pepper.

As for the side dish she prepared her specialty, tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette and simply boiled and fried the sausages to which she added fresh celery.
The dessert was made of grapes and oranges wedges.

For a better view of the wasabi pork sausages!
A real delicatessen’s delicacy (the oxymoron of the day!)!
You must absolutely try them!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/29): Sakura Anago Sushi Bento!

The Missus was very busy this morning as she had to prepare not one but three bentos!
She did have to come up with practical ideas, hence a sushi stylle!

After having steamed the rice and prepared it as sushi rice she made three types of “te-mari/手まり sushi, that is sushi in the shape of small balls ( you shape them insde cellophane paper:
1-Sakura Te-mari: the rice was mixed with real pickled cherry blossoms.
2-Anago te-mari. She mixed the rice with home-pickled sansho/Japanese pepper seeds and topped them with broiled anago/conger eel.
3-Pickles and cheese te-mari. She mixed the rice with finely chopped Japanese cucumber pickles before introducing small pieces of processed cheese inside.

As for the side dish she prepared tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette with chopped shiso/perilla inside. She placed them in the box with shizuoka-grown cress and Ameera Rubbins pearl tomatoes and quite a few broad beans.
For dessert she added sweet stewed beans.

Solid and tasty!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/28): Wasabi Zuke Bento!

Wasabi Zuke/山葵漬 is wasabi fermented and pickled with the white lees of Japanese sake. This is a prime product of Shizuoka Prefecture which outputs 80% of all wasabi in Japan!

The Missus being very this week didn’t have much time for shopping yesterday and made ends meet with waht was available in the pantry!

After steaming the rice she mixed it with home-pickled wasabi stems and chopped seaweed/konbu (she pickled them together).
She added wasabi zuke (very high qulaity even in Shizuoka Prefecture made by Tamaruya Co.) for extra seasoning and zip.

As I like yakitori hot, cold or canned, she opened a small tin of it and spread it over the rice. Simple and effective!LOL

The side dish looked like a flag!

The Missus included her favorite trick, half an avocado fille with the half of a boiled egg. She coated the inside of the avocado with tartatre mayonnaise for seasoning. The cut tomatoes on a thick bed of Shiuzoka-grown cress is Shizuoka-graown Ameera tomatoes (very sweet!)

She added some cheese for the necessary balance. As for dessert, home-made apple compote and (imported) blueberries.

Today promises rain. I wonder what the Missus will come up with?

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/27): Salmon & Seaweed Bento!

To tell the truth the Missus was very grumpy today and you could almost feel it through the colors of her bento! LOL

She filled the first box with two dinstinctive layers of rice.
First she laid the first one and covered it with dry seaweed, a typically Japanese technique. She then spread a second layer and placed two smalls quares of nori/dry seaweed fo pattern and sprinkled the lot with plenty of roasted sesame seeds.
She finally placed on top a slice of salted salmon (fried in light teriyaku styke) she had been frying after the rice had been ready.

Beans, corn, tomato and sweet hijiki seaweed salad with lettuce, lightly pickled zucchini and sliced renkon/lotus roots fried with black sesame seeds,

No dessert… I told you she was in a bad mood!LOL

Very tasty and soid in spite of her character!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/26): Bamboo Shoots Bento!

Bamboo are in season and “take gohan/bamboo shoots rice” can be seen everywhere!

A very colorful rice dish!
The Missus prepared the finely chopped carrot and the bamboo shoots (cut into small triangular pieces) beforehand to soften them a bit and than steamed them on top of the rice before mixing the lot.
She placed a fresh sansho/Japanese pepper sprig (very much in season) on top for more color and seasoning.

A solid side dish! (I’m just recovering from a very bad cold and I need the calories!)

Pork fillet she pan-fried and which she seasoned (while still frying) at the last second with mayonnaise and capers. Very Italian/French/Japanese!
Shizuoka-grown Ameera Rubbins Peral Tomatoes, green and white asparagus tip, stick Junior Broccoli and lettuce.

<

The other showing the kabocha and sweet black beans salad!

I did have a dessert consisting of ornage, grapes and prunes!

Healthy, solid and really tasty!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/25): Soboro Bento!

Soboro in Japanese cuisine means an ingredient presented in small lumps, be it scrambled eggs or minced meat!. It does for great decoration in bentos!

Hint: for a better design divide your topping slightly at a slant instead of a straightforward division and use the division line for a better accent!

The Missus used minced pork (you can use beef of course!) which she pan-fried with a generous portion of black sesame seeds. It was slightly sweet as the Japanese like it. For design (it is edible) she placed a sprig of sansho/Japanese pepper.

The second half was covered with sweetened srcumble eggs.
As for the “division line” she boiled some peas in their pods (edible). Thn she cut the pods finely for the line and placed the peas for extra color over the eggs.

The side dish was colorful as usual!
From the left, stick junior broccoli, boiled and seasoned with crushed walnut coarse powder, home-pickled myoga ginger in sweet vinegar, “chikuwa” (fish paste tubes) stuffed with home-pickles fresh ginger roots, and local oranges.

The colors should be enough to attract anyone!LOL

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES
Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/24): Sakura Bento!

Today’s name, Sakura Bento, had two reasons for it!
One, the sakura/Cheery trees were in full bloom in Shizuoka City.
Two, The Missus had decorated the rice with a salted (edible) cherry blossom!

Having steamed the rice, she placed it in the first box before sprinkling with dry red shio/perila furikake, finely chopped Japanese cucumber pickles, home-pickled sansho/Japanese pepper seeds and a cherry blossom!

A very colorful side dish with pk\lenty of home recipes!

Potato and peas in (and) their pods (cut to size after being boiled), boiled carrots a (some cut as pine trees!) and lettuce.

Zauteed chicken rolls of two kinds, one containing home-pickled myoga ginger leaves, the other young ginger roots also pickled in sweet rice vinegar.
Lettuce again and weet plum tomatoes.
The dessert consisted of apples simmered in kirsch, lemon and honey!

Plenty of colors, the Spring is definitely around the corner!

Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/23): Chirashi Sushi Bento!

Chirashi Sushi could be called “mixed sushi” or “decoration sushi” and it is very popular dish in Japanese homes as it is both very practical and tasty!

They also make for beautiful colors!
The Missus first prepared the sushi rice while she lightly boiled some shrimps.
She added chopped home-pickled myoga ginger, Japanese scrambled egg, shrimp cut in small pieces, home-pickled sansho/Japanese pepper seeds, diced avocado to the rice and mixed the lot.
She topped it with boiled shrimps and a sprig of sansho/ki no mi!

Beautiful, isn’t it?

The salad box was very healthy: boiled Shizuoka-grown Stick Junior broccoli, orange wedges and strips f red pimento. The sweet beans (very Japanese!) were my dessert!

Just love these chirashi sushi!

Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/22): Scallops & Broad Beans Bento!

The Missus was back into the “square bento mode” today.
I called it a “scallop and Broad Beans Bento” because of the “rice box”!

She steamed the rice with the whole contents of a small can of small scallops and their juices poure on top of the rice.
Once they had been cooked, she mixed the rice and the scallops so as to break the latter for better inclusion. She then added boiled and peeled broad beans and mixed the lot roughly.
She topped the whole with finely cut home-pickled ginger for extra seasoning.

Now the “salad box” wasqite intricate:
From right to left:
-Suteed egg plants/aubegines with a dash of ginger jam (ginger cooked with honey only).
Sweet carrot salad with whole sesame seeds and ground sesame seeds.
Cress from Shige Chan Garden in Shizuoka City.
-Mimosa egg.
-Kiwi fruit, orange and mini tomatoes. great colors!

As usual very tasty and satisfying!

Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/21): Alien Face Tamagoyaki Bento!

I don’t know if it’s the fault of yesterday’s medical check up, but I seem to recognize “alienfaces” looking at me through the tamagoyaki!
Actually the Missus agreed when she made it this morning!

Beautiful orange-dominated colors in the “rice box” although I wish that the Missus had not forgotten sending the two detailed pictures of it.
The rice was steamed together with finely chopped carrot then mixed together once cooked and finally sprinkled with black sesame seeds.
The Missus then fried sliced zucchini to be placed under fried tuna filets topped with cheddar cheese. The finishing note was achieved with a pair of Shizuoka-grown Ameera Rubbins pearl tomatoes.

Actually you will have to look top to bottom to see the “alien faces”!

Can you see them now: two with a “nose”, the bottom one with two eyes and a very thin smiling mouth!

And now for the explanations:
Home-pickled myoga ginger and pieces of fresh ginger root from Hatada Garden in Kuno, Shizuoka City that the Missus pickled herself.
The tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette was plain with plenty of sweet boiled black beans.

As for the greens, boiled string beans in hot sesame dressing.

This bento seems light, but it wasn’t actually, what with the solid amount of rice!
Very satisfying and tasty!

Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/20): Medical Check Up Bento!

A Medical Check Up Bento? My, what are we going to invent these days! LOL
Actually, it is a very simple story: this norning I had to submit myself to my annual medical check up! I’m not interested in describing all the niggles my body is having a good time with, so I’ll go straight to what the Missus concocted for me!

The rice was a straight affair: steamed, that is all. But the soft-boiled and marinated egg is a creation of the Missus. The red cucumber pickles are Kyoto-style but the leaf ginger (stick ginger) pickles are peurely local and made by a Shizuoka grower (the Missus is preparing her own with the batch I brought back from the same grower!).

The Missus must have been worried about the results of my medical check up as the pictures were definitely on the dark side. LOL

The vegetables consisted of three kinds of stir-fried pimentoes, some lettuce and deep-fried kabocha.

The Missus’ deep-fried/karaage chicken, deep-fried kabocha (interetsing taste”!) and bolide sweet black beans ( my dessert?).

Very healthy and tasty. The doctor will worry not seeing me as much as he would like to!

Clumsyfingers by Xethia
Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Ohayo Bento

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

—————————————-
日本語のブログ
—————————————-