Natto again

So Takoyaki came home yesterday to discover that the boys had natto and she wanted HER turn today. Ok lah, I give lah, as long as I have. And Mouse was just too happy to get it again with his rice.

Takoyaki brought some leftover Mille-Feuille Nabe in her thermal jar. This is something we love, that is in our regular rotation of soups/stews for dinner. It takes a little time to prep, but the steps are really easy. And leftovers are always fought over the next day!

Sardine Corn Don + Herbal Chicken Soup

What a fancy name when all you have to do is scatter the toppings on top of the rice.

Gosh! I am SO sick of corn, but it's all the Mouse wants, plus it does come in a big packet.

So guess what's sitting on top of Takoyaki's rice as a garnish...

That's right! Just to use the packet up, haha!

BTW, that there's a new cutlery set I found during our recent vacation to Taiwan. I had actually been keeping an eye out for cutlery sets with fabric covers, given that bento culture is much more prevalent there, and boy was I pleased to find this! Of course I bought 2 sets, was there a need to ask?

Last Bento of 2016!

I am looking forward to taking a goooooood loooooong break these upcoming holidays because once school begins next year, Mouse will be in Primary School and with his food allergies (and most of all, knowing his shy nature), I have good reason to believe I have to bento EVERYDAY.

Kimchi-jjigae for Takoyaki. Poor Sec 3 girl has extra lessons during her end of year holidays, so they can get started on next year's topics.

The Only Common Thing is Rice

Welcome back to another episode of Same Day, Different Bentos...

On top we have Takoyaki's bento which is simply a repeat of Soegogi-guk (Beef and Radish Soup). The girl loves this so much even I am a little taken aback.

And for the fussypot who doesn't like the soup (why are my children such extreme opposites), I had to fry some rice for him. Since I had to drag the wok out anyway, I went (what I consider the whole hog) and made one of his favourite ones - Shrimp Paste Fried Rice with chicken cubes. 

One thing about these Zebra bowls is, I can't do much fancy presentation in them, or at least I don't have the kungfu yet. Maybe I'll go work on this after PSLE, which begins next week *shudder*

Chicken Macaroni Soup

This is possibly one of the favourite comfort foods of Singaporeans. We eat it when we are unwell (thanks to loving mothers), when we are craving a filling hot chicken soup, when the weather is cold and rainy, and when we don't know what else to cook.

I am thankful to have at least one child who, despite carrying a heavy school bag, is still willing and happy to bring hot soup to school on cold days such as today. The other one... I don't know why he doesn't want to bring.

Under the chicken and 菜心 (caixin) are large macaroni elbows, while in the sauce cup is some sambal belacan, which girl loves (like me) to dip her chicken into.

Soegogi-guk

The new food item is actually that unimportant-looking jar of soup. It's a lovely beef radish soup I learnt from Maangchi.com, pronounced "swe-go-gi-gook".

The rice is topped with soy sauce omelette and vegetables. So filling.

Kimchi Stew is back again!

This has been a very rainy year - May, June, July have all been wet and cloudy months. Takoyaki has often asked me for hot soup/stews to bring to school. And I'm more than happy to oblige if we have it the night before for dinner.

Mille Feuille Nabe

I learnt to make this dish from JustOneCookbook (click for link to recipe). It's quite fun to make, requires some work but nothing elaborate, and cooks up within 15 min. And it looks awesome!

I've made this two times, and this time I was even able to fill two Dutch ovens with what I had (one and a half large napa cabbage + 2 trays of belly sukiyaki). Our family of five polished off the first pot within 15 min so the other pot had to be put on to cook.

Thankfully, we had some left over for RM to bring to school the next day. Hmm... if I recall this right, this is the first time he's bringing hot soup to school. He's always resisted bringing a food jar, no idea why. But he couldn't resist the mille feuille nabe d:)

Baked Cajun Chicken Rice + Winter Melon Soup

Delicious, juicy chicken thighs, baked the same way as my Roast Chicken, deboned. Hot steamed rice tossed with the chicken drippings. Crunchy vegetables to add some freshness to the meal. And hot, stewed soup to warm the palette and moisten the mouth... Aaahhh... my kind of meal. Takoyaki's lunch.

And here's the no-soup version for RM.

A Very Chinese Bento

And it's for me, yay!

I had to attend a Parent Volunteers committee meeting and had already cooked dinner for my brood, so I decided to pack some of it along.

Menu:

Sesame oil chicken soup (麻油鸡汤)

Pork chop (in strips for easy eating)

Stir fried pea sprouts

Steamed rice

So gooooood.......

Mee Sua Tng (Rice Vermicelli Soup)

Takoyaki is super thrilled to bring this today, cos this is absolutely one of her favourite foods of all time. Especially topped with crispy, crunchy, slightly sweet anchovies contributed by her Ah Ma... summer weather or rainy weather, she will always accept this. I bet she'd even eat this in the desert.

A traditional dish my family loves, method courtesy of my mum, who is a Teochew. The mee sua tng that my Hokkien MIL makes is very different, and involves frying lots of ginger in lots of sesame oil. We like that too, but I don't know how to cook it. This method is healthier but no less yummy.

Nabe (Japanese Hotpot) On The Go

This was packed right before everybody was seated for dinner last night. It was really nice to get the bentoing settled early.

What's in it:

Chuka kurage (jellyfish)

Shabu-shabu pork slices

Enoki mushrooms

Choy sum (菜心) vegetables

Rice

What's not shown:

A steaming hot jar of the soup, packed this morning.

Happy Sweet 15th birthday to Takoyaki!

She brought kimchi soup and rice to school this morning, but she didn't know what was coming.

I'd planned a surprise birthday celebration in school for her, and colluded (haha) with her best friend to get her clique to the canteen to celebrate together.

I baked her a Devil's Food Chocolate Cake with water ganache icing. This was my first time using a water ganache and I think the result turned out better than the cream ganaches I've made in the past. The recipe is from David Lebovitz. The "Eat Me" was written with a little melted white chocolate I had left over. Girl loves the Alice in Wonderland movie (starring JD).

SHG Chicken Bento

SHG stands for Soy Sauce, Honey, Garlic (didn't know what else to name it, haha). One of our regular favourites and definitely always in bulk so there are planned-overs for bento (and my lunch) the next day.

First up is Takoyaki's bento which includes Fish Maw Soup in a thermal food jar.

Then we have Roast Meat's which is missing the soup (cos he doesn't want the extra weight, the lazy bum).

I had wanted to add some cucumber to add some green and crunchy fibre, but unfortunately, we'd just run out.

Hazy Days of Bento

Bentoing in a closed kitchen (thanks to the haze) is no fun at all. I recall how I planned the renovation of my new kitchen at my new home and really miss the fresh breeze coming through the windows. But life has to go on, right?

Takoyaki knew this was coming when we had it for lunch yesterday. Always cook more, I say! And use the planned overs (kept hygienically) for bento the next day.

Menu:

1. Kimchi soup (reheated this morning before going into the warmed food jar) 
2. Kiwi slices and grapes (washed, cut and packed yesterday)
3. Steamed rice (packed by Takoyaki yesterday)

Tom Yum Noodles. By request.

RM had no school today and we planned to have instant noodles for brunch, so when Takoyaki heard she decided she wasn't going to miss out! Cos we seldom have instant noodles.

My version of Tom Yum noodles is cooked with chicken soup noodles and tom yum paste instead of the tom yum flavoured instant noodles which are usually... too spicy and too little in terms of sustenance. She likes this better also, although I added too much nam prik pao (tom yum paste) and she texted me from school to complain... hee....

Steamboat Leftover Soup Bento

This soup is one of the most flavourful ones any family can cook up. Just prepare a huge pot of simple stock and begin cooking your favourite meats and veggies! We had a miso soup base (wrong choice, it did not pass on any flavour to the cooked meats and veggies at all), and shabu shabu beef, lamb and pork. The lamb really added some oomph to the soup!

Takoyaki really loves the slow braising of napa cabbage (aka wongbok aka Chinese cabbage aka kimchi cabbage) in this soup, so I cooked the last of it for her to bring to school. The soup looks super oily because of all the meats that were shabu shabu-ed in it.

To go with her rice, I added some leftover roast chicken (from another meal) and some salad. Love the bright colours!

Old Cucumber Soup Makes One Feel Young

Nourishing and flavourful, this soup hits the spot whether it's high summer or coldest winter (not that we get winter here). Takoyaki was practically begging me to cook this last night so she could bring some to school today.

On the side are some naibai stir-fried with garlic and dried shrimps or 虾米 (planned over) and because even pickled vegetables can't keep forever, I added some of her favourite pickled takana to her rice.

Lovely Lovely Rice...

Once again, we feature the basic staple of the Orient. I normally stock two kinds of rice in my pantry - Thai Jasmine Rice and Calrose or Japonica Rice, to make onigiris and makizushi (haven't made these for a loooong time), or just for a change of taste and texture. There are differences in cooking method, with Calrose and Japonica taking more time to prepare, but it's well worth the effort.

Today, it's Thai Jasmine Rice. Takoyaki is having hers plain with beef and radish soup (cooked Korean style).

While RM has his topped with surimi and edamame.

Viva la weekend!

Yawn... Stretch... Almost wind-down time

I feel a little rusty after a week of non-bento. Especially since this is the second week of exams and in between tutoring RM and schooling my Mouse, my battery is getting rather flat. However, I managed to drag myself up this morning to get these ready. 

Takoyaki's is shabu-shabu pork in broth over mixed red and brown rice.

Takoyaki's bento

RM's is leftover (really) beef fried rice from an eatery nearby.

RM's bento

And after that, I guess I'm feeling kiiiiinda less guilty.