Noodle & Dumpling Bento

I find I'm always short on groceries (and time) Sunday night, so making bento for Monday usually involves rummaging around in the freezer. Today's lunch for YH is a simple combination of thin udon noodles mixed with sesame oil, soya sauce and oyster sauce, dumplings (from the freezer) and some baby spinach (wilted slightly with a little sesame oil and sesame seeds). A little red container of chilli sauce brightens up both the bento and the taste of the noodles. 

The best part about this lunch is that everything can be cooked in one small saucepan, which saves time and washing up. The water for boiling the frozen dumplings can also be used to cook the noodles, and the cooked noodles can be mixed with the sauces in the pot. Later, the spinach can be wilted slightly in the same saucepan as well. 




Spicy Chicken & Cabbage Salad Bento

I had leftover roast chicken and cabbage sitting in the fridge, so I decided to make a Vietnamese/Thai-style chicken and cabbage salad for today's bento. A good thing about salads like this is that it is relatively healthy, as it doesn't include fattening/creamy salad dressing. Yet another good point about this bento is that it can all be prepared the night before.

Accompanying the bento are two little apples from Japan that I found in the local supermarket. The packet of apples were labelled, "Hime Ringo" (Princess Apple) which I thought was quite sweet. They were literally sweet as well, although a little mushy. There's also a little container of crushed peanuts to pour over the salad just before eating.

Continue reading for the Spicy Chicken & Cabbage Salad...

Spicy Chicken & Cabbage Salad
(serves 2)

1/4 roast chicken, teased into strips (or any leftover grilled chicken/boiled chicken you have on hand)
2 cups cabbage, finely shredded
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 small bundle glass noodles (optional - I added this to make the salad a little more filling)
few drops sesame oil (optional)
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
1 red chilli, finely chopped (or few drops chilli oil, if you don't have fresh chilli on hand)
red pepper flakes & sliced green chilli (optional, for garnish)

1. If you are using glass noodles, add the noodles into boiled water. Stir and leave to soak until the noodles are soft. Drain, then mix a few drops of sesame oil into the noodles. With a pair of scissors, cut the noodles roughly into smaller pieces.
   
2. Add the chicken, shredded cabbage and carrot with the noodles and combine well.
   
3. Mix the fish sauce, lemon juice, sugar and chilli together, then pour into the salad and toss.
   
4. Taste, and add more seasoning if necessary.
   
5. Garnish with some red pepper flakes or thinly sliced green chilli.
   

Back



California Soba Salad Bento

Today's my Chinese birthday! My mum always insists we eat some noodles on our birthday (esp the Chinese birthday, as noodles represent long life). I've been eating noodles constantly for the last few days, but I sort of felt obliged to eat more noodles...so, today's very yellow-green bento contains a soba salad which I call California Soba Salad because it has avocado, cucumber and crab sticks mixed with the soba (ingredients often put into California rolls). I must confess I have a weakness for California rolls even though they are not very authentic (Japanese-wise) and crabsticks (even though they are a poor substitute for real crab).

The second tier contains edamame, blueberries and chopped kiwifruit. The little rabbit container has extra tsuyu (soba dipping sauce) for the soba, and there's some shredded nori (seaweed) in a little packet under the lid to shake over the noodles just before eating. Continue reading for the California Soba Salad recipe...

This soba salad is really easy to make, it's basically - just chop everything and mix it together...I won't include actual quantities, because you can really make as much of or as little of it as you wish, according to how many people you are preparing it for.

California Soba Salad

soba or cha soba (green tea soba) - dried soba from a packet is fine.
cucumber, chopped into small cubes
avocado, thinly sliced
crab sticks, sliced
soba dipping sauce (I use Yamasa brand)
light olive oil/sesame oil
shredded nori seaweed (optional)

1. Boil water in a saucepan. When the water is boiling, add the soba noodles and stir.
   
2. When the noodles are cooked (they should be cooked through but still firm), drain and wash well under cold water until the liquid runs clear (ie. to remove the starch). Add a few drops of light olive oil/sesame oil into the noodles and mix well. Set aside.
   
3. Chop and slice the cucumber, avocado and crab sticks, then add them to the soba.
   
4. Add some tsuyu and gently mix together.
   
5. Sprinkle some nori seaweed on top just before eating (optional).
   

Note: the oil will keep the soba noodles from clumping and sticking together.

Tip: If packing the soba into a bento box, pack some additional soba sauce in a little container. Pour the soba sauce over the soba just before eating to help loosen up the noodles further.

Back




Fried Tung Hoon (Glass Noodles)

I was at a loss as to what to cook for dinner tonight, especially when I took out the mushrooms I'd just purchased and found they had gone mouldy! However, I still ended up proceeding with my initial plan of frying some tung hoon (glass noodles) with the few ingredients I had lying around. It would have been better with a few more ingredients, for example, mushrooms or beansprouts, but it was still tasty, especially if you are a glass noodle fan (as I am)...

Continue reading...

Fried Tung Hoon (Glass Noodles)

200g glass noodles
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
100g baby spinach 

Other vegetables, eg. mushrooms, beansprouts etc. (optional)
135g/0.3 lb beef, thinly sliced (or chicken/pork, if you prefer)
1 -2 eggs
dash soya sauce
dash sesame oil
dash chicken stock powder (optional)
1 heaped tsp sambal chilli (optional)
light olive oil (or other oil for frying)

1. Put the dry glass noodles into some boiled water. Stir, and leave for 3-5 minutes until softened. Drain and set aside.
   
2. In a medium-sized wok, over medium heat, fry the garlic in a little oil, and add some sambal chilli if you like your noodles spicy.
   
3. Add the meat and fry until cooked.
   
4. Pour in the vegetables you wish to add (eg. mushrooms and beansprouts, but not the spinach) and fry a little.
   
5. Add the glass noodles, and splash in some soya sauce and sesame oil. Stir well to combine the noodles with the other ingredients.
   
6. Add the baby spinach and mix until the leaves have withered.
   
7. Break 1 - 2 eggs inside the wok, and fry everything together.
   
8. Taste test, and add a little more soya sauce if necessary. You can also add a shake of chicken stock powder for added taste (optional).
   

You get quite a large amount of noodles with this recipe. Enough to feed at least 3 people, or 2 very hungry people, or one person over a few days...

Back




Char Siew & Kon Loh Meen Bento

Today's bento is a Malaysian-style bento, containing Char Siew (Chinese barbecued pork) and Kon Loh Meen (soya sauce noodles), with haricot beans stir-fried in sambal belachan chilli. I've packed this bento in a microwavable container, as this dish tastes better warm.

Kon Loh Meen (lit. dry, mixed noodles) is a popular noodle dish in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. There are many variations, usually with some combination of garlic, oil, and soya sauce mixed together with cooked noodles. This is my mother's version, that she makes to accompany her homemade Char Siew (Chinese barbecued pork). Kon Loh Meen is usually made with thin egg noodles, but when I was young, we didn't have access to a large variety of Chinese noodles, hence my mother used instant noodles instead. Now, although I can easily buy thin egg noodles, I still like using instant noodles to make this dish - old habits die hard!

Continue reading...

Kon Loh Meen (Dry Soya Sauce noodles)
(serves 1)

1 packet instant noodles or thin egg noodles
3/4 Tbsp light soya sauce
3/4 Tbsp thick dark soya sauce
1 Tbsp garlic oil
dash of oyster sauce
dash of pepper

1. Mix the soya sauces, garlic oil, oyster and pepper on a medium-sized plate.
   
2. Boil some water in a saucepan, and add the noodles to the boiling water. Stir to loosen the noodles.
   
3. When the noodles are cooked, drain, then immediately pour them onto the plate with the sauce. 
   
4. Stir well to combine the noodles with the sauce. (You have to mix them immediately when the noodles are warm, or the sauce won't coat the noodles evenly.)
   
5. Taste, and add more seasoning (soya sauce/oyster sauce/garlic oil) if required.
   

To make garlic oil:
Over low heat, fry some finely chopped garlic in light olive oil until the garlic is fragrant and golden (but not brown or burnt).

(It's handy to make extra garlic oil and keep it on hand to use for noodles or pasta)

Note: The thick, dark soya sauce is known as kicap pekat in Malaysia. It is a dark soya sauce, slightly thicker than the normal Chinese dark soya sauce, and a little sweet.

Serve these noodles with Char Siew (Chinese Barbecued Pork).

Back




Hot Smoked Salmon Soba Bento

This is a very easy dish to make, and a great way of combining western and Japanese food. Hot smoked salmon is mixed into cooked soba noodles that have been coated with sesame oil and tsuyu (soba dipping sauce). Also mixed in are some stir-fried snow peas and chinese mushrooms.

Continue reading...

Hot Smoked Salmon Soba Salad
(serves 2)

120g cha soba (soba flavoured with green tea) or normal soba
60g snow peas, cut into 2
6-8 chinese or shitake mushrooms, sliced
100g hot smoked salmon
sesame oil
soba dipping sauce (ready-made is fine)

1. Boil some water in a small saucepan. Cook soba for a few minutes. Once it is just cooked and still a little firm, remove and rinse well under cold running water. Set aside.
   
2. Lightly fry snow peas and mushrooms with 1 tsp sesame oil. Set aside to cool.
   
3. Flake the hot smoked salmon into chunks.
   
4. Return the soba to the pot. Add 1 tsp of sesame oil and 2 - 3 Tbsp soba dipping sauce and stir gently to coat the soba. 
   
5. Add the cooled snow peas, mushrooms, and flakes of salmon, and stir lightly to combine. 
   

Back




Somen Bento

Today YH didn't need a bento, so it was just for me. I was feeling a bit lazy, so I ended up making this super easy somen (wheat noodle) bento. There's no cooking involved at all, apart from boiling the somen noodles. I was quite pleased as I finally got to use all 4 tubs of my Cinamaroll bento set.

Continue reading...

The somen noodles I used are purple in colour as they are flavoured with yam, but any type of somen would be fine.

Directions:

Boil water in a saucepan, then add the somen and stir the noodles around for 1 - 2 minutes until cooked. As somen is very thin, they cook very quickly. Then rinse the noodles in cold water and wash them gently until all the starch has been removed.

To make up the bento, put the somen noodles in one container (for easier eating, cut the noodles into shorter strands) and half-fill another container with some somen dipping sauce (tsuyu). If you like, pack some shredded nori (seaweed) in a small separate container (to keep the nori from getting soggy). Add the nori on top of the noodles just before eating. For a bit of vegetable and variety, you can pack a simple salad of crabstick and lettuce - this is very good dipped into the tsuyu as well.

Don't forget to add ice-packs to keep the somen bento fresh if you are planning on leaving it outside in warm weather. Another option is to leave it in the fridge, and take it out 10 minutes or so before eating.

Back



Bak Chor Mee

In an attempt to satisfy YH's mee pok craving, I tried to make Bak Chor Mee (the meat and mushroom version of mee pok). I couldn't find many recipes online, and since the last time I'd tasted this dish was many years ago, I had nothing much to go on except a vague memory and Wikipedia's description of mee pok and what ingredients were included. 

Continue reading...
Here's my version of Bak Chor Mee:

Mee pok noodles (or if you can't find them, you could use linguine)
Garlic (chopped finely)
Shallots (chopped)
Minced Pork
Shitake or Chinese Mushrooms, sliced (I couldn't find Shitake, so I used fresh Chinese Mushrooms)
Light Soya Sauce
Dark Soya Sauce (I used a thick dark soya sauce (Kecap Manis) for colour and flavour. I'm not sure if a Singaporean mee pok version would use this though - this is prob more of a Malaysian style)
Chinese Black Vinegar
Chilli Oil (or red pepper flakes)
Sambal Belachan Chilli
cooking oil (I use Light Olive Oil)

chopped red chilli and soy sauce (for dipping)

On low heat, lightly fry the garlic in a medium-sized saucepan with around 2 Tbsp oil until fragrant. (Don't let the garlic darken in colour or it will burn). Remove most of the garlic and oil onto a separate dish. Using the remainder garlic oil in the pot, turn up the heat to medium and add the chopped shallots. Fry, then add the minced pork. Continue to fry and mash the minced pork up so it doesn't clump together. Just before the meat is cooked through, add the mushrooms. Add some light soya sauce to stop the mixture from drying out. The mushrooms will also sweat out their liquids as they cook. Add a bit of chilli oil or red pepper flakes, and around 1 heaped tsp or more of Sambal Belachan Chilli (add more or less according to how spicy you want your noodles). Add the vinegar and some dark soya sauce (or Kecap Manis to taste). Turn off heat and set aside.

Boil a pot of water, add the mee pok, and stir. They will not take long to cook - you will see the noodles change colour slightly. Do a taste test to check if they are done - they should be springy, not mushy. Remove and drain, and rinse with water. If you are using linguine, cook in salted water according to the packet's instructions.

Mix the noodles with the set aside garlic and oil - I find this stops the noodles from drying out and makes it easier to mix it with the rest of the meat topping later.

Option 1: 

Heat up the meat mixture, divide the noodles on plates, and pour the heated meat mixture over the noodles. Serve with chopped red chilli and soya sauce, and some fishballs in clear soup.

I vaguely recall that this is how it is served at hawker stalls - you mix your topping into the noodles when it is served. However, I actually feel the second option is better, as it gives you a better control on the taste of the final dish.

Option 2:

Heat up the meat mixture, add the noodles, and mix together. Add more soya sauce, vinegar and chilli to taste. Serve with chopped red chili and soya sauce. 

Back



Olympic bento week (Day #5) - Chap Chae Noodles

It's the last day of my Olympic Bento Week! YH surprised me last night by saying his Friday lunch meeting had been cancelled, so he wanted a bento for the next day. My original plan had been to throw together some leftovers for myself, but now I had to come up with something a little better, as well as enough food to feed two...

Luckily, I found a pack of cellophane noodles (also called tanghoon or green bean vermicelli) in the cupboard and decided to make my own version of Chap Ch'ae, a popular Korean noodle dish. I ended up with this Leftover Chap Ch'ae & Octopus Frankfurter Bento.

Continue reading...

The traditional Chap Ch'ae recipe usually includes bean sprouts, mushrooms, spinach and meat such as chicken mixed with cellophane noodles, seasoned with garlic, sesame seed oil, sesame seeds and soy sauce. However, there is really nothing to stop you from making your own variation by adding whatever vegetables and meat you have on hand. Basically, if the ingredients are suitable for a Chinese-style stir-fry dish, it would work for the Chap Ch'ae. My version today had carrots, onions, capsicum and chicken inside.

As I had leftover vegetables, I packed a small side salad to accompany the noodles made up of potato, lettuce and cherry tomatoes. (As you will note, I've finally given up on adding strange purple/blue items for the Olympic colours...) I also had some frankfurters in the fridge, so I made some octopus frankfurters to decorate the bento as the pile of noodles on their own looked a little plain. The Japanese love to make little shapes out of frankfurters for their bentos, and although I don't usually cook with frankfurters (unless I'm making hot dogs) I must say the octopus frank is so easy to make and visually appealing that I just can't resist.

Here's a rough how-to guide for the Chap Cha'ae - I don't have a proper recipe as I just sort of add whatever amount I need according to taste...

Firstly, boil some water in a saucepan and add the cellophane noodles. Mix them to separate, but be ready to take them out of the water as they cook very quickly. The instructions on my pack said to boil the noodles for 5 minutes - but after less than a minute, they were done (taste a noodle to check). Rinse the noodles in cold water until cooled, and put them back in the saucepan. With a pair of scissors, cut up the noodles a bit so they will be easier to mix and eat.

Next, chop up some garlic, slice whatever meat you are using (chicken, pork and beef all work well) and the rest of the ingredients into strips. Fry the garlic gently with some some oil (I use light olive oil), add the meat and stir fry until cooked. Add the meat on top of the cooked noodles in the saucepan. Then individually, fry (or re-heat) the rest of the ingredients you wish to add, and add them to the noodles. Mix everything together and season with soy sauce, sesame oil and a dash of sesame seeds to taste. If it is a bit tasteless you can also sprinkle in some chicken stock powder and a dash of oyster sauce, too.

Chap Ch'ae is great as it can be served warm or at room temperature, which makes it perfect for bento. If you plan to microwave it before eating, remember to check if your bento container is microwavable, as some aren't.

Back




Summer Somen

Last night I was feeling lazy and sluggish and not really up to a lot of cooking. So we had a simple meal of cold somen (Japanese noodles made out of wheat flour) and some dumplings. The different somen colours make the dish look a little more elaborate, but it was really quite simple to prepare, as the somen noodles were so thin they cooked almost instantly.

And yes, we are still in the Olympic colour food theme... actually, it was really not my fault. I was at City Super last week, and lo and behold, in front of me were bundles of multi-coloured somen in green, yellow, pink, purple and black (actually white-ish but the label said it was black tea flavoured). How could I possibly resist? It was too perfect. I was hoping the black somen would be darker, but it was creamy with tiny black flecks.

Continue reading...

I served the somen on two smaller plates, plus the remainder on a larger plate. We each had a little bowl half-filled with Yamasa brand tsuyu (sauce) to dip the somen into. It was tasty - a little more salty than Yamasa's tsuyu for soba. I'm guessing it's because somen is thinner than soba and has less taste per mouthful, so a saltier sauce gives the somen more flavour. It was just right to eat on a warm summer's evening.

Back