Deer Me
As deer hunting season draws to a close, I received a portion of venison from one of the hunters from Hunters For Deer as thanks for allowing access into my property. Every time they say “thank you,” I want to go “NO WHY ARE YOU THANKING …
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Lion Bibimbap Bento
Sometimes I crave a nice, spicy bowl of bibimbap (especially on such a bitterly cold day), the Korean dish of lots of delicious veggies and meat and rice all mixed together topped with an egg. It’s often served in a piping hot stone bowl that …
Korean Egg Bread (Gyeran-ppang) Bento
I first saw this on my favorite Korean food youtube channel (Maangchi) and it looked so delicious I just had to try it out. It was as amazing and fluffy as I had imagined it to be (and my husband concurs) but I had forgotten all about it until recently, when I started to crave something sweet, savory, and hot-cake like but couldn’t find any recipe for it–I wasn’t looking for something heavy like Taiyaki, even though I do love it as well, or something as salty and bland as pancakes.
In comes Korean egg bread, called Gyeran-ppang, a sweet and savory, fluffy cake lovingly cradling an egg. The ultimate breakfast/snack food.
Two fit just right in the new bento that was finally delivered, with some veggies it made for a balanced, delicious lunch.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 egg + 4 more eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- Cooking oil
Optional
- Mozzarella cheese
- Ham
- Scallions/Chives
- Tomatoes
- Mayo and Corn (this sounds weird but it’s actually amazing)
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wipe down a loaf pan or muffin tin with cooking oil (or spray with cooking oil) so the loaves come out whole and easy.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine butter, flour, 1 egg, vanilla extract, salt, and baking powder and mix until just combined. Pour into either loaf pan or a muffin tin until the halfway point. Crack eggs into the loaf pan or the muffin tin (1 egg to each muffin cup or 2 eggs to each loaf pan).
3. Add optional toppings into it.
4. Bake for 7 (muffin tin) to 13 (loaf pan) minutes until egg is to desired done-ness. 7 minutes in a muffin tin will be medium firm yolks. Keep an eye on it, if you yolks runny, the whites should still be runny when you take it out of the oven because it will continue to cook.
Troubleshooting:
If it comes out dense, it’s one of two reasons–you overmixed your batter or your baking powder is old.
Bunny Quilt Bento
It’s Snowpocalypse 2018 here on Long Island and that means we’re all snowed in until further notice. The good part of this is that I can make a more time consuming bento. It’s actually not as difficult as it looks but does take a bit …
Simple Chicken White Cream Stew
This is an easy and comforting Japanese Yoshoku (western style) recipe that comes together in about 20-30 minutes. For those bitterly cold days, this dish is a hit with both the kids and the adults in my house. If you don’t have powdered mushroom stock, …
Inarizushi Bear Bento
It’s not new years without inarizushi! Tonight is our annual etsunengeiko at the Long Island Aikikai, where Hagihara-shihan leads the class from 11:30pm to 12:30pm. It’s a yearly tradition to practice over the coming of the new year.
Afterwards, some students choose to partake in dumping cold water over themselves in a purification ritual, and then we party the night away.
I love inarizushi but when I was little, I really hated it because of the sweetness. I always despaired when my grandmother made it but now these little pockets of deliciousness bring me back to a simpler time.
There’s no recipe for today because there’s nothing to make–only put together, but I hope you enjoy how cute this bento is!
Overnight Red Onion Pickles
This simple onion pickle recipe makes for a delicious garnish for everything from avocado toast to steak tacos. I like to keep a jar of it handy since it adds a spicy, sweet tang to dishes that need a little bit of acid. You can …
Seared Ahi Tuna Bento
Costco and Aldi both have packs of individually packed frozen ahi tuna, which is great for my family who love raw/rare fish often but don’t want to spend the money (or time) going to a sushi restaurant. Our favorite way of eating it is searing …
Umejiso Onigiri and Soy Garlic Butter Steak Bento
I bought a small package of umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums) at the supermarket–I haven’t had it in a long time and memories of the salty-sour treat compelled me to make some onigiri for today’s bento. It’s a traditional pairing with rice and shiso (the red shiso is where the pickled plums get their signature color) and as lip puckering as it is, the scent of plums lends a nostalgic fragrance to my palette. I could almost see the clusters of prunus mume fruits glistening in the morning dew–memories of a warmer time during this frigid polar vortex we’ve been having all week.
When spring comes around, my Japanese plum trees will be in full bloom, and I will make a batch of home made umeboshi for the winter to come. For now, store bought will have to do.
I believe in moderation for a diet, which means my bentos will always include a protein, a carb, a dessert (usually fruit, but hey, a sugar cookie is a food group all on its own), and vegetables.
Soy garlic butter is a simple and quick sauce for any protein that immediately makes it a tasty accompaniment to your meal and can be made with what you always have on hand.
Recipe for the Onigiri
- 1 umeboshi, pitted
- 1 cup cooked white rice
- 2 tender green shiso leaves
- 2 strips nori
1. Split the umeboshi flesh into two portions if you are making two rice balls. Using a mold (or your hands), shape the rice into two triangles.
2. Lay the nori strips along the sides of the rice balls, garnish with the shiso leaves, and place one half of the pickled plum flesh on each rice ball.
Recipe for the Soy Garlic Butter Steak
- 1 cup steak, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 teaspoon butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sake (or mirin)
1. In a pan over medium heat, sautee minced garlic in butter until fragrant.
2. Add steak and cook to desired done-ness.
3. Add sake and soy sauce and sautee until alcohol has all evaporated. Enjoy!
Skewered Ginkgo Nuts
Ginkgo biloba is a beautiful tree that has been planted for its ornamental value in both the east and the west. It has been praised for its medicinal qualities and for improving memory. It’s a large and long lived tree, requiring both a male and …