These wings are tasty but the original recipe actually used 8 tbsp of soy sauce for 4 chicken wings! SERIOUSLY!I have never seen a recipe with such a large serving of soy sauce...does Japanese like salty food that much?
Well,I reduced it to 6 tbsp of soy sauce for 9 chicken wings instead. Baked the wings instead of frying them because my boys have been coughing lately.
Rayson's bento
Made a little chick for Rayson..I love the vibrant yellow colour..forgot to dab some tomato sauce for some rosy cheeks..am sure the chick will look cuter.
Rayson realised that I did not mix the white sushi rice with egg yolk to achieve the yellow colour this time round and he's right!I think adding in some turmeric powder has a much better effect...the shade of yellow is much nicer!
I'm glad that Rayson likes the sweet potato that I added into his bento today. This will give me more options to play around with when I start preparing his bentos when he starts Pri 1 next year. Not to mention its nutritional value!
The good thing about having home cooked food is that you can whip up whatever you crave for. I have been thinking of this dish for a while and so today is the day!
Hubby's bento
I bought the ready cut pork loins meant for shabu shabu from NTUC to cook this dish because I'm not confident of cutting thin slices of pork and then I will be paranoid about whether did I cook the meat thoroughly and they will end up very tough. Well, another alternative is I could just sharpen my knife (am using quite a blunt knife now).
What do you think of my picture? Am getting interested into food photography recently though I am really still an amateur but browsing around and learning from others on how they make use of little props to enhance pictures of their food.
Quite an addictive hobby so now I am becoming a garang-guni collecting cute little stuffs and cloths for my props.
Used the miso salmon which I froze last week, today I baked the salmon instead of pan-frying it. The time might have been a tad too long and it tasted a bit tough. I still prefer the pan-fried version last week.
Hubby's bento
Boiled some carrots and radish and toss them with some sesame dressing, the radish taste really refreshing, I'm going to eat more of these radish in future.
Also prepared some tamagoyaki. Add a twist to your tamgoyaki by adding in some cheese! It really gives the taste an "ommmpppphhh". Here's a simple video on how to prepare my cheese tamagoyaki. Lots to improve on but I had fun making this video. It's quite challenging filming myself while cooking,,,,,,
Applying my flatlay skills which I learned from attending a sharing by Claudia at Canon Sg. By the time I finish cooking, washing up and taking pictures, it was already 6am. (So guess what time do I need to wake up?) I was already all in sweats. Thereafter, I had to quickly change my boys clothing and make our way out for work and school. Though hectic in the morning, I am really thankful that I still have the health and energy to cook for my loved ones. It is indeed a blessing from God which I will cherish.
One of the reasons I started making bentos is because I want my family to have healthy, homecooked meals as often as possible. However, my efforts would have gone down the drain if the containers holding their food are actually leaching chemicals into their food and poisoning them day by day.
Do you know certain plastic containers contain harmful chemicals like lead, phthalate and BPA? When lunchboxes and bottles are exposed to heat, chemicals can leach out of the plastic and cause exposures to children through skin contact, inhalation or ingestion.
Why BPA free products are not necessarily safer?
Parents always buy baby products with the "BPA-free" label, thinking that they are the safest, but are they really safe?
"BPA-free" label means that the product does not contain bisphenol A, a synthetic compound associated with a litany of health problems, from cardiovascular disease to poor brain development and and increased risk fro certain cancers. When manufacturers realized that no consumer would touch a food container with a recognized toxin, BPA-free became the consumer products industry standard.
But the problem is the chemicals used instead of BPA, including bisphenol S and F, may act in similar ways to BPA. In rats and mice, BPA is know to disrupt the endocrine system, the network of glands that produce hormones that regulate metabolism, growth, brain function and reproduction.
So many a times, we are just substituting something harmful with something equally or even more harmful! Don't you feel suspicious when you see "sugar-free" labels on food or drinks packaging and wonder how come they still taste sweet? Have you ever wonder how much more harmful is the substitute of sugar than sugar itself?
And if you are reading this post, please stop heating your food in plastic containers in the microwaves! And stop buying hot soupy food outside because the chemicals released from the plastic containers are leaching into our food!
Of course, plastic has become a part of our daily lives. We have become so reliant on plastics there is certainly no turning back for humankind. Well, I will choose to exercise prudence without paranoia since poisons are already found everywhere in our environment.
There's so much out there that I can't protect them from, but at least the food that I made for them should be safe.
Better alternatives to plastic containers
Better alternatives to plastic containers would be to use stainless steel lunchboxes, not any stainless steel but food-grade stainless steel, tempered glass (not very children-friendly though), organic cotton (more for sandwich wraps) and rice husk products (read on to find out more about rice husk!)
My family is using food-grade stainless steel lunchboxes from Lunchbots
Disney Rice Husk Bento Box (Blue) from LittlebyLittle
I am really excited to be reviewing this Disney Rice Husk Bento Box (Blue) from Little by Little.
What is Rice Husk?
Rice husk is an agricultural waste that is commonly burnt in the fields after rice harvests, producing large amounts of carbon dioxide and causing severe air pollution. Husk's Ware gives this waste material a new lease of life by turning it into a natural resource and making it into trendy, reusable and biodegradable tableware and cutlery (sounds good?). Click here for more information on rice husk,
Nice packaging
It's a beauty! So irresistibly cute!
Made from Rice husk fibre
Long lasting and durable product
Biodegradable
Heat & freezer safe (-20 deg - 120 deg)
Anti bacteria
Non - Toxic
Will decompose once buried
Microwave (3 min) and Dishwasher safe
Before I let my boys use the lunchbox, I have to ensure that they know how to open it! So I tested it out as shown in the 2 video clips below. The first clip shows Rayson (my elder who is 6 years old) opening and closing the lunchbox with ease.
The second clip shows Rayden (my second boy who is 3+ years old) opening the lunchbox. He took a slightly longer time but still succeeded. However, he did not ensure that he closed the lid properly and hence the white silicon Mickey hands were not flat down on the lunch box.
The size seems a bit small but I think it is still sufficient for a preschooler's lunch or a lower primary schooler recess's snack. It doesn't have any compartments but I prefer it this way because it gives me the freedom to arrange the food the way I want.
Rayson's Pikachu lunch in the Rice Husk lunchbox
The above Pikachu lunch actually holds quite a lot of food which Rayson did not manage to finish. The rice ball was compressed so the rice was actually more than you imagined. Click here for recipe of Rayson's miso salmon. I did not test if the lunchbox is leak proof but I notice that it closes very tightly. Being leak proof is not very important to me as I usually won't pack soupy food or food with a lot of sauces for my boys to school. Imagine the mess created if they drop their lunchboxes or overturn their lunchboxes accidentally.
The lunchbox is also very easy to wash as the white silicon hands can be taken out completely to be washed and dried.
Conclusion:
Overall, I LOVE this Rice Husk lunchbox!
However, I am not sure if the cutey white silicon Mickey Mouse hands will last after flipping it for umpteen times. And if it really spoils........how am I going to find the replacement? Will I be able to just buy the silicon hands? The lunchbox can't be used without the hands as it won't close.
The pricing is a bit steep selling for $28.90 on the website. However, food grade stainless steel lunchboxes aren't cheap either. I really do not mind forking out more money for good quality products. This rice rusk lunchbox is not only safer for our health (most importantly for our children's health), we can also do our part for the environment as it is eco-friendly.
Good news!
Key in discount code: BentoForLove
Valid until 31 October 2016
Disney Bento would be $24.90 (UP$28.90) and Disney Cutlery Set would be $18.90 (UP$22.90)
Visit Little by Little for more rice husk products. I would really love to get a rice husk cutlery set to go along with my lunchbox.
It's time to ditch your plastics for rice husk products today!
Disclosure: We are given a rice rusk lunchbox for the purpose of this review. No monetary compensation was received. All pictures and opinions are ours.
I'm looking forward to a fruitful session today which I can learn useful tips from Claudia on how to create better content online for my blog.
Glad to have all my babies with me today!
Getting ready for some useful tips from Auntie Claudia
Learned some tips on taking flatlay pictures, which is particularly useful for my bento blog. So how are these pictures which I took during the hands-on session? Do you get the story that I wanted to tell? Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa.......
Canon and their staff never fails to impress me with their hospitality, making us feel like home every time we are there. A fruitful day with our brains and tummies filled.
Yummy refreshments
Our healthy lunch
A gift from Canonsg...so touched!
All pictures above taken by this beauty Canon EOS M10
Thank you CanonSG and Claudia from http://thelovingmum.sg/ for the wonderful session!
Well, of course I have to put what I have learned to good use. So how is this flat lay picture of my bento for a start?
The time is 6am in the morning when all my cooking and washing-up is done. By then, I would have been drenched in sweat. The pink little radio accompanies me with all my cooking endeavors every morning. Thereafter, I would need to change my boys' clothes and take a shower in the shortest time possible so that all of us can make our way out in time.
Yes, mornings are hectic but I am thankful that God has blessed me with health and strength to still be able to do all these for my family.
Well, actually this is my own version of soy sauce chicken. I added too much water and the chicken did not turn out the way I want it to be. My Mummy's soy sauce chicken has a shiny sheen on the chicken skin, it just doesn't look like what my Mummy prepared.
Recipe of Soy Sauce Chicken
Ingredients:
3 deboned chicken thighs
1/2 tbsp of sugar
1 tbsp of soy sauce
1/2 tbsp of dark soy sauce
1/2 tbsp of wine
1 tsp of sesame oil
few cloves of garlic (no harm putting in more!)
some shallots
10-20 ml water
Method:
Add the sugar to your stainless steel pot. Use small fire to melt the sugar (watch the sugar so that it doesn't get burnt). When the sugar starts to melt, put the chicken thighs in skin down and coat the skin evenly with the melted sugar.
Add the rest of the ingredients and cover the lid. Cook the chicken thighs for 20-25 min more or until the meats are cooked.
It's ready to be served!
Hubby's lunchbox
Boil the wanton noodles for a few minutes and transfer them to icy cold water. Toss the wanton noodles with the sauce prepared using the sauce from the soy sauce chicken and they are ready to be served!
Sauce:
2 tbsp of sauce from soy sauce chicken
1 tbsp of ketchup
some sesame oil
I added some gyozas with sesame dressing and blanched vegetables and steamed corn for a very well balanced meal!
Rayson's lunch
Rayson had a similar menu except his vege is edamame beans and he has 2 cutey newly hatched chicks. The chicks were made from quail eggs and my eyes were really strained cutting the zig-zag lines on the egg whites.
I love our pan fried miso salmon today! It is so easy to prepare and flavorful and it received thumbs-up from Rayson! My apologies for not providing step-by-stey pictures but the steps are easy so should not be a problem.
Recipe: Pan fried miso salmon
Ingredients:
2 salmon steaks (cut into 6 slices) [I used 4 slices and freeze the remaining marinated 2 slices for future use)
Marinade:
2 tbsp of white miso (click here to read about the differences between red and white miso)
1.5 tbsp of sake
2 tsp of sugar
Method:
Mix the ingredients of the marinade well.
Use a silicon brush to brush the marinade onto the salmon slices evenly.
Marinate the salmon slices for a few hours. (I left it overnight in the fridge)
When you are ready to cook, wipe off any residual of white miso on the salmon as the miso will burn easily.
Pan fry the salmon slices for 3-4 min on each side. Alternatively, you may also put it in the oven at 180 deg for 15-20 min or until they are cooked. (Check regularly to prevent them from getting burnt!)
It's ready to be served!
Hubby's sumptuous bento
I sprinkled some black sesame seeds on my hubby's salmon. For hubby's lunch, I also blanched some veges and serve it with sesame dressings. To make it more sumptuous, I threw in 2 karaage for indulgence.
Sushi rice is cooked with some white vinegar and olive oil and thereafter I sprinkle on some purple seaweed. The red ball-like thingy in the middle isn't a tomato but a pickled plum which can be used to kill bacteria and is commonly used in Japanese lunchboxes as a garnish on rice to prevent food poisoning.
Rayson's Pikachu lunch
Made Rayson's Pikachu rice ball from mixing sushi rice with egg yolk to achieve the yellow color. Eyes, nose and mouth are punch outs from nori and egg white. The cheeks are carrots, I should have dabbed on ketchup instead but am worried that it will smudge by the time Rayson reached his school.
Rayson is not bringing his usual stainless steel lunchbox today but his new HW-Disney Rice Husk Bento box, which is non-toxic and eco-friendly, from LittlebyLittle. Click here for a detailed review on the lunch box.
Rayden's Poke ball bento
Rayden's Poke ball rice ball was made from sushi rice and mixing half of it with tomato sauce. It can be further improved of course because a bright red color will be more ideal. Rayden loves his bento nevertheless.
And nope! We are not fans of Pokemon-go, we would rather spend time looking at each other's faces than to stare at our smart phones catching virtual creatures.
Congrats to Joseph
Schooling for achieving our first gold Olympic medal! So thanks to him (just
joking), I decided to fry carrot cake (white) [also known as Chye Tow Kueh in
Hokkien] (Schooling’s favorite food) for the whole family today. It’s actually
a very simple dish to prepare. All of us can do it, and a healthier version
as well.
For myself, I prefer
the white fried carrot cake with lots of eggs fried until they are browned and crisp.
Yums!
If time permits, I
would love to make my own carrot cake as well [got to learn from my Mummy] as I’m sure it will taste much, much better
than the ones bought from NTUC (which is the one I’m using today but I did not
take a picture of it).
Ingredients:
··Carrot
cake (bought from NTUC and comes in a big squarish cube) ·4
eggs (should have added 1 more egg) ·Spring
onions ·Garlic ·Chai
Poh (Salted Radish)
I soaked the Chai
Poh in water for 10 min so that it will not be too salty. Thereafter, I
squeezed the Chai Poh dry and fry the Chai Poh without adding any oil, until it
is dry and fragrant.
Add some oil and
garlic and continue frying until fragrant.
Add in the carrot
cake which has been cut into small cubes.
Add in more oil and stir fry the carrot cake for a few minutes, mix the carrot cake well with the garlic and chai poh. . Add in 1 tbsp of
soya sauce, ½ tbsp of wine and ½ tbsp of sesame oil. Stir fry until the carrot
cake looks a bit translucent and soft.
The carrot cake is soft and ready for the eggs!
Beat
the eggs well and add in a pinch of salt and some pepper. Pour the egg over the
carrot cake. I sprinkled some spring onions in at this point also.
Let
the eggs sit in the pan until it is browned on the other side. I usually check
the underside when I smelled the aroma of the fried eggs. Flip when the other side has browned.
I should have added one or two more eggs because I prefer
the carrot cake to be all covered with crisp browned eggs. Next time I guess……
Now they are ready to be served!
Hubby's carrot cake with chili and tomato and avocado salad with sesame sauce
