Halloween bento

 

1. Jack-o'-lantern shaped rice ball

[Ingredients] (1 serving)

• Rice (warm) 120g (1 small bowl)

• Roasted seaweed, cucumber: appropriate amounts

A

 Ketchup: 1 tablespoon

• Curry powder: 1/4 teaspoon

 Butter: 5g

Salt: a pinch

[Instructions]

① In a heatproof bowl, combine 120g of warm rice and ingredients A (1 tablespoon of ketchup, 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder, 5g of butter, and a pinch of salt), mix well, and let it cool until it reaches room temperature. Cut the appropriate amount of roasted seaweed into the shape of eyes and a mouth, and cut the cucumber into 1cm lengths.

② Place the ketchup rice mixture from step ① on a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it like a tea bag.

③ Wrap two rubber bands radially around it. After about 10 minutes, remove the rubber bands and plastic wrap, attach the eyes and mouth made from the roasted seaweed from step ①, and garnish with the cucumber.

Mummy Sausages

[Ingredients] (1 serving)

・Sausages: 2

・Ketchup: 1 teaspoon

・Somen noodles: 1/3 bundle

・Sesame oil: appropriate amount

・Roasted seaweed, sliced ​​cheese: appropriate amounts of each

[Instructions]

① Cut the roasted seaweed and sliced ​​cheese into eye shapes. Boil the 1/3 bundle of somen noodles. Make incisions in the top of each of the two sausages with a knife.

② Wrap the boiled somen noodles from step ① around the top and middle sections of the sausages. Once wrapped, lightly brush the surface with an appropriate amount of sesame oil.

[Tips]

Boiled somen noodles become sticky over time, so it's recommended to work with them in a container filled with water.

Broom-shaped Chikuwa

The broom handle is made using a brown burdock root, which enhances the realistic look! When wrapping the roasted seaweed around the chikuwa, use mayonnaise as an adhesive to prevent it from coming off easily.

[Ingredients] (1 serving)

・Chikuwa: 1/3 piece

・Burdock root: 3-4 cm

・Roasted seaweed, Mayonnaise: appropriate amounts of each

[Instructions]

① Peel the burdock root (3-4 cm) lightly, and if it's thick, cut it in half or into quarters lengthwise. Soak one piece in water for about 5 minutes. Then, quickly blanch it and pat it dry with a paper towel.

② Make 8-10 small cuts in the 1/3 piece of chikuwa using kitchen scissors.

③ Insert the burdock root from step ① into the chikuwa from step ②. Lightly spread a small amount of mayonnaise on a thin strip of roasted seaweed, and wrap it around the chikuwa with the burdock root inserted.  Finished!

Ghost Pumpkin Dumplings

[Ingredients] (1 serving)

• Dumpling wrappers: 2 sheets

• Frozen pumpkin: 1 piece (30-40g)

• Crab-flavored kamaboko (cut into a mouth shape): 1 piece

• Tuna: 1 teaspoon

• Whole corn: appropriate amount

• Cream cheese: appropriate amount

• Mayonnaise: 1 teaspoon

• Salt: a pinch

• Black sesame seeds: 2 seeds

[Instructions]

① Place one piece of frozen pumpkin (30-40g) in a heatproof bowl, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and heat in a 600W microwave for 1 to 1.5 minutes. Once cooled slightly, remove the skin, add 1 teaspoon of tuna, an appropriate amount of whole corn, 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise, and a pinch of salt, and mix well.

② Place the filling from step ① and an appropriate amount of cream cheese on one dumpling wrapper. Lightly moisten the edge of the wrapper with a small amount of water (not included in the ingredients list), then place another dumpling wrapper on top and press the edges together with your fingers to seal.

③ Using kitchen scissors, evenly cut the edges of the dumpling wrapper from step ② to create pleats. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake the pleated dumplings in a toaster oven for about 7 minutes. Once baked, add two black sesame seeds and one piece of crab-flavored kamaboko to create the eyes and mouth.

Ghost Potatoes

[Ingredients] (1 serving)

・Potato: 1 slice, 1cm thick

・Bonito flakes: appropriate amount

・Salt: a pinch

・Salad oil: appropriate amount

① Pat dry one 1cm thick slice of potato with a paper towel, and cut out a ghost shape using a cookie cutter.

② Make holes for the eyes and mouth in the potato using a straw.

③ Heat an appropriate amount of salad oil in a pan, and pan-fry the potato from step ② over low heat. Mix an appropriate amount of bonito flakes and a pinch of salt on a plate, then coat both sides of the pan-fried potato with the mixture.