Tummy Adventures

This meal might be a little bit more complex, just because there are several different elements you have to assemble to create it, but if you cook a little more, you can eat it for several days, which is what I've done. This bento box is a great packed lunch to bring, simply because you can keep it in the fridge with no consequences to taste, and there's no need to heat it up before you eat! It's also easy to modify the recipe, leaving out or substituting any component you might not want. 

Let's start first with the Tamagoyaki (Sweet rolled omelette)! Like most normal people, I don't possess a rectangular or square pan, so rolling the Tamagoyaki is a little bit more difficult, but I made it work anyway! So don't fret if you don't own one, you can just cut the ends away to make it look better. This whole recipe serves about 2.5-3 me's.

1. Whisk the eggs together with all the other ingredients.
2. Oil your pan,using a piece of kitchen paper to ensure the whole surface is coated thinly and to soak up excess oil. Don't throw the paper away! (as seen in picture) 
   
3. On medium heat, pour a tiny bit of egg on the pan, and ensure it coats the entire surface thinly, like a crepe. (Test the heat of your pan by taking a little drop of egg batter on your chopstick and place it on the pan to see if it sizzles.)
   
   
   
   
4. Place a piece of roasted seaweed on top of the egg. 
5. Once the egg is about 3/4 cooked through (I like to make sure it's not cooked through because the egg can burn or taste too dry), roll the egg up towards you, like in the picture below. 
   
6. Place the egg roll in the middle of the pan, oil the half of the pan nearer to you with the oiled kitchen paper, and pour another thin layer of egg on that half, making sure it touches the piece of already rolled egg. 
   
7. Once 3/4 cooked, roll towards you again, and repeat steps 6-7 until all the egg is used up. 
8. Tada! Simply cut and serve! I cut away the ugly bits at the end and stuffed it into my Onigiri (next recipe). 
   

Now on to the Onigiri (Rice balls)! Side note: I used Japanese rice in this recipe because it has a sticky quality to it when cooked that is good for shaping into Onigiri, but you can try using other types of rice but with a little more rice than you normally do to make it stickier. 

1. Cook your rice (I just cooked mine in my rice cooker). Once done, let it cool a little so you don't burn your hands when you shape it, but don't let it cool all the way!
2. I recommend wetting your hands before shaping, so that the rice grains don't stick too much to your hands. Alternatively, you can also use cling wrap on your hands for the same effect. Split the rice into six parts, and take one of the six parts.
3. Roll into a ball, and then flatten on your palm like so. 
   
4. Place the ends of the tamagoyaki in the middle. There are a variety of fillings you can put in an Onigiri, so check them out of the Internet and experiment a little. 
5. Close your palms like so, and then seal the Onigiri by pressing between your hands. 
   
6. Shape the way you want! The triangular shape is one of the more common shapes, and I find it's also better for holding fillings. 
   
   
   
   
7. Cut your roasted seaweed into small rectangles (as seen in picture) and just wrap one end of the Onigiri with it. 
   
8. Lick the remaining rice grains off your fingers.  
   

• 1 Cucumber
• 1/6 cup of white vinegar or rice vinegar 
• 1/6 cup of water
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Sprinkling of black pepper 
• Chopped fresh dill or parsley (optional)

Method

1. Cut the cucumber into thin slices, throwing away the ends. 
2. Place with all other ingredients in a ziploc bag or a container. 
3. Mix well, then leave in the fridge to marinate for at least 3 hours. I left it overnight.