Three-Colour Rice Bowl

Another recipe from the cookbook Quick & Easy Japanese Recipes.

The recipe is titled "Sweet Soy Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl". However, the ingredients used are very similar to the Bento recipe for "Three-Colour Rice Bento". So I added some greens to the recipe, and turned from it from two colours to three, and titled it "Three-Colour Rice Bowl" instead.

This is one good recipe for bentos!

Adapted from Quick & Easy Japanese Recipes

(Periplus Mini Cookbooks)

Serves 4

Preparation Time : 5 mins

Cooking Time : 20 mins

250g Minced Chicken Meat

3 Eggs

2 cups Uncooked Japanese Rice

4 tsp Sesame Oil

For the minced chicken meat

3 tbsp Soy Sauce

4 tsp Sake

2 tsp Sugar

2 tsp Mirin

For the scrambled eggs

4 tsp Mirin

• Cooked the 2 cups of rice accordingly.
• Combine the ingredients for the minced chicken meat in a small bowl. Set aside this soy sauce mixture for later use.
• Heat 2 teaspoons of the sesame oil in a medium frying pan or work over medium heat and fry minced chicken.
• Use a fork to break up the meat. Cook 2-3 minutes or until chicken is just cooked.
• Season with soy sauce mixture and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes or until all the cooking liquid has evaporated. Remove to a medium bowl and set aside.
• Lightly beat eggs with 4 teaspoons of mirin until just combined. Set aside.
• Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil in frying pan over medium heat. Add egg mixture and stir continuously, with 2 to 3 pairs of chopsticks, until firm and the consistency of scrambled eggs.
• Filled two deep bowls with rice.
• Place the blanched broccoli, scrambled eggs and chicken mixture on top of the rice.
• Serve immediately topped with thinly sliced spring onions.

I cut the broccoli into tiny florets. You can microwave the broccoli or blanch them in boiling water. No salt is necessary as we enjoy the crunchiness and natural taste of broccoli.

Honey Chicken

I dislike deep frying meat.

It's messy, not to mention unhealthy.

After deep frying, the whole house smells oily, especially in Winter, when I have to keep the windows closed throughout the day. But hey, it's summer now, and there is no excuse for not wanting to prepare this dish! I can open the windows to air the house. Unhealthy? Yes, but I rarely do deep frying. Maybe once in every two months ... sometimes even longer. There is no reason to give this dish a miss!

Adapted from Chicken Favourites

(Periplus Mini Cookbooks)

Serves 4

Preparation Time : 10 minutes + 10 minutes standing

Cooking Time : 20 minutes

1 kg Boned chicken breasts, skin on (I replaced with Chicken Thighs)

2.5 tbsp Cornflour

125g Self Raising Flour

1 Egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

3x2cm Fresh Ginger, finely chopped

4 tbsp Honey

2 Spring Onions, thinly sliced, to garnish

• Cut the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces.
• Put them in a bowl with 1.5 tablespoons of the cornflour. Shake to coat well, then leave for 10 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, mix the flour and egg with 1.25 cups cold water until you get a loose batter.
• Fill a wok with enough oil to deep-fry the chicken pieces, then heat until a cube of bread dropped into the oil browns in 10 seconds.
• Dip the chicken pieces in the batter, allowing the excess batter to drip off. Fry the chicken pieces in batches until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towels.
• Mix the soy sauce and remaining cornflour in a small bowl.
• Drain the oil fro the wok and wipe the wok clean.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil.
• Add the ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute.
• Add the honey and when it is heated through, add the chicken pieces and coat well.
• Stir in the soy and cornflour mixture and cook for 1 more minute.
• Pile into a bowl and garnish with the spring onion.

The kids love anything deep-fried. So they welcomed this dish with a broad smile. But I'm sorry to disappoint you boys ... Mama will not be cooking this dish in the next month or so ... Too much work, too messy, to much cleaning up, and not very healthy.

Steamed Salmon Rice with Mushrooms

You know how sometimes, you turned brain-dead from too much cooking?

You buy the usual meat ... chicken, turkey, seafood.

You buy the usual vegetables.

You open the freezer/fridge, stare very hard, and don't know what to cook!

I am thankful for the cookbooks I have at home.

This is yet another dish from the stack of cookbooks I bring back from Singapore ... Steamed Salmon Rice with mushrooms. An easy meal to prepare, especially when I am in a hurry. It frees me to do other chores and there is minimum cleaning up!

Adapted from Quick & Easy Japanese Recipes

(Periplus Mini Cookbooks)

Serves 4

Preparation Time : 15 mins

Cooking Time : 25 mins

6 Dried Shiitake Mushrooms

2 cups Uncooked Japanese Rice

2 tbsp Soy Sauce

3 tbsp Sake (I used Shaoxin Wine)

3 tsp Rice Vinegar

1/2 tsp Salt

70g Thinly sliced leek, soaked in water (I omit this)

200g Salmon fillets, cleaned and skin removed

4 tsp Mirin

2 Shiso or basil leaves, shredded (I omit this)

To garnish

Nori Lightly toasted and cut in thin strips

Sesame Seeds Roasted

• Place shiitake mushrooms into a bowl, cover with 500ml boiling water and soak for 10 minutes. Drain, squeezing gently to remove any excess liquid, remove tough stalks and slice thinly. Reserve soaking liquid to be added to the rice.
• Wash the rice and place in a rice cooker with soy sauce, sake, rice vinegar, salt and reserved shiitake liquid. Add enough water for cooking the rice. Stir to combine.
• Place leek, salmon, and reserved shiitake mushrooms on top of the rice.
• Start the rice cooker.
• When the rice is cooked, sprinkle with mirin and gently flake salmon with a fork. Add shiso and stir lightly to combine.
• Serve topped with nori and sesame seeds.

I microwaved the carrots till soft and added it to the rice as a side dish. No seasoning is required for the carrots as the natural sweetness is enough to balance the seasoning from the rice =)