I’ve really been enjoying experimenting with bento lunches lately. I originally heard about the idea on a recent Splendid Table broadcast, and finding great websites like the wonderful Just Bento, the grown-up and simple Ohyao Bento, and charmingly kid-friendly Happy Little Bento added to my enthusiasm for these tiny, beautiful lunch treats.
While waiting on a new bento box to arrive, I’ve been packing pseudobento (definitely a word) in a sturdy Pei Wei container wrapped with a big rubber band. It isn’t exactly beautiful, but it works like a charm!
Today’s bento contains sushi rice with black sesame seeds topped with sweet and sour chicken (instructions below), a barrier constructed of peeled, sliced cucumbers, and baby carrots.
A small container of grapefruit slices in grapefruit juice (sweetened with a teaspoon of sugar) filled the fruit requirement, and I tucked a small handful of yogurt-covered raisins around it just for fun. A wrapped square of ultra-dark Ghiradelli chocolate found its way in for that late-afternoon snack component!
I made the chicken by poaching boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins in chicken stock for about 25 minutes, with sliced bell peppers tossed in for the last ten minutes. The chicken was then drained and shredded, and mixed with a sauce I whisked together with plum sauce, juice from half a lemon, salt, pepper, and about a tablespoon of rice vinegar.
Yum!
