That sounds really good. I've been having a cup of miso everyday about 11 for snack.
I <3 comfort food... Made a big bowl of miso soup tonight with shredded carrot, cubed tofu, spring onion, seaweed and udon noodles..
Yum!
-Damien
I"m sorry it didn't turn out well for you spork!What a fun disaster!
First, I'm like, okay, soy beans don't have mammary glands. Their milk is not really milk. This pot looks way big enough for even five cups of cow milk to boil. Wrong! As soon as you see the soy bean solution from powder begin to rise, you're too late. It froths and boils over like an escaped alien blob creature engulfing your stove top. Yikes! The coagulant is fun though, sort of like molecular cuisine. Here are my molds in the sink for the instructional 20-minute set.
And the resulting tofu from my onigiri molds, topped with traditional scallion, ginger, shaved bonito and soy sauce.
Fun, but more importantly, it didn't taste good. Made me feel inclined to join the tofu-bleh crowd. Were it not for the steaming tofu bakeries I was entrusted to shop weekly as a five-year old for my mother, I will try again with whole dried soy beans and google for a good coagulating agent...
I tried it again a couple days ago...
I can only expect so much from powdered soy milk. My visiting foodie aunt says it can be made from a carton of grocery soy milk. My foodie uncle says the pot is a b**** to clean afterward. He's right; it's a bit easier with a large non-stick pot. A miniscule amount of coagulant is used, so it must be sprinkled throughout the boiled milk. If callously dumped, it can settle and form burnt or uneven curds.
This time, I molded it using your idea of cheesecloth lining a colander, Timothy. It's fun. I'll keep trying to improve on my "homemade tofu."
My uncle also said to use a blender, then squeeze out the milk. He also suggests trying different rennet(?) agents. From the time he was eight years old, one of his kitchen chores was to make the day's tofu. He used ordinary, natural sea water as the coagulant.
Soooo... I have been trying to keep up with the newer posts and reading the older ones as I have time.
Darn you all, I bought a Mr. Bento today. My lunches will not be as fancy as the ones posted. They will consist more of soups, cheese/ crackers, salads etc. (nothing Japanese!)
I really wanted the cute little orange/ red/ pink one but the reviews were not good (leakage, can't microwave, not insulated, can't take anything liquidy) (tried to attach picture)... and for Spork.. I saw this and immediately thought of you... (another picture).
YAY! I cannot wait to hear what you make. Most of mine were not Japanese, but I get really excited when I pack my lunch in one of the boxes that I have. Be sure to post pictures! Japanese or not, all inspire!
As I was browsing and looking, I somehow came across a link that sent me to flickr, it had pages of pictures showing bento lunches, I think I could get a lot of ideas from there.
I found a group on Flickr too that focused on Laptop Lunch kits, which is the first set that I bought. I wanted pretty colors. Sad way to choose, isn't it? I will add that I've got no regrets in that though.
I had to force myself not to buy that colorful box, grey it was...
Oh, don't deprive yourself of color! The orange/red/pink one was adorable. You cannot have too many Bento boxes. Nor the fun toys that can go with them. Really.
If I keep thinking about it, next friday, new payday I will get it along with other items I have found amongst the forums that I'm not sure how I have lived without.
It really is super cute. Where did you find it? It almost looks like something more vintage!
Amazon, where I buy everything! Amazon.com: Vivo Kids Bento Box, Orange and Pink: Kitchen & Dining This is actually the kids version, they have bigger ones too. My thought with the bigger ones was that I could just put small containers inside the box if it was something that needed to be taken out to heat up. (the reviews mentioned that) I'm going to talk myself into it...
Talk yourself into it. *nods* What I have found is this: When I pack my lunch, I eat healthier, pack enough to hold me until I come home, and do not arrive home starving. Also, I generally will make time to eat, which I do not always do when I do not pack a lunch. Prior to this Bento thread, I would just throw something together like a sandwich, chips, etc. With the Bento, I actually think about what I will pack and I feel like I am six all over again when lunch time arrives. Perhaps that is odd, and a bit sad, but it is true. Lunch is fun again.
When I got the Bento set, I also started to "try to eat a rainbow" every day. Meaning that I would try to eat some sort of veggie or fruit in all colors: White/Beige, Yellow/Orange, Orange/Red, Purple/Blue, Green. When I do this, I know that I feel healthier than when I don't pack the lunch. So, if the colors, the silliness, the Hello Kitty extras, etc. do this for me, I encourage you to get what will make lunch fun (and healthy) for you too!