Bento Bridge

Soba Gyoza Bento Lunch Box❤️❤️

Ingredients:

2 servings (about 75g or more) dried soba buckwheat noodles
2 tbsp soba sauce (tsuyu or つゆ) & 6 tbsp water to taste
1/2 tbsp + 1 tsp sesame oil divided
10 frozen supermarket gyoza (Japanese dumplings) no need to thaw
8 frozen Japanese seaweed chicken transfer to a bowl in the fridge 30 minutes before cooking
2 servings (about 100g or more) cooked sautéed kale (or any sautéed vegetables)
2 slices cheddar cheese

For the soba noodles:

2 tbsp chopped spring onion
2 slices naruto fish cake
2 packet wasabi sachets (for the soba dipping sauce)

Others:

romaine lettuce leaves (to line the base for the fried food)
2 lemon wedges (for the seaweed chicken)
red & yellow cherry tomatoes (or any favourite fruit)
pickled red ginger (beni shoga)

Directions:

-Cook soba in a pot of boiling water. Minus about a minute from the packaging recommended timing if you want al dente, firmer noodles.

-Make soba sauce by diluting soba sauce tsuyu (concentrate) with water according to package instructions. Portion into two leak-proof sauce bottles (I’m using a GoStak).

-Grease frying pan with 1/2 tbsp sesame oil. Arrange gyoza on their flat bottom and cook in the oil without touching them, until the bottom skin is browned and crisp. Add enough water to cover the gyoza halfway. Cover with lid and steam for 3-5 minutes, or until almost all the water is evaporated. Drizzle the remaining sesame oil around the pan, and pan fry the other surfaces of the gyoza briefly until lightly seared throughout. Set aside the pan fried gyoza to cool on a wire rack.

-Add 1 tsp cooking oil to the same pan. Pan fry chicken seaweed until lightly seared. Set aside to cool on a wire rack.

-Portion cooked sautéed kale tightly into two microwavable lunchbox compartment or a silicon muffin cup. Cut to size and cover the kale with 1 slice of cheese. Microwave at 850W for 1 minute, or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle dried parsley flakes to garnish

-Divide all the food & garnishes among two lunch boxes along with the soba noodle sauce bottles. This lunch box keeps well at room temperature for half a day.

Traditional Wooden Bento (Magewappa)

Magewappa are wooden lunch boxes reminiscent of some of the first bento boxes made in Japan. The natural cedar wood and round shape infuse your lunch with the aromatic smell of the forest. This is a great lunchbox for minimalists who love natural kitchenware and appreciate this humble style.
With three different compartments, this lunchbox provides you with all the space you need to store your different meal components.