Before I scare anyone away from udon, the link Stephanie includes below shows a MUCH easier way to make them. single bento boy's link in this thread: http://www.justbento.com/forum/foodie-movies got me watching the movie "Udon" Within minutes I started drooling and hankering after the kind of udon I'd eaten in Takamatsu. I went back to a recipe I'd used before: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fg20010701rl.html - worth reading to get an idea on how the weather affects the amount of salt you should use

Ingredients: 1 can of kidney beans - rinsed 1 small onion - chopped 2 garlic cloves - chopped optional - chopped fresh chilis to taste 1 tablespoon of mild or hot chili powder salt olive oil (or use another vegetable oil such as canola/rapeseed if you prefer) Empty the drained and rinsed kidney beans into a bowl and mash them thoroughly with a fork, add some salt to taste.

I was given an outline of this recipe by an acquaintance who lived in Kyushu, South West Japan and it's now become a household staple. - Into a large saucepan add a mixture of vegetable oils (I suggest good quality olive oil, canola/rape seed oil, and sesame oil). A tablespoon or two in total should be enough. - Gently heat a sliced onion until soft.

This was an impromptu attempt to use up some turnip greens. I guess it is a kind of ohitashi. 1 small bunch turnip or other greens Boil until done to your liking, drain and chop 2 tbsp white miso 1 tbsp mustard powder about 1 tbsp mirin or cooking water, to smooth the sauce mix this together until smooth and mix in with the chopped greens This much mustard powder makes it very hot. You could cut back.

These made an appearance in my bento pictured here. grape or cherry tomatoes fresh mozzarella sliced about 1/4" thick and cut to the same diameter as your tomatoes (I used stainless steel sakura shaped vegetable cutters {note: I only linked to kaboodle because it came up in a google image search}) fresh basil skewers (toothpicks work fine)

Here's one of our favorite make ahead, easy recipes from a friend that will last for quite a while in your fridge. We've had several people try this one who don't like beets and it was a hit. Beets with Balsamic Vinegar & Spices - 1 or 2 bunches of beets depending on how many you need (1 bunch is enough for 2 people for about a week) - Balsamic Vinegar (any good, cheap kind that you like) - Spice mix with garlic powder, onion powder or a little of both of those to sprinkle on - Cut beet greens from tops of beats just leaving the red part of the vegetable.