November 2008

All the content on this site by month.

Tips for using Thanksgiving leftovers in bento lunches

[From the archives: If you're in the U.S., I hope your Thanksgiving was great! If you have a lot of leftover turkey, please give the shigureni a try. It works with dark or white meat. Originally published November 2007.]

Happy Thanksgiving to all U.S. readers! After today's feast you'll probably have quite a lot of leftovers. Here are some ideas for re-purposing those leftovers for future bento lunches, beyond just using them as-is, which is okay but not that exciting.

In general, you should try to get the leftovers wrapped and into the fridge as soon as possible for the sake of safety, though I know the urge to just flop down in a horizontal position is strong. You can divide it up for longer term storage if necessary later.

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Bento filler: Classic Kinpira Gobo (burdock and carrot kinpira)

Spicy-salty-sweet kinpira, crunchy vegetables that are quicky stir-fried and optionally simmered, are perfect for bento. So far I have given you carrot kinpira and forgotten vegetable kinpira, but Japanese food purists might have noticed that I haven't posted a recipe for classic kinpira gobo (or goboh). There's a simple reason for this: here in Switzerland, the only gobo or burdock root that I can get in the stores is an exorbitantly priced frozen version. But recently I was able to get my hands on some fresh gobo (no I didn't smuggle it from Hawaii!) - so here, finally, is kinpira gobo.

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Time:

Time required: 10-20 minutes

Bento sightseeing in Oahu, Hawai'i

I'm back home! I've posted more in-depth articles about my food-oriented experiences on Oahu over on Just Hungry (Part 1, Part 2) but I thought I'd talk briefly about some bento-related things I found there on Just Bento. I only had 6 days there, at least 3 of which I spent mostly beach-hopping, so I couldn't cover much, but hopefully this gives a general overview.

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I'll be back shortly

Just in case you follow Just Bento but not Just Hungry, and you're wondering why there haven't been any updates for a while, this is what happened. I'll be back home in a few days though and back to regular bento making!

In the meantime, a picture from a couple of days ago. In the background is the Pacific Ocean, from Laie Point on the northeastern shore of Oahu, Hawai'i. On the dashboard of my rental car...two spam musubi! I still can't say I am in love with them but they do sure fill a hole in the tummy very very well.

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Bento fillers: Forgotten vegetable kinpira

Easy sugarfree carrot kinpira is one of the most popular recipes here on Just Bento. And no wonder - it's a snap to make, healthy, and spicy.

While kinpira is traditionally made with carrots and burdock (gobo) in Japan, you can use the kinpira method for any crunchy vegetable. What's more, it's a great way of using up parts of vegetables that you might normally throw away. Not only will your tastebuds and tummy be happy, your wallet will be too.

Keep reading Bento fillers: Forgotten vegetable kinpira →