not something i would eat...

cucumber chicken donburi on rice with wasabi mayo dressing (not pictured) 

tamagoyaki, shumai, goma shio broccoli

i think one of the good things about making bento is that i can make things that shmantz likes instead of things we both like. this donburi recipe is from the donburi book. i packed the wasabi mayo dressing in a separate container so the cucumbers wouldn't get all soggy. i'm not a fan of wasabi, so i never made this recipe b4. however, shmantz loves wasabi, so i thought he would enjoy trying this donburi out. success!

mechakucha recipe for goma shio broccoli:

blanch broccoli. drain. sprinkle with goma shio.

i've received a question from one of my three readers: "what do you mean when you say 'blanch'?" i am no expert, so i don't know what it really means to blanch vegetables. but when i say it, this is what i mean:

bring a pot of water to a full boil 

(i'll usually throw some salt in the pot for flavoring)

throw in your vegetables

boil the vegetables until they are just cooked

do not overcook!

pour the vegetables into a mesh strainer

run under cold water until vegetables have cooled

the end