Aishiteru

what a busy day!
goede middag girls  \^___^/



Indeed a busy day--even days.
Just on this beginning of week, I've started another online shop. 
Quite smoothly with my first e-shop of educative toys liliput for kids, now i make the liliput for moms and gadgets bento si ayah. For 3 years i've dream to make another branch of liliput for kids, named as liliput for moms. It'll sells things that mommies need. Now, the dream comes true. 

my first original brand : Liliput

dream comes true-my second brand : Liliput for moms

While gadgets bento si ayah actually came from friends on my facebook that asked me, not only to write the review of dailies bento si ayah, but also sells the gadgets that bento si ayah needs in making. That's because, lots of them eager to make bento, but didn't have the gadgets cause the difficulties in finding them or the expensive prices. my gratitude for them *

my bento e-shop for bento gadgets

but, for now, i only sale them through my facebook. i haven't made the blog yet. only liliput for kids, but in indonesian, not yet in english. Check it out on here. 


well, 
for today's bento i made the aishiteru theme.
like usual, i never did have any ideas or plans before i made the bento. like today..

do you see the mantou? according to Wikipedia,

Mantou, often referred to as Chinese steamed bun/bread, is a kind of steamed bun originating in China. They are typically eaten as a staple in northern parts of China where wheat, rather than rice, is grown. They are made with milled wheat flour, water and leavening agents. In size and texture, they range from 4 cm, soft and fluffy in the most elegant restaurants, to over 15 cm, firm and dense for the working man's lunch. (As white flour, being more heavily processed, was once more expensive, white mantou were somewhat of a luxury in preindustrial China.)

i was curious. Usually we consumed this by buying them from the dept.store. They have the marvelous and cute shapes. So i tried to make it by myself. This is my first time. :)

The sticky dough and the difficulties in forming them, were paid with the scent from the steamed bun and the taste. i love it so much T___T (even though the shape is horrible and quite simple :D)--the shortcoming is only on the fact that the bun turns to a bit hard if cold :D. well, cause of that, i tell hubby to put the buns in the rice cooker for 10 minutes before the lunchtime. anyway, i brought him 3 buns here. they're about 5 x 3 cm. But hubby said, he's full enough only with two buns. So he gave the rest to his coworker.
and, do you see the apple craft? it says "Ai"--the japanese means "love". yes, at first i didn't have any ideas for today's theme. but then i saw the buns... i made them with love, indeed. so, i thought, why don't we use the 'love' theme for today. Then i asked hubby to search for the picture of this word in japanese. He wrote it on the paper .. very stiff :D that paper is my guidance in making the apple's craft. I put some heart picks to emphasized the atmosphere.

 

here they are! the dishes that made hubby goes mad :D He looooooooooooooves these so much. And just after the dish cooked, hubby stood in front of my kitchen's door and asked me "can i have my breakfast earlier pleeeeaasee" --after i gave him a little try for the dish.
well, this is gyoza. This is what Wikipedia said :

Jiǎozi 餃子 or 饺子 (Chinese transliteration), gyōza (Japanese transliteration), Mo:Mo: or Momocha म:म: or ममचा (Nepali transliteration), or pot sticker is a Chinese dumpling widely spread to Japan, Eastern and Western Asia.
Jiaozi typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together or by crimping. Jiaozi should not be confused with wonton: jiaozi have a thicker, chewier skin and a flatter, more oblate, double-saucer like shape (similar in shape to ravioli), and are usually eaten with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce (and/or hot chili sauce); while wontons have thinner skin, are sphere-shaped, and are usually served in broth. The dough for the jiaozi and wonton wrapper also consist of different ingredients.

I made the filling from the mixture of shredded cabbage,  well cooked beef diced in the very small cut--like minced meat, grated ginger, scallions, garlic, soyu, and olive oil.  If you like, you can make the filling from almost every things..minced chicken fillet, vegetables (for the vegen), shrimp, sausage, anything :)

as vegetable-dish, i made him "cauliflower in sweet gravy". this is a perfect combination! :D Well, below, is hubby's breakfast :

so humble isn't it :D and i made one too for hubby's coworker. there you go girls, bento si ayah for wednesday!! 


love, kisses and hugs.

2 days of bento-ing reviews

buongiorno !!
\^___^/


ok, i haven't posted the Friday's bento yet. 
so, i'll post it with today's bento :D


oh,
my friends on my facebook, like usual, asked me to write down the recipes. all of them, they said--for the friday's and today's. 
so, i'll write only the selected menus ok? check them out!
---

Friday, 1st April 2011

this is hubby's new lunch box. we bought it because i love the colors, the space are minis and enough for his portion. even though his coworkers asked him whether it's enough or not, hubby said the portion was perfecto, enough. not too small, but not too full too.

`Well, these are the menus : 

the rice tier was fits for 1 1/2 rice bowls. so i compacted the rice to the small tier and gave fried tempeh that i molded to bear shape. and the watermelon formed from kyuuri and imitation crab stick. while the watermelon seeds made from the kyurii seeds itself. 

as the side dishes, 
first i made him chicken wing in oyster sauce with sesame seeds sprinkle. he loved this so badly. at first, i didn't trust him. but then, i tried it my self, and yes, it was delicious :).


this is the recipe :

chicken wing in oyster sauce with sesame seeds sprinkle

ingredients :

6 chicken wings

2 cloves of garlic, chopped 

1 cm ginger, sliced thinly

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

sugar, pepper and salt to taste
100 ml of fresh water

sesame seeds

oil to saute

how to:

1. season the chicken wings with salt. 
2. fry the chicken wings until cooked, set aside.
3. heat the oil and saute until fragrant the garlic and ginger.
4. add the fried chicken wings, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper.
5. pour the water, and cook until the sauce shrinking and the seasons seep.
6. sprinkle with sesame seeds at the top.

there you go, that simple!

as the base is the cajun red beans. I found the original recipe from ken's blog. but i did some differences, since i didn't have the ingredients he asked for. here is the bento si ayah's recipe :

cajun red beans

Ingredients:

smoked beef sausage (cut into small pieces)
1 cup onion (diced)

celery (diced)

green pepper (diced)

garlic (chopped)

chicken stock

red beans (rinsed and drained)
red paprika powder and  cayenne pepper (or to taste) 

oregano

bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add the sausage and saute until lightly golden brown, about 5-7 minutes, and set aside.
3. Add the onions, celery and green pepper to the pan and cook until tender, about 7-10minutes.
4. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
5. Add the stock, beans, ham hock, paprika, cayenne, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer covered for 1-3 hours.
7. serve it

i also made him asparagus with poached egg in dill sauce. my friend said, poaching egg is the parameter of the expert chef :) because, even though it's a simple task, but it needs a precise timing and heat. lots of cooker, make this not in the perfect form : the egg yolk is too well-cooked, or they couldn't move it to the top of dishes without breaking the egg yolk. 
well, at first i thought, i was failed too. but then hubby said, the poaching egg is perfect. the egg yolk very dilute and i could move it to the tier without breaking the egg yolk. fuuuh.. :D

hubby's breakfast was the same menu :)

that's all for the friday's bento :)

--------

Monday, 4th April on 2011

the same tiers, with the different menu! :D
like usual, i didn't plan any for the menu. my friend said, today's menu are Italian! well, i guess they're right.

yummie!
the main dish is baked rice with smoke-beef sausage. with side dishes of spaghetti with chicken cutlet, Javanese steak, and brown mashed potatoes. as my friends' requests, i'll write the baked rice recipe and the javanese steak.

baked rice with 
smoke-beef sausages

ingredients:

oil 

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 part of onion, diced

1 tablespoon of worcestershire sauce

1 tea spoon of tomatoes puree

100 ml chicken stock

pepper, salt to taste

100gr mixed vegetables (you can use the packed ones, but bento si ayah prefers to cut the vegetable itself, it's fresher) 

red chilli pepper, seeded, sliced thinly

cooked rice

smoke beef sausages, cut to pieces

the topping:

butter

1 tea spoon of wheat flour

150 ml milk

cheese, grated

direction:

1. heat the oil, saute the garlic with onion until fragrant. add the worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, and chicken stock. stir well. add the salt and pepper, mixed vegetables, and the red chilli pepper. set aside
2. as the topping : heat the butter, add the flour. while stirring, pour the milk and cook until it gravy and thickens. add the cheese. stir well. set aside
3. take the aluminum foil dish, put the rice in. 
4. give some mixed vegetables with seasons, the top topping, and the sausages.
5. baked in 180 degrees heat, for 20 minutes. 
6. ready to serve

the second is Javanese steak.

don't forget to reserving the mixed vegetables as one of the compliments. you may serve this with french fries, local potato fries, or brown mashed potato fries like bento si ayah.

12:50 pm

ahahaha, actually i don't think it's important to write the hash (brown mashed) potatoes recipe  here :D but since my friends keep asking about this, ok--i'll write it :D

all you need to do is :

Beat the egg in a small bowl.

In a medium bowl, mix together egg and onion with mashed potatoes (if you like, you can grated it, or diced it like mine). Add salt and pepper as you desire.

if you want to make it crispier, try not to use any eggs in it.

At a medium setting, heat olive oil in a medium size frying pan. Scoop the potato mixture into the frying pan in 4 inch circles, pat with a spatula to flatten the mounds to approximately 1/2 to 1 inch thick. Cook until bottom is browned. Flip the patty over and brown the other side.

anyway, this is how bento si ayah serve the dish :

Javanese steak

ingredients :

tenderloin beef, sliced thinly

butter

mixed vegetables

sauce :

oil

garlic

wheat flour

milk

salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

marinade:

salt

pepper

nutmeg

sweet-soy sauce

how to:

1. first marinate the beef with the seasons. keep it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
2. heat the butter on the pan, and grill the beef.
3. for the sauce : heat the oil, saute the garlic until fragrant. add the flour, milk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. stir until thickens.
4. serve the steak with sauce, mix vegetables, and the potatoes. 

simple isn't it?
hope you can make it too at home :)

well, i arrange the same menu for hubby's breakfast in the smaller portion, with fruits too. 

and the same menu for hubby's coworker order. there you go :) that's all for today girls..
love kisses and hugs 
xoxo

Italian meets Japanese

Good morning all :)
Actually I'm still sleepy..
after we woke up this morning, hubby and i still enjoying the lazy time in bed. We were giggling and chuckling and joking that we won't wake up and still being lazy at home. 
but then when i looked at the time, i realized that we have to wake up now, or i won't be able preparing hubby's bento--and he won't be able to be at work on time. 
so then--finally we woke up! :D


while i was preparing the food, he was helping me with washing the dishes. sweet :)


--
anyway, i made these as his bento :

err..i'm a lil bit annoyed by the bunny. Cause two of them are in the 'mature' arrangement, while this one is a lil bit childish--so, actually, they're not in the match :D

well, I'm trying the new recipes here. after Googing and searching for the original recipes in the internet, i finally found the recipes that suits on us--by combining some existing recipes with my own taste.
and since friends from facebook asked for the recipes, so--here they are :

edamame risotto with grilled shrimp

i know, that i should use the arborio rice, or other medium or short grained rice. but since too hard to find the arborio, and it costs expensive here, so i'm using the ordinary daily rice. :) The original risotto usually using some dry white wine--but we're  prohibited to consume it, so i skip it.

so, here are the ingredients :

oil

red paprika powder

garlic powder

black pepper

these are the spices to marinate the shrimp. off course  you'll need shrimps that have been peeled.

onion, diced

clove of garlic, chopped

rice

chicken broth (if you are a vegen, besides using the vegetarian shrimp, you'll may change the broth to vegetable broth)

edamame (japanese green soy beans)

parmesan cheese, grated

butter

salt and pepper to taste

lemon juice

and mint, chopped (optional)

how to :

1. mix the marinade seasons  and marinate the shrimp for at least 15 minutes.
2. melt the butter in large sauce pan
3. add the onion and saute until tender
4. add the garlic, and saute until fragrant
5. add the rice and stir to coat with butter
6. add  half of the stock (broth) at time and stir while simmering until it's gone. continue until the rice is cooked al dente. since i'm using the ordinary daily rice that usually harder and thinner than the arborio, i give at about 4 cups of broth for 1 1/2 cups of rice. And I just stir it occasionally, preventing so the rice won't be too soft and be like porridge. 
7. mix in the beans , cheese and butter. stir until the butter and the cheese has melted.
8. remove from heat, and mix in the lemon and mint.
9. don't forget to grill the shrimp until cooked. serve it.

the second one is Okonomiyaki. like Wikipedia said, okonomiyaki is a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked".
so, i made the vegetarian one. i add vegetables ingredients in it. here is the recipe :

Japanese Okonomiyaki

whole wheat flour

water

egg

cabbage, shredded

sweet carrot,grated

zucchini, grated

green onion, chopped

sausages (if you are a vegetarian, use the vegetarian sausage)

how to:

1. mix the flour, water, egg, cabbage, carrot, zucchini, and green onion in large bowl. if you like, you may add some pepper and garlic powder to taste.
2. heat some oil pan.
3. pour the mixture and top it with sausages slices.
4. cook on medium heat until golden brown on both sides. (i use the small pancake pan, it will help to control the size of the okonomiyaki)
5. when you serve it, top it with okonomiyaki sauce and mayonnaise. but since i can't find the instant one here, after reading few recipes and Wikipedia, i use the recommended sauce of Worcestershire sauce. it contains of malt vinegar (from barley), spirit vinegar, molasses, sugar, salt, anchovies,  tamarind extract, onions, garlic, spice, and flavoring. The "spice, and flavoring" is believed to include cloves, soy sauce , lemons, pickles and peppers. 

easy huh? it's like making the omelet and definitely healthy. 
and with these fruits fiesta, 

hubby's bento were ready to take away :)

for hubby breakfast, i gave little portion of these menu.

my facebook friends asked me whether these too little for hubby's breakfast. Hubby asked me not to give him too much portion for his breakfast, cause he worried that he'll be sleepy after eating.  

that's all for today girls :)
love, kisses and hugs!