Innie or Outie

Hubby’s still in the mood for Chinese-style dishes, Papa’s Spicy Bok Choy-Shrimp on Sesame Rice:

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For the meal Hubby created a mixture of shrimp, diced white onion, bok choy, red wine vinegar, scallion, dried garlic slivers, white pepper, chicken broth granules, and toubanjyan sauce served on rice topped with cracked toasted sesame seeds.

Another of the local convenience store versions of “oba-bento”. This one had fried chicken, stir-fried greens, pork luncheon meat (spam), meat sauce spaghetti, umeboshi, deep-fried hard-boiled egg, and rice.

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Still another simple way to use the 25 pieces of 70 grams package of noodles and leftovers, Meat Sauce Somen:

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This was almost effortless, place desired amount of leftover meatloaf, diced onion, tomato juice, tomato paste, dried parsley flakes, dried oregano flakes, and soy sauce in a container and let defrost and marinate over night. About twenty minutes prior to serving, start somen water; place meatloaf mixture in a pot; add diced green bell pepper and sliced mushrooms; bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until somen is ready, stirring occasionally and breaking meatloaf into chunks. Cook and strain somen, add to meatsauce and toss thoroughly. Plate, top with fresh basil leaves, and sprinkle with parmesan. Serve.

To go with the somen dish, I tried something a little different, Toasted Basil-Baby Cheese Garlic Brown Bread:

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While the meat sauce somen was cooking, the slices of walnut-raisin brown bread (soemthing hubby had picked-up at a local bakery) was placed in a toaster until slightly crunchy; topped first with a thin layer of minced garlic paste, second with small chunks of baby cheese, and third with a fresh basil leaf; finally the toasted bread was microwaved for 2.5 minutes. The result of this unusual cooking method combination was a bread with a creamy, nutty, and light fruit flavor and a texture reminiscent of melba toast.

Sometimes a simple standard meal is just what the taste buds demand, Mama’s Basic Beef & Potato Dinner:

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A true standard, meatloaf made with hamburger, panko (bread crumbs), dried parsley flakes, dried oregano flakes, white pepper, Worcestshire sauce, white pepper, sage, diced onion, and egg topped with a minced garlic paste, ketchup, Worcestshire sauce, and fresh basil sauce; baked potato with melted sour cream, baby cheese, and nutmeg sauce topped with chopped chives, and chunky mixed veggies with almond slivers and white pepper sautéed in sesame oil.

Here is another of the local convenience store “oba-style” bentos. This one had yakisoba, sautéed veggies, shrimp tenpura, fried chicken drumstick, rice, hamburger steak with sauce, sunny-side up fried egg, daikon (pickled radish), and umeboshi (pickled plum).

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Hubby decided to try something a little different in the stir-fry department, Papa’s Chinese-Style Pork Dinner:

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Hubby sautéed thinly-sliced pork, julienned carrots, and julienned bell pepper in vegetable oil; added minced ginger paste, dried garlic slivers, fresh mushrooms, garlic chives, white pepper, and oyster sauce; and thickened the mixture with cornstarch. To go with the pork entrée, he chose rice with cracked toasted sesame seeds.

A refreshing afternoon snack for the summer that Hubby put together, Papa’s Melon-Yogurt Snack:

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A simple snack of honeydew melon, yogurt, and granola topped with nutmeg.

This dish was inspired by a chicken recipe on a Japanese foodie television site, Papa’s Olive-Chicken in Cream Sauce:

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For this meal, hubby pan-fried julienned onion, chopped chicken thighs, and carrot slices in olive oil; added minced garlic paste, sliced green olives with pimento, sliced black olives, mushroom slices, fresh chopped basil, mirin, white wine, and white pepper, simmered for about fifteen minutes, stirred in cream, and simmered for approximately five more minutes. To accompany the dish, he chose walnut bread for sopping-up the sauce.

This is a convenience store bento plate that consisted of spicy Chinese-inspired tofu chanpuru, rice with goma, pork, and moyashi (bean sprouts).

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A basic meal for beef eaters, Papa’s Steak & Potato Dinner:

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Hubby pan fried the steak in olive oil – using the juices with garlic and Worcestershire sauce, whole grain mustard, and white pepper for the “gravy”. Accompanying the meat entrée are baked potato with sour cream and a salad consisting of iceberg lettuce, arugula, julienned yellow bell pepper, sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and chives drizzled with a white wine vinegar, whole grain mustard, and olive oil vinaigrette