Today, a look at some of the bentos posted on our website

that received the most likes in the first half of the season.

And then... Marc and Maki both make use of maple syrup

to prepare easy-to-make and delicious bentos.

We love bento!

(The Global Lunchbox 7-9)

Hey, Maki. Today, we're taking a look at some popular bentos

submitted to BENTO EXPO's website during the first half of the season.

That's wonderful.

Yeah, so let's check some of them out!

OK!

The first bento that collected a bunch of "likes"

is this fun spring-themed bento from Papua New Guinea.

Hi, Cher. Congratulations!

Oh my gosh. Hi, Marc and Maki. Thank you so much.

I'm so happy that many people voted for my bento.

I loved the way you made the flowers.

Thank you. I made them using vegetables and fruits.

Let's check out some of her tricks.

She starts by cutting some slits into the side of a carrot.

And then she slices it to make flowers.

Then, she stir-fries them with cauliflower

and seasons them with oyster sauce.

This is a popular way of preparing vegetables

in the Philippines where she's from.

To turn this into a flower garden,

Cher makes leaves and stems from scallions, and adds her carrot flowers.

Look at these. They're so pretty!

By inserting some scallions between the cauliflower florets,

she turns them into flowers as well.

For the main dish, Cher makes fried chicken.

She seasons the chicken with "calamansi,"

a tangy citrus from the Philippines.

She also adds some fish sauce.

It gives the dish a more umami flavor than salt.

She adds a few more seasonings

and coats the wings with cornstarch and flour before frying them.

This is my mom's recipe. So, thanks, Mom!

Cher makes a bento for her Filipino husband every day

packed with the tastes of their homeland.

Her final flower is made by just cutting an orange in half

and placing a chocolate coated raisin in the center.

It looks like a sunflower.

Wow! A beautiful flower garden made with fruits and vegetables.

But does it taste good?

I'll take that as a yes!

I bet your husband is super happy

to get such a beautiful bento every day for lunch.

Yes, he mentioned that he looks forward to lunch time,

even if it's a busy day at work.

And surprise! I also made one for my niece, Cali

while I was on a vacation back home in the Philippines.

I ate it all!

Oh, what a cutie!

We're looking forward to seeing your next one. Bye.

Thank you.

Bye!

Our next most liked bento is a cute bunny bento from Indonesia.

Hi, Jenni. Congrats.

Thank you, Marc and Maki. I'm so glad that many people liked my bento.

I love the bunny, so cute.

I make various cute bentos

so that my son will always get excited when he opens his lunch.

Jenni makes nutritious bentos for her son every day

and packs them with fun characters.

The bear here is holding onto tempeh,

a staple protein in Indonesia made by fermenting soybeans.

The main dish for her bunny bento is a popular Indonesian fried fish

and she's using a small local freshwater fish today.

The whole fish is fried until it's super crispy,

and you can even eat the bones.

It's paired with sambal, an Indonesian chili paste.

Chili sauce goes well very much with the savory fragrance of fried fish.

Jenni combines several "onigiri" to make the bunny,

and here's her secret.

She presses some pink dragon fruit through a strainer to juice it.

What a vibrant color.

Then she uses the juice like makeup to bring the bunny to life.

Adorable rabbit!

And of course, a rabbit needs carrots.

Look how happy she looks in a field of beautiful veggies.

So Wilson, how's your bento?

Yummy!

I love my mom's bento.

I love how you've integrated some local dishes into your bento box.

Yes, and this is rich in calcium, so I hope he grows up.

And I'm looking forward to seeing your next character.

Thank you.

Bye.

Share your bentos with us for a chance to be featured.

It's time to get started on our bentos.

OK!

Today, both Maki and I are going to be

using maple syrup to season our bentos.

It goes well with so many ingredients, not just pancakes.

Yes, and today I'm going to be using maple syrup and miso

to make a Maple-miso Chicken Bento.

Sounds fantastic.

Thanks, Maki.

Maple syrup is a North American specialty

that's made by reducing the sap of maple trees.

It's not only sweet.

It has a nutty caramel flavor

that's a wonderful way to add complexity to a dish.

Today, I'm combining it with savory miso,

to make a flavorful glaze that goes great with chicken.

I start by cutting chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces.

Then I'm going to prepare the maple-miso glaze.

All right, it's super simple to make,

and I'm going to go ahead and add equal parts miso,

maple syrup, and some sake.

And then we just need to whisk this together until it's nice and smooth.

An interesting combination.

Yeah, so the miso provides the salt,

the maple syrup adds some balancing sweetness,

and the sake is going to add a ton of umami

that just brings all of that together.

Nice!

And our maple-miso glaze is done.

Wow!

Now we can brown the chicken in a non-stick pan with the skin-side down.

No oil?

Nope, the chicken skin's got tons of fat

that's going to render out as it cooks,

so you don't need to add any oil.

There it is.

Once it's browned on one side,

flip the chicken over and cook the other side.

Then use paper towels to soak up as much of the fat as possible.

Then, we just need to add our glaze.

Wow!

Bring this to a boil,

and that maple syrup is going to caramelize

and coat each piece of chicken.

Finish it with some sliced scallions.

And we're going to toss this together

and our Maple-miso Chicken is done.

Smells nutty and sweet.

So Maki, try out my Maple-miso Chicken.

Smells so nice!

Itadakimasu.

It's sweet and savory like teriyaki.

The sweet maple syrup goes so well with the savory miso.

And it's so easy to make.

Yeah, it only took about ten minutes.

I packed these with some vibrant veggies.

Be sure to drizzle on any remaining maple-miso glaze.

It's a versatile sauce that works with almost any protein

like pork, shrimp, or tofu.

So Maki, how are you going to be using the maple syrup today?

I'm combining maple syrup and mustard to make Maple-mustard Pork Bento.

I like the sound of that.

Maple-mustard is a twist

on the popular American combination of honey mustard.

The sweetness goes well with tangy mustard and the umami from soy sauce.

Let's see how she does it.

Maki starts by poking holes into bite-sized pieces of pork.

Then she seasons them with grated garlic, salt and pepper.

Next, she dusts the pork with flour.

This helps the savory sweet glaze stick to the meat.

Let's make the glaze.

OK.

Add maple syrup, mustard and soy sauce.

Then, mix well.

The soy sauce adds umami.

Oh, so, it's a little like the sake in my glaze.

Yeah, exactly.

The whole mustard seeds are going to add a nice texture to this.

Next, Maki pan-fries the pork on both sides until it's cooked through.

It smells so good already, doesn't it?

And I love the combination of maple and ham.

And mustard makes a great condiment for ham as well.

So, I bet this is going to go great with that pork.

It does.

Then, Maki soaks up the excess fat using paper towels.

It's time to add our... maple mustard sauce.

That smells so good.

Yeah! Coat evenly with sauce.

Nice and shiny. I can see that glaze.

OK, my Maple-mustard Pork is done.

Marc, try my Maple-mustard Pork.

Itadakimasu.

That's so good.

The tartness from the mustard and the sweetness from the maple

go so well with the pork.

And the soy sauce adds tons of umami.

It almost tastes like a Japanese-style barbecue sauce.

That's so good.

Maki layers her Maple-mustard Pork over a bed of rice

and drizzles on some extra glaze.

For kids, she uses "tamagoyaki" to make a cute baby bear.

The glaze not only seasons the pork,

but it also adds a ton of flavor to the rice below.

Today, both Maki and I made super easy glazes using maple syrup,

so we hope you'll...

give them a try!

Bento Topics.

Today, from an East Asian gourmet paradise, Hong Kong.

In a city packed with restaurants and eateries,

the competition is stiff.

Let's check out a restaurant

that's enjoyed thriving business for two generations.

The restaurant's signature dish is brisket soup noodles.

Richly flavored brisket and noodles in a tantalizing broth.

A local favorite.

The restaurant uses fresh beef brisket and a medley of Chinese spices.

The beef bone broth used to simmer the brisket

contains eight of these spices,

which are also used in Chinese herbal medicine.

"Cao guo," or Chinese black cardamom,

is a herb that improves digestion and masks meaty smells.

"Chenpi," or dried citrus peel, while bitter,

is good for the intestines and liver.

Chinese herbs add depth to the flavor.

After the brisket is stewed for over an hour,

it's simmered in a rich beef sauce that's as old as the restaurant.

It's replenished every day.

Tender brisket and egg noodles

in a rich beef broth full of Chinese herbs.

An ideal pick-me-up after a long day.

The brisket is great!

Hello, I am Serena.

He is my son, Jasper.

Serena began making bentos two years ago

to bring on family picnics during the pandemic.

She and her son Jasper have come to the market

to buy beef for today's bento.

Beef is a favorite in Hong Kong.

This butcher sells a variety of cuts.

Serena is going to use brisket to make a Hong Kong-style curry bento.

Are you ready?

Yeah!

Serena mixes ten healthy spices to make a fragrant curry powder.

First, she stir-fries the curry powder with onions and garlic.

Next, she will add a curry paste that contains peanuts.

A savory, nutty flavor is essential to Hong Kong curry.

Here you go, Mom.

Thanks.

It smells great and looks good. Great for kids.

After adding the brisket and carrots to the curry sauce,

she lets it simmer over low heat.

The brisket has soaked up the fragrant curry sauce.

It looks delicious.

Smells yummy!

Good!

Now to pack the bento.

The colorful and nutritious brisket and carrot curry

is accompanied by squid fritters and rice.

Today, the family eats in a spacious park.

- Did you help Mom?
- Yes!

- Good boy!
- He did great.

Smells good.

The bento is a hit.

Amazing!

She always gets up early to make bento for our picnics.

I love you.

We love bento!

That beef curry bento made me so hungry.

Yeah, and that brisket looked so tender, didn't it?

Both Maki and I love seeing your bentos

sent in through BENTO EXPO's website.

So send us recent photos of some of your bentos

for a chance to share them with bento makers from around the world.

Well that's all the time we have today,

but we hope you'll join us again soon on BENTO EXPO.

See you soon.

Bye!

Bye!