Season 7-13 Meat-wrapped Onigiri Bento & Fireworks Onigiri Bento

Maki tucks a boiled egg inside an onigiri

wrapped in nori.

Meanwhile, Marc wraps sweet and savory beef around his onigiri.

They're two delicious takes on onigiri!

Then, a Malaysian dad makes a "kyaraben" with octopus-shaped sausages

for his son who loves aquariums.

Bento!

We love bento!

(The Global Lunchbox 7-13)

Welcome to BENTO EXPO,

your guide to the wonderful delicious world of bento.

Thank you for joining us.

We love seeing the delicious-looking bentos you send in from around the world

through BENTO EXPO's website!

They are packed with wonderful ideas.

- So let's start by checking a few of them out!
- OK!

First from Poland, a bento maker who's been at it for 14 years.

Hi, I'm Marta from Poland.

And today I will make a dandelion bento.

The inspiration for this bento was the beautiful field of dandelions in her neighborhood.

First, she seasons ground turkey with soy sauce and ginger

to create the backdrop for her scene.

Then she arranges arugula leaves along the bottom edge.

It's already looking like a dandelion!

For the flowers, Marta's using a thin omelet.

She cuts out a circle and uses the corner of a cookie cutter

to carve out indentations.

Stack three different sizes, and look!

A fluffy dandelion!

I'm going to add one flower bud

just to make the whole scene more lively, let's say.

It looks so real!

For her main dish, Marta adds a fresh Polish cheese called Twarog

into buckwheat to make croquettes.

Then she adds some parsley and starch to bind it all together

before shaping the mixture into patties.

I remember my mom making those for me when I was a kid.

Finally, she breads the patties before baking them in an air-fryer.

These look so crispy, and I bet the nutty buckwheat goes so well

with the creamy mushrooms sauce.

Together with her field of dandelions,

Marta's neighborhood-inspired bento is done!

It's a present for her fiance.

- So?
- Mmm. It's delicious.

We love bento!

Next from Malaysia, a father who makes bentos for his son.

Hello, everyone. I'm Bernard.

I start making bento because I want my son to enjoy meals at school every day.

Jayden loves marine life,

so they're the focus of many of his bentos.

Oh, look! It's a shark and a squid!

He gets really excited every day.

For his next creation, Bernard adds black sesame powder to the rice

and makes a small onigiri.

Then he attaches a white onigiri and shapes it into a balloon.

Or should I say a pufferfish?

He uses cheese and nori for the eyes,

and then places a heart-shaped piece of ham to make...

- The pufferfish fin.
- Great idea!

For the side, Bernard grates some turmeric to make Malaysian fried chicken.

He also makes a colorful vegetable stir-fry.

Thanks to this fun bento, my son comes to eat more veggies!

The pufferfish looks so happy in their sea of blue rice.

And they're also joined by some octopuses made from sausages.

It's such a fun representation of marine life in a bento!

So, what do you think, Jayden?

Mmm, yummy!

We love bento!

- It's time to get started on our bentos!
- OK!

Today, both Maki and I are going be packing our boxes with a bento staple called...

Onigiri!

The compact rice balls are perfect for picking up with your hands

and we're going to be stuffing them full of proteins, so they are super satisfying.

I'm going to make a fun and colorful onigiri

that I named Fireworks Onigiri!

Oh, that sounds exciting!

Maki layers her onigiri so it looks like a fireworks shell,

and you wouldn't know it from the nori on the outside,

but the inside is packed with goodies like the whole boiled egg at the core.

Maki starts seasoning the boiled eggs the night before

by marinating them with sake and soy sauce.

After a night in the fridge, they turn out looking like this. Then...

I'm going to wrap the seasoned egg with bacon.

She rolls a sheet of pre-cooked bacon around the egg

and pins it shut using a strand of dry spaghetti.

- Like this!
- Great idea!

Let's fry them on a non-stick pan.

- Seam side down.
- So these are going into the center of your onigiri?

Yes, this will be the center of the fireworks.

Ahh!

Although the bacon is already cooked, browning it gives it more flavor

while reducing its moisture content.

Next, Maki moves on to prepare the rice.

I'm going to season the rice.

Add soy sauce to mackerel.

This is going to add a ton of umami to the rice.

Yes, you can also use canned tuna, sesame seeds,

salt and chopped "shiso" leaves.

So you get that nice balance between the savory mackerel and refreshing shiso.

Yes!

Now let's see how Maki turns this umami-rich mixed rice

into her Fireworks Onigiri.

She places plastic wrap over a bowl and adds some rice.

A bacon-wrapped egg goes in the center, and then she covers it up with some more rice.

Then wrap like this. Turn this to rice ball.

This is going to look beautiful when you cut it open.

So colorful and pretty!

Finally, she's going to wrap the onigiri with a sheet of nori

by tightly wrapping the two with plastic wrap.

I love that it's kind of a mystery. You don't know what's going to be in the center.

That's part of the fun.

OK, my Fireworks Onigiri is done.

That was super easy.

So Marc, try my Fireworks Onigiri.

Yes, please. And it's huge!

It really does look like a firework.

It's got all the different layers in there. You got that creamy egg yolk in there and bacon.

You got that umami from the mackerel all in the rice.

This is so much fun to eat.

I have another one packed with kids' favorites.

They're filled with crab-sticks, scrambled eggs, and tuna salad.

It's a protein-packed combination made from kitchen staples.

Good?

Maki packed her Fireworks Onigiri with orange wedges and cherry tomatoes

for an extra splash of color.

For kids, she used the nori as a canvas to make a couple of cute penguins.

It's such a fun idea, and the fireworks can be filled with just about anything!

So, Marc, what kind of onigiri are you going to make for us today?

Well, I'm going to be using this thinly sliced beef to wrap our rice balls

to make Nikumaki Onigiri, or Meat-wrapped Onigiri.

- That sounds wonderful.
- Yeah!

Nikumaki onigiri is a specialty of Miyazaki Prefecture in Southern Japan, where I was born.

The meat juices and glaze soak into the rice as it cooks

which makes these onigiri super flavorful.

I'm going to start by wrapping a portion of rice in plastic wrap.

This is going to help keep the rice from sticking to my fingers.

So now, I'm just going to go ahead and roll this up,

and then, I'm pressing on both ends to compress the rice into the center.

The cylindrical shape of these onigiri makes these easier to roll.

Next, I'm going to sprinkle these with toasted sesame seeds

and we're ready to wrap these.

I've got some beef for hot pot here,

and I'm just going to spread it out, and get our onigiri on one end.

- And then we just "makimaki"!
- Yeah, makimaki!

OK, then you just want to close the ends just like that.

Can I make this with sliced pork?

Yup, but you need to make sure that it's sliced paper thin

so that it cooks through evenly and stays tender. Alright.

Now let's fry these up!

- I love this sound.
- Yeah, like a sizzling steak.

So we want to brown these on all sides

and that's where the cylindrical shape comes in handy

because we can turn it a little bit as it browns on each side.

Be sure to flip the rolls up so you can cook both ends as well.

- It's already good enough to eat.
- We are not done yet!

Soak up any extra oil from the pan and...

OK, our last step is to glaze this with the 3S sauce.

It's going into the pan.

I love this combo!

Yeah, that sweet and savory 3S sauce is going to make

a beautiful glaze on the outside of our beef.

Just roll, roll, roll. OK, my Nikumaki Onigiri is done.

Yes!

So Maki, are you ready to try my onigiri?

Yes, I'm so hungry!

(This food was prepared in a separate, hygienically controlled environment.)

The 3S-flavored meat goes so well with the rice.

The sesame adds a nice touch. Lovely umami.

It's like a gourmet beef bowl.

- Ah, it's a good comparison!
- Yes!

I surrounded my meat-wrapped onigiri with a rainbow of vibrant veggies

for a balance of textures and tastes.

Together with the boiled egg,

my Nikumaki Onigiri is easy to make and super satisfying!

Today, both Maki and I made variations on onigiri

that are packed with protein and flavor, so we hope you'll...

Give them a try!

Bento Topics.

Today, from Mongolia,

where many live as nomadic herders.

Since ancient times, consuming the meat of this livestock

has been a means of surviving in the harsh natural environment.

Khorgog is a dish of steamed mutton.

A whole sheep's worth of meat is used, bones and all.

Sheep are a vital livestock in Mongolia.

We eat them throughout the year.

Hot stones are placed in a single pot

filled with meat and vegetables.

The dish is seasoned simply with salt

to bring out the flavor of the fresh mutton.

The heat from the stones penetrates deep into the meat,

making it tender and juicy.

Delicious. So tender.

The stones serve another purpose.

Passing the stone back and forth helps relieve fatigue.

A way to use the power of nature.

Here, winters are cold,

with temperatures falling to negative 30 degrees Celsius.

Mutton is a source of energy that's essential to tide over the winter.

Bento Maker Dulguun lives in the capital of Ulaanbaatar.

Today, she's shopping with her husband.

She has seven children and makes bentos for her family every day.

That's why she buys an entire sheep at once,

and has it cut at the market.

Mongolians usually buy an entire sheep at once.

I'm going to make a delicious bento with the meat.

- Hello.
- Mama!

Buying in bulk means she stores the mutton in a dedicated freezer.

Oh, thank you!

The main dish for today's bento is "buuz."

These dumplings are stuffed with minced mutton

seasoned with soy sauce and garlic.

Dulguun makes her buuz colorful

by kneading beets, spinach, and carrots into the dough.

I call them Rainbow Buuz.

They're colorful, so I can get my kids to eat their vegetables.

They love them.

After 15 minutes of steaming, they're done!

Look!

Yum!

They're full of juices from the onions and meat.

Wow!

And now for another colorful dish:

stir-fried noodles with mutton and a variety of vegetables.

Today's bento features several boxes for the entire family.

And for dessert: a curd cheese made from sheep's milk.

From meat to milk, every bite makes use of sheep!

Oh, wow!

A fun picnic at home!

Enjoy!

We love bento, yeah!

That dumplings looked so delicious. I want to try that.

Yeah, and it's so interesting, all the different ways that they find to use the sheep.

Maki and I love seeing the bentos you share with us through the BENTO EXPO website,

and we're looking forward to your holiday-themed submissions!

Well, that's all the time we have for today,

but we hope to you'll join us again here soon on BENTO EXPO!

See you soon!

- Bye!
- Bye!