Open!

Wow, so beautiful!

Maki uses an ice tray

to make this easy yet beautiful Mosaic Sushi Bento!

Oh, man, that teriyaki smells so good.

Marc makes a delicious teri-tama sandwich

with teriyaki chicken and boiled eggs.

We love bento!

(The Global Lunchbox VI-20)

Welcome to BENTO EXPO,

your guide to the wonderful delicious world of bento.

I'm Marc Matsumoto.

And I'm Maki Ogawa. Thank you for joining BENTO EXPO.

Today, we're going to check out some of the most popular bentos

sent in during the latter half of this season.

- So let's take a look!
- OK!

First we have Yvonne, who turned memories of her wedding into a bento.

Hi!

Thank you so much for voting my bento as one of the most-liked-bentos.

Yvonne, who's Indonesian, married her Japanese husband Akira,

eight years ago.

Since then, she's learned a lot about Japanese cuisine from him.

But she always adds her own twist.

For this nikujaga, she cuts the ingredients into stars.

Stars make my day sparkle!

Even the seasonings go into star-shaped bowls.

She simmers everything with sweet and savory seasonings,

and her nikujaga is done!

Nikujaga is the first Japanese dish taught by my husband.

She even turns Akira's favorite tamagoyaki into stars!

Now she's going to pack her bento box

with memories from their wedding day.

Yvonne uses rice mixed with black sesame for Akira's body,

and ham and nori to make their faces.

Then she uses a pure white fish cake

to make a traditional Japanese wedding kimono.

I feel motivated knowing my bentos

could make my family happy and inspire others.

Joined by a star-studded cast of side dishes,

Yvonne's wedding bentos are packed with happiness and love.

- Is it good?
- Yeah.

We love bento!

Next from Hong Kong,

a Christmas tree-themed bento that's full of great ideas.

Hi, I am Colleen.

Thank you for voting my bento as one of the most-liked-bentos.

Colleen has made a series of bentos featuring Christmas trees

made from various vegetables for her daughters.

This one is made using bok choy and green beans!

Today, Colleen is using shimeji mushrooms and Napa cabbage

to make another one.

She simmers them in a flavorful broth to season them.

She places grilled asparagus on a bed of Napa cabbage to make the trunk.

Then she staggers the shimeji to make the boughs of the tree...

and look!

Vegetables have all sorts of colors and shapes. It's very nice.

Now let's see how Colleen's going to use this colorful pasta.

I like colorful pasta like these,

because it always gives me very very nice ideas to make bentos.

Wow the tinsel and stars

really make the shimeji look like a decorated Christmas tree!

- Is it nice?
- Yes.

Enjoy!

- Thank you.
- Eat pasta!

We love bento!

It's time to get started on our bentos!

OK!

Today, both Maki and I are going to be making bentos

that are perfect for enjoying outdoors!

Right, so Marc, what are you going to make for us today?

I'm going to be making a sandwich using teriyaki chicken

and tamago, or egg,

so I'm going to be calling it a Teri-tama Sandwich!

Sounds great!

With sweet and savory chicken teriyaki,

rich slices of boiled egg and a crunchy layer of cucumbers,

this sandwich has a great balance of textures and tastes.

I start by thinly slicing the cucumber

and salting it to coax out the excess water.

While we wait for that, we can boil some eggs to save a little time.

Then, I'm going to dust both sides of the chicken

with a thin layer of potato starch.

Now I'm going to go ahead

and lay this chicken skin-side-down into a cold frying pan

and turn the heat on to medium-low heat.

By slowly heating the skin, you can render out its fat,

which makes it nice and crispy.

The skin has a tendency to curl, so I like to push it a little bit

to make sure it's making good contact with the pan.

This is starting to get brown,

so I'm going to go ahead and flip this over and it's crispy!

Keep flipping and pressing the chicken for about ten minutes

to ensure it's cooked through.

Look at all the fat that has rendered out!

OK, I'm going to flip this over one more time

and look how golden brown the skin has gotten.

Wipe out the oil from the pan and just listen to this!

It's super crispy so let's go ahead and add the sauce.

Bring the 3S sauce to a boil

and flip the chicken repeatedly to glaze it with the sauce.

And you can see that potato starch coating is soaking up the sauce

and turning into a beautiful glaze.

Oh, man, that teriyaki smells so good.

Once most of the sauce has evaporated, our chicken teriyaki is done.

After the chicken has cooled, slice it up.

Next, squeeze out as much water from the cucumbers as you can.

This will keep them from making your sandwich soggy.

To assemble the sandwich,

spread some mayonnaise on each piece of bread.

Then you want to layer on the cucumbers and chicken teriyaki

on one piece of bread.

Set a row of boiled egg right in the middle of the sandwich.

The Japanese word for egg is tamago

and this is where our sandwich gets half its name.

Press the sandwich together and wrap it in plastic wrap

which keeps it from falling apart.

Alright, the moment of truth. Let's see how it looks!

That's beautiful, and our Teri-tama Sandwich is done!

Itadakimasu!

That chicken teriyaki has a wonderful balance of sweet and savory,

and with the creamy egg, it goes so well together.

That crunchy texture of the cucumber goes beautifully with the sandwich.

I packed my bento with strawberries and watermelon radish

along with some green veggies for a pop of color.

It's a delicious nutritious bento that's perfect for eating on the go.

So Maki, what are you going to make for us today?

I'm going to use all these colorful ingredients

to make Mosaic Sushi Bento...

using this!

An ice tray?

Maki always has fun practical ideas,

and her Mosaic Sushi Bento makes bite-sized pieces of sushi

that are easy to make and fun to eat.

Let's see how she does it by using an ice tray.

First, for her beef topping,

Maki brings some 3S sauce and julienned ginger to a boil.

Add thinly sliced beef and simmer for a few minutes.

This gives the beef a chance to absorb the great flavors of the sauce.

OK, the beef topping is done!

Smells so good!

Next, Maki preps a variety of colorful toppings.

She rolls and slices a thin omelet to make golden strands of egg.

Then she slices pink boiled shrimp in half.

I'll cut the crab sticks.

And I'll use the ice tray as a guide.

Then she does the same with thin slices of cucumber.

Once all the ingredients are ready,

Maki wets the ice cube tray to keep the ingredients from sticking

and she's ready to put her mosaic together!

Wet the tray and pack.

Think about your color scheme!

Ice cube trays make for the perfect mold

to make bite-sized pieces of sushi.

Remember, these ingredients on the bottom will end up on top.

Maki's added toasted sesame seeds to her sushi rice

and packs it into each segment and presses it down.

Cover with the lid, shake like this.

1, 2, 3.

Let's open!

Wow, so beautiful, isn't it?

My Mosaic Sushi is done.

Itadakimasu!

I will start from the beef.

The sweet and savory beef goes well with sushi rice.

Next, the shrimp. A popular sushi topping. Yum.

Small and easy to eat. Perfect for bento.

Using an ice tray is super handy!

Maki packs her Mosaic Sushi into a square bento box

and she's turned the crab sticks into a triplet of cute characters.

It's a great bento that's easy to make and loads of fun to eat!

Today, both Maki and I made bentos that are perfect for eating outside,

so we hope you'll...

give them a try!

Bento Topics.

Today, from Guatemala in Central America.

The ancient capital of Antigua is a World Heritage Site.

The intricately woven traditional garments of the native Maya people

add color to this highland city.

This is a popular local market.

Husk tomatoes, or tomatillos are a staple in Mayan cuisine.

Guatemalan chili peppers are often used in stews.

The market offers a wide variety of beef cuts and produce.

Here, maize is perhaps the most important food of all.

Its use dates back to the ancient Mayan civilization.

There are many colorful varieties.

A popular dish made with maize is sold at market stalls.

These are traditional Guatemalan chuchitos.

Dough made with ground maize is stuffed with meat and tomato sauce,

then wrapped and steamed.

It's eaten with a creamy soup-like beverage also made with maize.

A delicious chuchito!

Irla loves making delicious bentos for her husband.

Today, she's going to use dried maize to make tortillas.

We make tortillas with this.

We eat them twice a day!

Irla lives in a village on the outskirts of Antigua

with her extended family.

Her mother Petronila makes a living weaving textiles,

a tradition handed down for generations.

This textile has a traditional design.

To make tortillas, dried maize is soaked in a special hot water.

The reconstituted maize is then ground into a paste.

Irla uses an heirloom mortar.

These belonged to my grandmothers.

And they were passed down to my parents.

The dough is then flattened into a circle by hand.

The kids lend a helping hand. A great way to learn to cook.

A clay griddle called a comal

is used to brown both sides of the tortillas.

And they're ready!

Now for the beef stew, with which the tortillas will be served.

The stew base is made with tomatoes,

tomatillos, chili peppers, bell peppers and more.

Irla combines this with shredded beef and potatoes.

This hot and tangy stew is a traditional Guatemalan dish

that's one of her husband's favorites.

- Do you want some?
- Yes, please.

It turned out delicious.

That's great.

Jazzmin Sherlly makes a pilaf full of vegetables for her dad.

Colorful pilaf, beef stew, and tortillas

make for a tasty Guatemalan bento.

Irla's husband is a carpenter.

She and her nieces deliver the bento to his workplace.

How is it?

Thank you. You cooked it perfectly.

Good. I'm glad it turned out well.

We love bento!

So, to all you bento makers out there,

head over to BENTO EXPO's website for all of today's recipes,

and while you're there,

send us a photo of your favorite bento for a chance to be featured.

That's all the time we have for today,

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

- Bye!
- See you soon!