Maki places cheese and basil between thin slices of pork

to make layered deep-fried cutlets.

Marc tosses crispy chicken in tangy scallion sauce.

It pairs perfectly with rice.

Hello!

An American bento maker shares her fun and colorful Christmas tree

made with Korean rice rolls.

Happy holidays!

We love bento!

(The Global Lunchbox 7-15)

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 have a look at how some of them are made.

OK!

First, a Christmas bento packed with a Korean classic!

Hello, we are the Healys!

Serina loves making holiday-themed bentos for her daughter

like this Halloween Bento, or this Valentine's Day Bento.

For her Christmas Bento, she's going to make a Korean rice roll called "kimbap."

For the filling, Serina is using a colorful combination of

carrots, egg, cucumber, and crabsticks,

and she wraps them with the rice and nori.

Since it has so many colorful ingredients in it, very festive.

Serina arranges the sliced rolls in a bento box to form a triangle,

and then she packs kiwi and blueberries around her kimbap tree.

She tops it off with a shiny star made from cheese

and her festive bento is ready to eat!

- Wow, is this a Christmas tree?
- Yes, it is.

Jingle kimbap♪ Jingle kimbap♪

Wow, that's a big bite!

We love bento!

Next from the Philippines, we have another mom making a bento for her daughter.

So today, I will be making a simple but filling bento

featuring her favorite dish Chicken "tinola."

Woo!

Chicken tinola is a fragrant Filipino chicken soup

that's loaded with tender vegetables, pungent garlic and...

Ginger is an essential ingredient here.

This won't be a tinola without it.

First Nikka sautes a bunch of ginger with pieces of chicken before adding water,

and cooking it for about half an hour.

This creates a flavorful broth.

Then she adds some ginger juice for some extra kick.

I'm going to peel it, peel and deseed it.

Then Nikka adds "chayote," a type of gourd

that cooks up tender and absorbs the flavor of the soup like a sponge.

To finish it off, she adds chili pepper leaves for a pop of color.

Now, it's time to make dessert!

Hi! I'm Madee.

These colorful ingredients are palm seeds and "nata de coco,"

and they get mixed together with shredded young coconut,

sweetened condensed milk, and cream.

It's called "buko" salad.

The soup goes in an insulated flask to keep it warm,

then she packs the bento box with rice, mangos, and buko salad.

Madee's enjoying her chicken over rice.

We love bento!

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

Today, both Maki and I are going to show you easy ways

to upgrade classic bento items by adding something extra.

I'm going to upgrade "tonkatsu" by using thinly sliced pork loin

to make Layered Katsu!

Woo, that sounds like fun!

Tonkatsu literally means "pork cutlet" in Japanese,

and it's a super popular bento item.

Maki's Layered Katsu has colorful ingredients

stuffed between the thinly sliced pork,

which lets you enjoy a delicious combination of flavors in each bite.

Maki starts by seasoning both sides of her pork with salt and pepper.

- OK, let's make the layers.
- Alright!

First, place four pieces of pork loin on a cutting board like this.

Then place basil, cheese.

Woo, I like how colorful this is looking already.

Then, layer the pork slices alternately like this.

So you get a little bit of each flavor and texture in every bite.

Yes, then, cover with another piece of pork like this.

The pork cooks through easily, so the katsu will be tender.

That was easy!

Then Maki folds the edges together

and chills the layered katsu in the fridge for about ten minutes

so that the cheese won't leak out when it's fried.

To bread the katsu, she dusts them with flour

before coating them in beaten egg and then panko.

OK, let's fry the Layered Katsu.

Let's do it!

Gently drop the Layered Katsu in the oil.

- Yeah, you wouldn't want it to fall apart in there.
- Yes!

Maki fries them at 160 degrees Celsius for about four to six minutes

to ensure they cook through.

Mmm, nice color!

Woo, that looks so crispy and delicious! I'm starving!

OK, so my Layered Katsu is done!

It looks so good!

Let's see how they look on the inside!

- Marc, try my Layered Katsu!
- Wow, there's so much cheese in there.

I'm going to try this out.

Mmm!

The outside is super crispy and the inside is nice and tender,

and you got that cheese which adds a little bit of richness to the lean pork loin,

and that basil adds a nice fragrance to the pork.

Enjoy!

The layered cross-section of the katsu adds a beautiful pattern to her bento.

For kids, Maki uses sliced sausages and cheese

along with some nori to make a cute trio pigs.

Maki's Layered Katsu is easy to make, beautiful, and delicious!

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

Well, I'm going to be using these chicken thighs to make "karaage,"

and then I'm going to upgrade it with a tangy scallion sauce to make "yurinchi"!

Woo, I love yurinchi!

Yurinchi originated in China,

but it's evolved into its own dish here in Japan.

The chicken has an extra thick coating,

which stays crispy while absorbing the flavors of the tangy, sweet scallion sauce.

Today, I'm using bite-size pieces of chicken thigh.

We're going to go ahead and season them with some sake,

soy sauce, and a little bit of potato starch.

So, are you adding potato starch to the marinade?

Yeah, so usually you coat it after you marinate the chicken,

but in this case, we're actually adding a little bit to the marinade.

This is going to create a nice thick coating that's going to make it extra crispy.

- I see. That's what I love of yurinchi.
- Yeah!

While the chicken is marinating, let's prepare the tangy scallion sauce.

I'm going to start by combining the soy sauce,

rice vinegar, sugar, and toasted sesame oil in a bowl.

I love this sweet-and-sour combination.

Yeah, but we're going to make it even better by adding some scallions,

some minced ginger, and some dried chili peppers.

- Smells so nice!
- Yeah!

This fragrant, sweet, and tangy sauce with a slight kick

is the trademark of Japanese style yurinchi.

Before we fry the chicken, let's coat it with potato starch.

Then I like to squeeze the pieces into uniform balls like this.

Before you fry the chicken, be sure to have the sauce in a large bowl nearby.

Gently lower the chicken pieces into the oil.

I see the thick coating.

Yeah, the great thing about using potato starch to coat the chicken

is that it resists absorbing moisture

so it's going to stay crispy for longer.

Looks good!

Now, let's turn these into yurinchi!

I'm going to drain this like this, and just look at that coating on the chicken,

and we're going to go ahead and just lightly drain this,

and transfer it straight into our sauce.

Getting into the sauce while the chicken is hot is the key to keep it crisp.

And then we're just going to toss this.

- Smells so nice. I'm so starving.
- Yeah!

As soon as the chicken is coated, you want to get it out of the sauce,

so the crust doesn't get soggy.

Alright, and our yurinchi is done.

Mmm, looks so crispy!

And it's nice and juicy inside!

So Maki, are you ready to try yurinchi out?

I'm ready!

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

It's so crispy even though it's covered in sauce.

The flavors burst in your mouth.

This is the best yurinchi I ever had!

- Oh, wow!
- This is perfect!

Thanks, Maki! And it's also perfect for my green and red holiday-themed bento!

I also decorated my rice with green peppers and pink peppercorns

to make a snow-covered Christmas tree.

Together with the tangy scallion sauce,

it's transformed karaage into a winter wonderland!

Today, both Maki and I upgraded classic bento items

to make them look and taste special,

so we hope you'll...

Give them a try!

Bento Topics.

Today, from Taiwan.

Night markets offer an array of Taiwanese delicacies.

From braised pork to fried sweet potatoes,

to grilled chicken,

everything is good.

Taiwan's night markets are the best!

Taiwan's ultimate comfort food is this.

"Lu rou fan"

Sweet and savory braised pork served on a bed of rice.

It's an all-time favorite in Taiwan.

This Taipei restaurant has been beloved

for its lu rou fan for nearly half a century.

Here, pork jowls are used in the lu rou fan.

The combination of lean meat and rich fat makes it extra tasty.

Pork jowls are rich and highly fragrant.

It enhances the flavor of the sauce.

The pork jowls are simmered in a soy sauce-based soup

with fried shallots, white pepper, sugar, and more.

After simmering in the sweet and savory sauce for six hours,

the melt-in-your-mouth lu rou fan is done.

Pour the rich meat and sauce over a bowl of rice,

and it's time to eat.

This is Taiwan's most famous dish.

The combination of meat, soup, and vegetables is amazing.

A scrumptious and well-balanced meal. Perfect!

Bento maker Kaori has come shopping with her children

to buy the ingredients for lu rou fan.

Many families use different recipes and ingredients.

What does Kaori use?

I'd like some pork belly for lu rou fan.

She also asks for some pork skin.

Thanks!

Thank you.

Kaori got married 16 years ago

and has been making delicious bentos for her family ever since.

I was pretty bad at first, but he never complained.

Your bentos are always delicious. They're packed with love.

So sweet.

What sort of lu rou fan will she make with the pork belly and skin?

- Let's start making bento!
- Yeah!

Kaori insists on using homemade fried shallots.

She combines these with soy sauce, star anise, and coconut sugar

to make a relatively sweet sauce for her kids.

She adds the pork belly and skin to simmer slowly over low heat until tender.

Smells good!

Pork skin is rich in collagen, so the sauce has a wobbly texture.

The kids love the pork skin that's tender enough to melt in the mouth.

- Good?
- Yes!

Ning and John help with preparing the vegetables to go on the side.

They're pros!

They help pack the bentos, arranging the lu rou fan and vegetables

in two different ways.

The color schemes match the kids' pet parakeets!

Now for lunch.

- Good?
- Good!

Thanks for making bentos full of love for us.

I'm glad you like them.

We love bento, yeah!

I can eat a big bowl of rice with that pork topping.

Yeah, it's the perfect bento item, isn't it?

Maki and I love seeing the bentos you share with us

through the BENTO EXPO website,

and it's a chance to exchange ideas with fellow bento makers from around the world.

So head over and share a recent bento you made with us.

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!