Today, Marc and Maki make bentos using just one pan.

Marc makes a batch of scallion oil,

followed by crispy chicken and fried rice,

creating a burst of flavors.

Maki makes salmon piccata,

and bacon rolls that look just like flowers.

And from the Philippines, a major producer of coconuts,

a bento featuring a family favorite.

Stew made with fresh coconut milk.

We love bento!

We love bento!

(The Global Lunchbox 8-5)

Welcome to "BENTO EXPO" where we share bentos from Japan and around the world.

Thank you for joining us.

We love seeing the delicious looking bentos you submit through BENTO EXPO's website.

They are packed with wonderful ideas.

So let's start by checking a few of them out.

Okay.

First, a colorful and satisfying sandwich from Haruka,

a Japanese expat living in New Zealand.

Today I'm making mussel fritters.

They have become one of my favorite foods since I came to New Zealand.

New Zealand is known for their green-lipped mussels

which are both flavorful and meaty,

and fritters are a popular way to enjoy them.

To make the batter, Haruka combines chopped mussels

with lots of vegetables, cheese and flour.

All right, now our batter is ready.

Then she shapes the batter into patties and shallow fries them

until they're crisp and golden brown on both sides.

They look delicious already, but she's not done yet.

Haruka's going to make beet hummus to spread on her fritter sandwich.

She adds chickpeas, beets, olive oil and spices

to a jar before pureeing the mixture with a hand blender.

Beet hummus is a popular condiment in New Zealand.

And look at that color!

And it's done.

Okay, now the fun part.

To assemble the sandwich,

Haruka places the fritters over lettuce, and then spreads the beet hummus over it.

That looks delicious!

I bet that creamy, sweet hummus goes great with the savory mussel fritter.

Bento box is ready!

Today Haruka shares her bento with some friends.

Wow, that looks amazing.

Very delicious.

We love bento!

Next, from Taiwan, a fragrant curry bento that will charge you up.

Today I would like to introduce a perfect bento option for summer.

Let's get started.

Suika started making bento two years ago

to support her sister who is busy at work.

To make the base for the curry sauce,

Suika caramelizes diced onions and blends them together with tomato juice.

This gives the curry a sweet and umami-rich taste.

Then she adds curry roux to finish the sauce up.

I bet it smells amazing!

Smells refreshing and appetizing.

Then she makes chicken teriyaki

that's been marinated in soy sauce, mirin and sugar in an air fryer.

Wow, that chicken has some great color!

Now let's see how Suika packs her bento.

She pours her tomato curry over some rice,

and then she tops it off with the chicken to hold the curry in place.

Together with a colorful medley of vegetables and "tamagoyaki,"

Suika's mouthwatering curry bento is done.

Cheers.

So how is today's bento?

I like the sauce and flavor from the tomato. It's so nice.

Great job, Suika.

We love bento.

- It's time to get started on our bentos.
- Okay.

Today, both Maki and I are going to be making bento items using just one pan.

Yes. I'm going to make a colorful and fluffy salmon piccata bento.

Oh, that sounds great.

Piccata was originally an Italian dish

made by panfrying a thin slice of meat dredged in flour.

But in Japan, piccata is made by coating a protein in egg.

Today, Maki is making hers with salmon.

She starts by slicing the salmon into bite-sized pieces.

Then she seasons them with salt and pepper

before dusting both sides with flour.

This binds the egg mixture to the salmon.

Looks good.

Next, Maki prepares the egg mixture.

To the egg, add powdered cheese, parsley and mayo.

That cheese is going to add a ton of umami to the coating.

And I think it's interesting that you used mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise is made with egg, so it's easy to blend.

It helps make the coating fluffy.

That makes sense.

Now it's time to coat the salmon with that colorful egg mixture.

Okay, let's panfry the salmon over medium heat.

Maki dips the slices of salmon in the egg

and arranges them in a preheated pan.

Eggs burn easily, so cook over medium heat to a golden brown.

So that's the trademark of Japanese-style piccata, the yellow breading.

Then Maki flips them over.

Wow, it's so beautiful, right?

Look at that! I love the little specks of green in there, too.

- I can get that cheese smell.
- Ah, yeah.

Maki covers the pan with the lid

and lets the salmon cook for a few more minutes.

That salmon looks so moist and tender.

Okay, my salmon piccata is done!

But Maki isn't done with the pan yet.

She transfers her piccata to a plate and wipes out the pan.

Then she moves on to prepare a cute side dish.

She places boiled green beans and baby corn on a slice of bacon.

- Let's maki-maki! (roll and roll)
- Oh! Maki-maki!

Maki-maki-maki-maki-maki.

She skewers her roll with two toothpicks,

and then she panfrys the rolls together with some sliced zucchini.

Look at all the dishes she's made with just one pan.

Oh, it's like a little flower! Look at that.

The cross section of baby corn looks like a flower.

It adds a cute touch to the bento.

All right, let me try that salmon piccata.

Itadakimasu.

The cheese has created like tons of umami on the outside of that salmon.

And you've got that tender egg on the outside

that adds this really nice coating.

It's such a good combination.

- Glad you like them.
- Yeah, I love them.

The combination of pastel pink, yellow and green is stunning.

And the salmon piccata goes beautifully with the bacon rolls and zucchini.

It's hard to believe it's made with just one pan.

So, Marc, what's your one-pan bento item going to be?

Well, I'm actually making three items today.

I'm going to be making a fragrant scallion oil,

and then we're going to use the same pan to make a crispy chicken.

And then we're going to finish with broccoli fried rice.

That's a lot.

This scallion oil chicken features juicy meat with crackling, crisp skin,

and the ginger scallion oil adds a vibrant pop of color and flavor to the chicken.

I start by seasoning the chicken with sake and salt,

and let it marinate for at least 10 minutes.

While we wait for that, I'm going to mince up some ginger and scallions,

and add them to a heat-safe bowl with some salt and stir it together.

I'm going to go ahead and add our vegetable oil over this.

And we're going to heat it up.

Once the oil gets shimmering hot...

And, watch out, Maki. We're going to go ahead and pour this in.

Super fragrant!

So by pouring that hot oil, we're able to extract all that great aroma.

All right, let's move on to our next dish.

Okay.

I'm going to use the oil left in the pan to fry our marinated chicken.

And we're going to put it skin-side down.

We want to cook this low and slow

because we want to let all of that fat render out of the skin

so it gets nice and crisp.

Use tongs to press down on the chicken

and make sure the skin is making good contact with the pan.

All right, let's go ahead and flip it over.

Wow, it's so beautiful!

It's nice and crispy.

It smells so nice.

It does, doesn't it?

But wait till we get that scallion oil on there.

Okay, our chicken is cooked through.

So, our second dish is done!

Now we've got some chicken fat,

as well as the caramelized chicken juices in the pan.

And I'm going to stir fry chopped broccoli

and leftover rice to make fried rice.

And we get the benefit of that chicken into the rice.

You're not wasting anything.

- No, not at all.
- Great.

To season this...

Drizzle the soy sauce around the rim of the pan.

It smells so good, doesn't it, Maki?

Add an egg.

Then we just want to quickly scramble this up.

- Beautiful.
- Mix that in...

and my broccoli fried rice is done!

Looks delicious!

And it's going to go so well with the chicken and scallion oil

that we made in the same pan.

So, Maki, go for it.

Itadakimasu.

The scallion oil is perfect for the chicken.

It's so fragrant!

Everything goes so well together. I could eat this forever!

- It's like endless combinations.
- Yeah, right.

I like to pack the chicken over fried rice,

and then drizzle the ginger scallion oil over the chicken

so the fragrant oil is able to percolate down into the rice.

It's a simple yet flavorful bento

that's packed with different textures and tastes.

Today both Maki and I made all of our bento items using just one pan,

so we hope you'll...

give them a try!

Bento Topics.

Today, from the Philippines in Southeast Asia.

This tropical nation is one of the world's largest producers of coconuts,

which are an essential part of the local diet.

Stalls selling coconut drinks can be found just about everywhere.

The water from "buko," or young green coconuts,

is packed with minerals.

It's known as a "natural sports drink."

I drink this once a week especially in the morning

because this is very healthy.

This stall sells a popular dessert, "halo-halo."

The main ingredient is the white flesh of young coconuts.

It's filled with an assortment of fruits and shaved ice,

and mixed before eating.

The mildly sweet young coconut is what makes it so popular.

Flavorful. Appetizing.

Coconuts are widely used in cooking, too.

Ripe coconuts distinguished by their brown and hairy exterior

are sold everywhere.

Charie is a bento maker who lives near Manila.

Can I buy coconut?

Okay.

She has the storekeeper prepare the coconut.

He splits it open before grating it.

Charie will use the flesh to make coconut milk from scratch.

We're going to cook coconut stew bento.

Charie began making cute bentos

to encourage her son Braven to eat more vegetables.

I love Mom's bento.

I find the vegetables more delicious.

Today they'll make a coconut milk stew with kabocha squash and green beans.

They prepare the coconut milk by straining a mixture of

grated coconut and warm water.

Okay.

Smells good. Mmm, delicious.

- This is our homemade coconut milk.
- Coconut milk.

And now for the stew.

She simmers the vegetables in coconut milk until they soak up the rich aroma.

Wow, that's so much milk!

For color, she adds shrimp and a bitter herb called "moringa"

that's a family favorite.

My mother always cooked for me when I was little.

This is one of my favorites.

And until now, I've adapted it and cook it for my family.

It's packed with the flavor of coconuts and vegetables.

For dessert, Charie packs coconut macaroons

made with coconut and condensed milk.

To finish, a cute coconut face.

Wow, such a cutie coconut!

A bento that helps her son enjoy eating vegetables.

It's lunchtime.

How is it, Braven?

Mmm, delicious!

My son smiling made me so happy.

I will continue more my bento journey.

We love bento!

Coconuts can be used so many ways.

Yeah, it's so versatile, isn't it?

And that stew looked delicious!

We're looking forward to seeing your animal character bentos on our website,

but just remember, they need to be your own original characters.

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

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

See you soon!

- Bye!
- Bye!