OK.

Rice is the star of today's show.

Maki makes a hearty rice burger filled with barbecued beef.

Marc cooks rice and salmon in a pot

to make an umami-rich salmon rice bento.

From Germany,

two brothers help their mom make adorable squirrel-shaped bread.

We love bento!

(The Global Lunchbox 8-14)

Welcome to BENTO EXPO,

your guide to the wonderful delicious world of bento.

Thank you for joining us.

We've received some delicious looking bentos

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 Germany, a mom and her sons team up

to make a cute and delicious bento.

Today, we are going to show you how to make bento

with squirrel bread in it.

Yes!

They start by shaping dough into the face of the squirrel.

First, I try to stick in almonds for ears.

Chocolate eye.

Then they spread chocolate paste on to a sheet of dough and roll it up.

When they slice the roll up, it looks like...

The tail shape.

Perfect!

The boys are in charge of decorating the squirrels,

and then they go into the oven to bake.

Wow, they're adorable.

And just look at that big bushy tail.

So, what's next?

Pizza sticks.

Katharina skewers rigatoni and tops them with tomato sauce and cheese

before baking them in the oven.

What a great idea.

She also made some meat balls and packs them together

with a colorful assortment of veggies and fruit.

Now, that looks like one happy squirrel!

Time for lunch.

It's such a fun bento that you can eat with your hands.

It's good?

I love bento!

Next from the Philippines,

a bento that's as nutritious as it is fun.

We will be cooking a Filipino dish we call "pineapple chicken."

Pineapple chicken is a creamy stew with sweet and sour taste.

She starts by browning some drumsticks with garlic and onions,

and then she adds pineapples along with some milk.

So this will give a creamy taste to the dish.

Marren likes to season it with fish sauce.

To give it some more flavor.

The stew gets simmered with potatoes and carrots

and she finishes it off with some colorful peppers.

That looks delicious!

Next, Marren makes "tamagoyaki" as a side dish

and packs it into her bento next to an "onigiri."

She decorates these with nori, corn and carrots

to make a mother hen and her chicks.

And here comes the pineapple chicken.

Marren's bento is cute, colorful, and packed with nutrients

so let's see what the boys think.

Eating time.

This is so yummy, Mommy.

Thank you very much for making us this bento, Mommy.

You're most welcome.

We love bento!

It's time to get started on our bentos.

OK!

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

featuring rice as the star of the meal.

So, Marc, what are you going to make featuring rice today?

Well, I'm going to be using these ingredients

to make a super simple yet umami-rich salmon rice bento.

I love the combination of salmon and rice.

Salmon and rice is a popular autumn combo,

but in my version, I like to gently steam the fish

using residual heat from the rice, so the salmon stays nice and moist.

To prep the salmon, I cure it overnight with a generous amount of salt.

This draws out excess water from the fish

while providing enough seasoning for the rice.

The next day, I add washed rice to a heavy bottomed pot.

Now, we're going to go ahead and add a tablespoon of sake.

This is going to add a really nice fragrance to our rice.

And then we need to add some water.

We've reduced it by the amount of the sake today.

And Maki, are you ready to take this to the next level?

What?

I'm going to be grating dried shiitake mushrooms into this.

Wow, dried shiitake mushroom?

Yeah, you usually use the dried shiitake mushroom rehydrated,

but today, we're going to save a little bit of time

just by grating this straight into the rice.

So smart!

Thanks, Maki.

All right, that should be good.

Now, I'm going to go ahead and mix this into the rice.

And then we just want to let this rest for about 20 minutes to soak.

OK.

After soaking...

Cover this with the lid,

and we're going to cook it using the same three step processes as always,

which is to...

boil, simmer, and steam.

Bring the pot to a boil over high heat and then...

turn down the heat to maintain a gentle simmer for 12 minutes.

When the timer is up,

have the cured salmon ready to go into the pot.

And the key here is to work quickly

because we don't want to let that heat escape from the pan.

So, I'm going to go and open up the lid,

we're going to drop this in, and close it very quickly.

Then, you want to turn off the heat

and let the salmon and rice steam together for 15 minutes.

The salmon's nice and cooked.

- And it smells so nice!
- It does, doesn't it.

Transfer the salmon to a tray.

And then remove the skin and bones before crumbling it up.

Because we used the residual heat to cook the salmon,

it's super tender and moist.

Now we're going to add this back to the rice...

And then, we're just going to go ahead and just fold this together.

And once it's all nice and mixed together,

our salmon rice is done.

So beautiful.

So, Maki, you want to try it out?

Yes, itadakimasu!

The shiitake aroma really spreads through the palate.

The salmon is tender and full of umami.

The rice is full of umami, too. It's so good.

It's super simple, and all you have to remember is...

boil, simmer, and steam!

The salmon rice is super satisfying,

so I'm just going to pack it with some seasoned veggies and a boiled egg

for some added colors and textures.

It's an easy one-pot bento that's as nutritious as it is delicious!

So, Maki, how are you going to be turning rice into the star of your bento?

Well...

I'm going to turn this cooked rice into buns

to make a satisfying rice burger.

Now you've got me curious!

Rice can be turned into all different shapes of onigiri, so why not buns?

Maki's going to fill her rice burger with grilled beef,

but first, let's see how she makes the buns.

She mixes salt and potato starch into hot cooked rice.

The potato starch helps bind the rice together.

OK, let's make the buns.

Great.

Maki places a wet ring mold over plastic wrap,

and adds the rice mixture, pressing it down with the back of a spoon.

Wrap and then flatten.

It's the perfect shape.

Here's my rice bun.

Next, Maki's going to brown both sides of her rice buns

with toasted sesame oil.

It's looking nice and toasty over there.

I'll coat two buns with soy sauce.

So, you're making it kind of like "yakionigiri."

Yeah, right.

Yakionigiri are grilled rice balls that are glazed with soy sauce

which caramelizes on the outside and makes them super toasty.

Marc, take a look.

Look at that, that looks so good.

Yeah! My rice buns are done.

Next, Maki's going to make the sauce for her grilled beef filling, or "yakiniku."

The base is 3S (Soy sauce+Sake+Sugar) sauce,

and she adds sesame seeds, grated ginger, and garlic...

and lots of grated apple.

The apple adds a refreshing sweetness to the sauce.

It's the secret ingredient in many Japanese BBQ sauces.

Now, Maki's going to stir-fry some thinly sliced beef and carrots

until they're almost cooked through.

Add the yakiniku sauce.

Oh wow, now, that smells even better.

I can smell the sweet apples in there.

It's such a great aroma.

OK, my yakiniku filling is done.

Now it's time to put these rice burgers together.

Looks so beautiful.

It's such a nice contrast with the orange carrots and the green leaves.

Top with the glazed side up...

OK, my yakiniku rice burger is done.

I can't wait to try it.

Itadakimasu.

First of all, you get that great toasty flavor

from this caramelized soy sauce on the outside of the bun.

And I love the sweet flavor of the apples in that sauce.

It goes so well with the beef.

It's such a great combination.

Glad to hear that.

To decorate her bento,

Maki cuts a V-shaped slit into the skin of an apple wedge,

and then she peels up the tip of the "V" to make a bunny!

Maki's rice burger bento is a delicious way to enjoy rice

that opens up a whole new set of possibilities.

And the crunchy rice buns could be filled with almost anything you like.

Today, both Maki and I made rice the star of our bentos.

It's such a versatile ingredient that can be used in so many ways,

so we hope you'll...

give them a try!

Bento Topics.

Today, from Kyoto in the fall.

Many tourists visit Kyoto around this time

to enjoy the spectacular autumn foliage.

Autumn is also the season for mushroom foraging.

Found one.

Matsutake are an autumn delicacy

found only at the base of Japanese red pine trees.

These mysterious mushrooms can't be cultivated artificially.

It has a refined aroma.

The matsutake from well-tended forests in Kyoto are of the highest grade.

I look forward to foraging for them each year.

Matsutake have long been a popular autumn delicacy.

In the Edo period,

foraging for matsutake was a favorite autumn pastime for many.

These mushrooms were used in various dishes.

Matsutake are noted for their earthy aroma and chewy texture.

The standard way to enjoy them is to grill over charcoal.

They can also be steamed in a teapot filled with dashi.

This concentrates the umami flavor,

resulting in an exquisite soup.

This local supermarket is known for its selection of matsutake.

Their matsutake displays entice customers

who look forward to this seasonal delicacy.

There are so many to choose from.

They're a must-have autumn food.

The supermarket also offers a special seasonal bento

featuring matsutake rice and four other matsutake dishes.

The rice is seasoned with soy sauce and "konbu."

It's then topped with "aburaage"

and a liberal helping of matsutake before being cooked.

The simple seasoning enhances the aroma of the mushrooms.

I've eaten this since I was a kid.

It's the ideal combination.

The main dish is matsutake grilled over charcoal.

Slow-cooking over charcoal brings out the aroma.

This side dish features matsutake simmered in soy sauce,

syrup, and caramelized sugar.

A sweet and savory combination.

Lastly, fish cakes containing matsutake.

And a salad of blanched spinach and matsutake in savory dashi.

It's a true matsutake feast!

I just want my customers to enjoy matsutake.

Wow!

How is it?

- Delicious!
- Hear that crunch?

So good!

And the grilled matsutake?

- Nice firm texture.
- Lovely aroma.

So good.

We splurge once a year.

Sheer bliss!

It's a delightful once-a-year treat.

We love bento!

It must be so fragrant,

packed with a lot of matsutake dishes.

Yeah, it's an aroma that reminds me of fall.

We're looking forward to seeing your picnic bentos,

so send in your photos to BENTO EXPO's website.

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.
- Bye.