Today, Marc and Maki team up to make a traditional new year "bento."

Maki-maki! (Roll and roll)

Marc will prepare "datemaki," an extra-sweet "tamagoyaki."

Maki will make "matsukazeyaki," a kind of chicken meatloaf.

From Mexico, a bento maker shares her son's favorite bento,

which features blue corn tortillas filled with cheese.

We love bento!

We love bento!

(The Global Lunchbox 8-16)

Welcome to "Bento Expo," where we share bentos from Japan and around the world.

Thank you for joining us!

We've received some delicious looking bentos through Bento Expo's website.

They are packed with wonderful ideas.

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

Okay!

First from Italy, a colorful plant-based bento.

I decided to reduce my environmental impact

by making a vegan bento.

Nicola is using chickpeas and vibrant veggies to make his bento.

He sautés onions with paprika and turmeric to release their aroma,

and then he adds yellow bell peppers and carrots before adding cooked chickpeas.

Chickpeas are packed with protein and fiber which makes them a healthy alternative to meat.

Next, Nicola adds a mixture of soy sauce and starch to give it an East Asian flavor.

The plate is all ready.

To go with it, he cooks some basmati rice with a cinnamon stick

to make a fragrant accompaniment for his chickpeas.

I love this bento because it is healthy, it is tasty, it's colorful...

And super easy to make!

He finishes it off with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and Nicola's bento is ready to go!

It's perfect for my lunch in the office.

I like bento!

Next from Mexico, a bento packed with Mexican comfort foods.

Today we are preparing a bento box with traditional Mexican quesadilla and guacamole.

Quesadillas are like Mexican grilled cheese sandwiches made with tortillas and cheese.

Diana is going to use a flour made from nixtamalized blue corn to make her tortilla.

She mixes this with water to make the dough, and then she rolls it into balls.

We use our machine. Press it, press it, press it.

Perfect tortilla!

That makes it easy!

She cooks the tortillas on a griddle before sandwiching some cheese between the flatbread.

The cheese has melted. How pretty.

Nutty tortillas and creamy cheese are an irresistible combination

of textures and tastes.

For her side dish, Diana makes a traditional Mexican avocado dip called guacamole.

We have the best avocadoes in the world.

She packs her bento with a panda shaped "onigiri", which is George's favorite animal.

Some bamboo-shaped cucumber goes along with some tangy chili powder.

Enjoy them in the Mexico way.

What a fun and flavorful bento!

Mmm!

We love bento!

It's time to get started on our bentos!

Okay!

Today, Maki and I are going to make "osechi ryori,"

which is kind of like a Japanese traditional new year bento.

Yes!

Osechi ryori is traditionally packed into a tiered "jubako" like this.

I've got a three-tiered one here, and when you stack this up,

it makes a plum tree which is a symbol of spring.

And many good fortune items are packed in the jubako.

Yeah, so, Maki, what are you going to be making today?

I'm going to make matsukazeyaki or, Japanese traditional chicken patties,

which is beautiful and easy to make!

Mmm, that sounds delicious!

First, let's preview how our festive osechi bento is going to look.

Beautiful, isn't it?

Osechi ryori is packed with symbolism and Maki's going to share the story behind matsukazeyaki

as she shows us how to make it.

First she prepares the meat mixture.

To the ground chicken breast, add silk tofu, panko,

salt and sugar and grated ginger. Then kneed well.

The tofu keeps the meat tender.

The panko soaks up the excess moisture so the patties turn out fluffy.

That's a great tip for any ground meat dish.

Okay, so the meat mixture is done.

That was quick.

Maki transfers the mixture to a square microwave-safe container and levels off the top.

Then she covers it lightly with plastic wrap

and cooks it in a microwave oven for 5 minutes at 500 watts.

You can tell it's cooked when a skewer comes out clean from the patty.

Let this cool to room temperature before cutting it.

- Mmm, it looks good already.
- Yeah.

Matsukazeyaki is cut into fan-shaped pieces.

A fan spreads out when opened, symbolizing prosperity.

I love that each osechi dish has a symbolic meaning of its own.

Then, Maki bastes the top of her matsukazeyaki with meat juices.

This acts as a glue to adhere toasted sesame seeds to just one side of the patties.

This is said to symbolize honesty: nothing to hide.

So this dish means that by living honestly,

you open up a broad range of possibilities for your future.

Yes.

To finish them off, Maki skewers the narrow end of her matsukazeyaki.

So, my matsukazeyaki is done.

Wow, look at that!

Marc, try my matsukazeyaki.

OK, great! So, we got sesame on one side, and no sesame on the other side.

Mmm, it's super tender because you added that tofu,

the meat is savory and juicy, and the sesame seeds add a really nice nutty flavor.

Ah, this is delicious, Maki.

Great. Thank you!

Now that we have a wish for a bright honest future.

So, Marc, what is your osechi item going to be?

Well, I'm gonna be making another popular osechi item called datemaki

which is a sweet rolled omelet.

I love datemaki!

Datemaki is a fancier version of tamagoyaki

that's sweet and loaded with seafood flavor.

To make it we're going to pre-heat our oven to 190 degrees celsius.

Then I'm going to line a square baking pan with parchment paper.

I'm also going to soak a bamboo sushi mat in water to prevent sticking.

Alright, let's make our egg mixture!

Now, I'm gonna add all the ingredients to our blender here.

So, I've got some eggs here, and then a bunch of sugar,

I've got some "mirin" and a pinch of salt.

And then our final ingredient are some crab sticks.

So it's traditionally made with either shrimp paste or fish paste,

but by using crab sticks, it's gonna season it as well.

Great idea.

And, just gonna turn this on.

Then we want to blend this mixture together until it's smooth and frothy.

Pass it through a fine-mesh strainer into the prepared pan.

So fluffy!

Yeah, the air bubbles are good sign, that's gonna make our datemaki nice and fluffy.

Then we're going to bake this for 12-14 minutes.

It's done when a skewer inserted into several parts of the egg comes out clean.

Transfer the egg with the browned side up onto the bumpy surface of the sushi mat.

So, let's...

Maki-maki! (Roll and roll)

Alright, I'm just gonna use the mat to kind of roll it up here.

And you want to make sure that it's nice and tight at the center. This is gonna give it a nice shape.

You wouldn't want any gaps in your datemaki.

Then you want to secure the mat around the roll with rubber bands to hold its shape.

Wrap this with plastic wrap...

And now we're ready to put this into the refrigerator to set.

I can't wait!

Let's see how it looks after a night in the fridge.

Alright, Let's open it up.

Wow! It's a perfect roll.

The bumps in the mat left a nice pattern in the surface of our datemaki.

You can see that it looks like a scroll on the inside,

and we used to write our books on scrolls,

so, this datemaki represents wisdom.

I'll eat a lot!

Go ahead, dig in!

It's delicious! So fluffy, it melts in your mouth.

It's sweet but full of umami, from the crab sticks?

Exactly!

And now our osechi has wisdom too!

Yum!

I also made this festive osechi item called "namasu "

which includes vinegared "daikon" and carrots,

and I've packed it into a fragrant citrus.

So we have got all of our osechi items lined up here and ready to go, so are you ready to pack our jubako?

Yes, let's do it!

Maki packs her black and white matsukazeyaki in alternating rows with colorful garnishes.

Tada! Look at this!

Wow, Maki, it's beautiful!

Maki's matsukazeyaki tastes great, and it'll broaden your outlook for a bright new year ahead.

In the middle tier, I pack my datemaki with the pickled daikon and carrots,

and I also added a festive arrangement of pink and white "kamaboko" fish cakes.

For the third tier, Maki packs some bite-sized onigiri

and decorates them with plum blossoms made from sausage and corn.

This osechi bento will help you ring in the new year with joy,

and it's not only delicious, it's also easy to prepare!

So we hope you'll...

Give it a try!

Bento Topics. Today from Australia, a culturally diverse country.

Melbourne, its second largest city,

has a particularly cosmopolitan feeling.

Its iconic Queen Victoria Market has a history of over 140 years.

Fresh, fresh, fresh!

In addition to fresh produce, visitors can find sausages, salami,

and a variety of other delicacies from all around the world.

Here comes George.

He's going to make bentos to enjoy with his daughter.

Seven years ago, he began posting photos of his bentos on social media,

and became a hit.

He's even published several bento books!

His unique creations appeal to kids.

These "ice cream cones" are actually avocado tortilla rolls.

That's it.

Today, he's going to make two kinds of sandwiches,

one with cheese.

I love cheese. This is heaven.

Mozzarella is mild and ideal for kids.

He now heads to a butcher.

Australia is famous not only for beef, but also...

mutton. Today, he's come to buy some tender lamb chops.

We love lamb,

pretty much eat it in possible way we can.

Now he's all set to make today's bento.

His daughter Kiki helps season the lamb with oregano and lemon juice before grilling.

All right.

Mmm, beautiful Australian lamb cutlets.

Kiki can't resist taking a bite.

I love lamb!

Do you want the last one?

Okay.

He stuffs the lamb into pita pockets, and drizzles it with Greek yogurt sauce

to complete the first sandwich.

Nice.

The flavors from the yogurt make the lamb taste delicious.

High five! Good job!

George has a fun idea for the second sandwich.

He cuts out a circle from sliced bread, then covers it with mozzarella.

He then folds it in half and pleats the edges.

- Dumpling.
- Dumpling!

They dip the dumpling in a spicy tomato salsa

and coat it with crumbled corn chips before frying.

And voila! The cheese sandwiches have become fried dumplings.

Beautiful.

The soft cheese and the crispy corn chips,

perfect combination!

For dessert, a sliced mango.

By using food from different parts of the world,

my daughters learn food cultures and good things about countries.

These bentos are packed with creativity.

Time for lunch.

Oh, yum!

Yeah.

It was really fun, I really enjoy it.

Oh.

We love bento!

Wow, bento dad has a lot of great ideas in making everyday's bento fun!

He does, doesn't he? I mean he is so creative!

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!

Maki, I'm starving, do you want to dig in to our osechi ryori here?