Facing the Pacific Ocean,

Chiba Prefecture is a treasure trove of seafood.

Chiba is also home to about 180,000 foreign residents,

some of whom are avid bento makers.

Homemade gnocchi and Chiba shellfish.

Let's meet some local bento makers who love living in Chiba.

Chiba is famous for its peanuts.

- Do you smell it?
- Yeah.

So today, Marc and Maki feature peanuts in their bentos.

We love bento!

(The Global Lunchbox 8-18)

Our first stop is Matsudo, home to many commuters.

Two hundred people from around the world are gathered

for an international exchange event.

I love Chiba.

The MC, Burney, came to Japan from Pakistan 37 years ago.

An interpreter and TV personality,

he often volunteers at exchange events.

Today, he's come to a local elementary school

that's focused on teaching students about other cultures.

Thanks for that warm welcome.

He introduces Pakistan's traditional culture.

These are traditional Pakistani outfits.

As well as Pakistani food.

Looks good, doesn't it?

Who'd like a bite?

Practically everyone!

I feel so happy! Thank you.

Burney gets his energy from the bentos his wife, Fozi makes for him.

Fozi makes bentos with Halal food

that meets Islamic dietary rules.

Today, she's making a bento for a weekend picnic.

It's Burney's favorite, chicken "korma" curry

with bone-in chicken braised in yogurt and more than ten different spices.

We, Pakistani people, love spicy food.

Burney helps prepare the next dish of spicy Pakistani-style fritters.

Mix it.

Excellent.

I am happy.

Good wife, good husband.

Fozi coats tofu in batter.

I like to use Japanese ingredients in new ways.

She then deep fries the panko-breaded tofu.

This recipe is my creation.

She also steams rice with peas.

A special bento packed with Pakistani flavors.

They're ready for their picnic in the park.

It's delicious.

And you always cook for me nice food, thank you.

Thank you, thank you.

We love bento!

Our next stop is a Japanese language school in Kashiwa

with nearly 400 foreign students.

Mikan, watermelon, pumpkin.

Sang is from Vietnam.

He came to Japan as a student in 2022.

He cooks Vietnamese food every day in pursuit of his dream.

I need experience and skills, so I cook every day.

My dream is to have my own restaurant.

- Let's start.
- Okay.

Today, Sang and two friends are learning how to make "kazari-makizushi,"

a Chiba specialty.

Kazari-makizushi is a rolled sushi.

When sliced, it reveals a design.

Today, they'll create a basic floral pattern.

The instructor, Yumi, has taught many local foreign residents.

Mix this. We'll make a pink rice.

Rice, mixed with flaked fish, is rolled in nori.

Several of these thin rolls are then placed around pickled burdock in the center.

This is then wrapped in another layer of nori and rice.

Roll it up.

Let's take a look.

It worked!

It's like a cherry blossom.

- See?
- Yes, very nice.

Next, Sang shows Yumi how to make Vietnamese spring rolls.

They arrange the colorful ingredients on a sheet of rice paper.

The key is to make sure everything is visible from the outside when rolled up.

We did it!

Great!

A bento of rolled foods, from Vietnam and Chiba.

Time to eat.

How's the kazari-makizushi?

Good!

It's really good.

Delicious.

And how are the spring rolls?

Delicious!

Sang, follow your dreams.

We love bento!

I'm so happy to know that both Vietnam and Japan have "maki maki" foods.

And it's so cool that they're using tofu in Pakistani cuisine.

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

using the specialty of Chiba Prefecture.

- Peanuts.
- Yup.

Chiba is the number one producer of peanuts in Japan thanks to its volcanic ash soil,

and this humble legume is packed with protein, minerals, and vitamins,

not to mention flavor.

So, Maki, how are you going to be using peanuts in your bento today?

I'm going to make peanut "tsukune" chicken

using peanuts for the patty and the sauce.

That sounds delicious.

Tsukune is a chicken meatball which is a popular bento item,

but let's see how Maki is going to add peanuts to this classic.

Maki starts by crushing shelled roasted peanuts in a zipper bag

with a rolling pin.

This is about the right size.

She's using about two-thirds of this for her chicken mixture.

To the ground chicken thigh,

add crushed peanuts, scallions, ginger, and white miso.

And knead well.

This is the first time that I've seen peanuts being used in tsukune,

but it's a great idea.

The peanuts add a nice crunch to the tsukune.

I bet.

Maki shapes the mixture into bite-sized oval patties and coats them with potato starch.

Next, she combines the remaining peanuts with white miso, sake, and sugar

to make the sauce.

Then she pan-fries her tsukune until they're brown on one side.

So, let's flip them over.

I can see the little specks of peanuts.

Once both sides have browned...

Now, the peanut sauce!

Glaze slowly over low heat.

Double dose of peanuts.

And when the sauce has thickened...

Okay, my peanut tsukune chicken is done.

- That looks delicious.
- Yeah.

Let's try this out.

You've got the crunchy peanuts on the outside,

there's the crunchy peanuts on the inside.

And I love how that peanut sauce brings all the elements together.

I'm glad you liked it.

Maki arranges her bento like a flower garden with vibrant cherry tomatoes,

and a boiled egg molded into the shape of a flower.

By simply adding peanuts to her tsukune,

Maki's added loads of texture and flavor.

Okay, my turn.

I'm going to be using these roasted peanuts with the seed coats still attached

to make peanut fried rice.

Sounds very interesting.

My peanut fried rice is easy and satisfying,

and the reddish seed coat adds loads of phytonutrients,

as well as a mildly astringent taste that's a nice contrast to the rich peanuts.

First, I roughly chop the peanuts.

It's okay if the seed coat falls off because this is all going into the rice.

Okay, once our peanuts are looking like this, we're ready to go.

The only other prep is to mince some scallions,

and then we're ready to get these into a pan along with some toasted sesame oil.

Sautee these until they just start to brown.

This is going to add a really nice flavor to our fried rice.

Okay, it's starting to take on a light caramel color,

so add in our roasted peanuts and salt.

We're not going to take very much time.

We just want to bring out the aroma of the peanuts.

- Can you smell it?
- Yeah.

Okay, so once it's nice and toasty like this, add our rice.

I'm going to mix the rice in while breaking up any clumps,

and then I'm going to finish this off with some freshly ground white pepper.

Mix this into our rice,

and our peanut fried rice is done.

So, Maki, give this a try.

Itadakimasu.

This is so good, wow!

I love the crunchy texture of the peanuts.

The seed coat enhances the sweetness of the peanuts.

Great. All you need are peanuts, scallions, and leftover rice.

Great.

I packed my peanut fried rice with "kara-age" and "tamagoyaki,"

but this dish goes well with almost any bento item.

Peanuts may seem like just snacks,

but they're also a great way to add texture and flavor to your bento.

So, we hope you'll... give them a try.

Our final stop is Kisarazu,

a port city on the eastern side of Tokyo Bay.

This is the Canal family.

Dad, Simone is from Italy.

He lives with his wife, Ayumi,

and their six-year-old daughter, Viky.

Simone's family eats a lot of fresh fish.

Good for roasting.

Viky loves her dad's cooking.

Today, they buy cherry stoned clams, common in Chiba.

Let's go to cook.

Simone was introduced to Japanese culture through anime.

After getting married, he began making bentos.

He makes them every day for Ayumi, who works at a university in Chiba,

and Viky, who's in preschool.

I put my love in my bento.

- Who's this?
- Me!

Today, Simone is holding a garden bento party for his neighbors.

The food will be a Chiba-Italy fusion.

He steams the huge local clams the Italian way with garlic and parsley.

The main dish is gnocchi, a home-style Italian pasta.

Mash the potatoes!

They mix mashed potatoes with beaten egg and flour.

My mom used to make gnocchi, so I learned it from her.

Now, he's passing it on to his daughter.

Be tasty!

The dough is ready.

Viky is great at cutting.

Press, cut, and pinch.

Pinching the gnocchi gives it a good texture.

Ayumi loves gnocchi in her bento.

So good.

- It gives me a boost.
- Great!

Look at all the gnocchi.

Oh my gosh, it's going to take ages.

Simone uses local mushrooms in a seafood sauce.

The boiled gnocchi float to the surface.

Fish the gnocchi.

Simone coats the gnocchi with sauce.

Gnocchi for bento is ready.

Come on, yay. We did it.

He serves the gnocchi with the clams steamed in garlic and parsley.

To complete the bento, a baked omelet,

and a colorful quinoa salad.

Ciao.

Welcome to our bento party.

The neighbors have arrived.

Hope it's good.

Homemade gnocchi and Chiba shellfish.

A blend of Italy and Chiba.

Fluffy and chewy. Delicious!

How about the clams with gnocchi?

They go well together.

It's good.

A bento party featuring the best of Chiba.

I'm really happy.

We love bento!

We hope you enjoyed our Chiba special today,

and we'll see you again here soon, on BENTO EXPO.

- See you.
- Bye.