Pinoy Style Baon + Color = Japanese Style Baon

Today's Baon is "Don " style. The "Don " is rice topped with main dish served in a bowl. There are many kind of "Don" in Japan, the most famous Don is "Gyu-don" (beef bowl). The gyu-don is very popular food and known as a cheep and fast food in Japan.

I think that many of the Philippines style Baon is "Don" style also, rice topped with meat or fish. 

A difference between Philippines style Baon and Japanese Don Style Baon is only "Color". 

Pinoy style Baon + Color = Japanese style Baon

For example, Pinoy style Baon (Rice & Pork steak) + Color (Egg, Tomato, Broccoli, and Lettuce) = Today's Lino's Baon♪

The Cooking gives our children a chance to learn a lot of things!

Today, the city there is my office was holiday, so no work today. I was able to cook and prepare Lino's Baon with my children.

When I cooked the shrimps, he noticed that the color of shrimps changed and the size of shrimps also changed.

He said, 『Mam! The black shrimps have turned red!! The shrimps became smaller!』

And he asked me,

Lino:『Why did the color of shrimp change? 』

Me:『What do you think？』Lino:『Because of  heat?』Me:『Why do you think so?』Lino:『Because the pan is hot!』Me:『Yes. The shrimp become red after heating.』Lino:『But why? And why did the shrimps become smaller? Why?...』

When I cut the Okura, he noticed there are 5 holes inside of the Okura. 

He said,

『There are 5 rooms for seed in the Okura. Oh, this Okura also have 5 rooms. Why do all Okura have 5 rooms? 』

And he also noticed that cut Okura is sticky.

Of course he asked me

『Okura was not sticky. After boil and cut Okura, it became sticky. Why??』

I couldn't answer for his questions correctly. But I think that the teaching correct answer is not important. I think that the thinking with children through experience is important!

Today, he noticed a lot of things during the cooking. He learned a lot of things through experience. At lunch, he remember and told me about these things.  

If children cook with parents, they become to be interested in the food. And children become to be able to eat any food cooked by themselves. 

Would you like to try to cook with children next weekend?

How to make an Animal Rice ball (Pig ver.)

I made animal rice balls after a long time. Today's animal is Pig!!

Today, Lino's sister has a fever and I stayed home from work to take care my daughter. Lino didn't want to go to school because he wanted to be with me. However, he changed his mind easily when he saw today's Baon!! Power of Awesome lunchbox is so great♪ 

Today's Baon
・Pig rice balls
・Sauteed slab of bacon
・Kinpira* of Carrot (*sauteed carrot with soy sauce, honey, and black sesame)
・Boiled broccoli
・Rolled egg
・Tomato

≪How to make an Animal Rice ball (Pig ver.)≫

 Mix a cup of rice and 1 tea spoon of ketchup. Roll it to make small balls.
Cut a sliced ham for salad as shown in the figure above to make the parts of ears.
Cut a  sliced ham for salad by shaped cutter (check the previous article about shaped cutter : Guess! What's this?) . You can use straw as a shaped cutter.
Cut a seaweeds to make the parts of eyes and nose holes.

Let's try!!

The size of lunchbox is important for making the Japanese style lunchbox

I have received a question from blog reader that she can't stuff well the lunch box.

I think the size of lunchbox Japanese use is different from the size of lunchbox Filipino use. 

The lunchbox of Japanese is smaller that the lunchbox of Filipino.

At the time of Bento workshop, participants brought big lunchbox that is 1.5 times to twice as large as the lunchbox that usually Lino uses.

I was surprised when I saw these lunchbox because I asked them to bring the lunchbox for children. 

A point for stuffing well the lunchbox is not to make a clearance gap. So, small size lunchbox is is just size to stuff well without a clearance gap.

When you try to make a Japanese style lunchbox and you can't stuff well, please try once to use smaller size lunchbox.

By the way, the size of lunchbox for Filipino children is as same as the lunchbox for Japanese grown man!

The Baon of  yesterday!

• Riceballs (mixed with Furikake)

• Rolled egg includes seaweeds and bean sprout

• Sautéd Chicken balls and Broccoli with oyster sauce

• Tomato

Today's Baon

• Curry pilaf (chicken, onion, carrot, celery, and spring onion)

• Salad of Potato & Okura, mayonnaise and Whole-grain mustard dressing

• Cheese, Tomato, Boiled egg

Lino couldn't eat this lunchbox because his class had a birthday party of classmate. Lino said he was enjoying to eat a birthday noodle and pizza at the party.