Tag: lunch

Egged On

Does anyone else have definitively different algorithms across platforms? Facebook seems to think I’m a complete Japanophile, never failing to remind me about sakura season and tips for packing bento boxes, while Instagram (though also owned by Facebook) feeds me a steady diet of gloom, doom, and horrid AI atrocities.

Though it’s been quite some time since I last visited Japan and have little hope of returning anytime soon, you can guess where I’d rather waste my time. Indulging in a bit of mindless scrolling before bed, I came across a very unremarkable video, no longer than 10 seconds at most, highlighting one more piece of evidence that “Japan is living in 2050.” Lo and behold, shelf stable packets of tamago kake sauce to squeeze over rice. Astounding.

Flipping through countless similar, forgettable contributions to this digital wasteland, I quickly moved on. For some reason though, the idea stuck with me. Tamago kake gohan, the most basic dish of hot rice topped with raw egg, could still be easier to make. To me, a lover of all things vegan egg-related, I was secretly captivated. I wanted to recreate this simple pleasure but got caught up in the complications of making a spherified vegan egg yolk, which is diametrically opposed to the elementary nature of the meal. If the egg could just be sauce, since it just gets broken up and stirred into the rice anyway, that changes things.

Dozens if not hundreds of recipes for vegan yolks are floating about on the web at this point, so if mine doesn’t strike your fancy, go off on a Google adventure and take your pick. My point here is that while a perfect golden dome, capable of bursting into unctuous, eggy sauce would look more impressive at first serving, the results are the same: it’s delicious. As someone prone to overthinking, it’s exhausting chasing the best, most perfect, most beautiful, most creative of everything. Tamago kake gohan should require zero thinking.

It’s not pretty and won’t get any likes on social media. I’m okay with that. I’ll make a big batch of egg sauce and rice, pack them separately in the fridge, and have easy food all week. Plus, all you have to do is add tofu for an instant scramble, if you’re more in the mood for that. Additional toppings are optional, but recommended, especially if you eat this frequently, to prevent palate fatigue. It’s good, maybe even great, though not enough to catapult me into 2050. Thank god for that.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Pesto Both Worlds

Put pesto and yuba together and nine times out of ten, you’d be right in thinking we’d have a high-protein faux noodle situation on the table. This is the one time out of ten where you’d be wrong.

Why Yuba? Why Not!

Thinly sliced soymilk skin, AKA yuba, makes an excellent facsimile for fettuccine; toothsome yet delicate, tangling with any pasta sauce as elegantly as anything made from wheat. And yes, while you could very happily stop there, treating that mixture more like a tuna salad and slapping it on a bun offers numerous benefits. For one, you can now eat it with your hands, shamelessly, and in public, which brings me to the second point of its enhanced portability. Can you eat a bowlful of spaghetti in the car, or pack it up and put it in a purse? Perhaps, but it I’d still argue that a sandwich full of pesto yuba has the edge.

Simple Swaps

Fresh yuba has become harder to get my hands on since moving away from California, inspiring me to recreate this understated classic with grated tofu, in case you’re wondering about substitutions. In fact, taking super firm tofu to a basic box grater yields a consistency more aligned with a conventional shredded chicken, faux crab, or tuna situation, more substantial and meaty, making its place between two slices of bread self-evident.

It’s not a flashy meal. It doesn’t sizzle, there’s no microgreen garnish. It’s not even particularly creative; just a different way of looking at an infinitely versatile ingredient that deserves to be more than another alt noodle.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

A Close Shave

Cauliflower can be many things, but rarely is it allowed to be itself these days. While grabbing a bite with friends, seeing it appear on a pizza—not blended into the crust, but perched right on top in all its snowy white, raw glory—was such a shock, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Everything about it sounds questionable, like biting into a chunk of impenetrable starch, but the cut made all the difference. Slicing it paper thin, as I had never seen before, was a revelation. Cool and crisp against the warm, gooey base, it was like an entirely new vegetable.

Mon Petit Chou-Fleur

Rather than pulling apart the clustered budding stems, considering the head as a whole completely changes the vegetable. Elegant yet understated, distinctive and still versatile, shaved cauliflower is now my favorite salad starter. Leave the lettuce at home for a more substantial, sturdy salad.

In this particular blend, thinly sliced cauliflower provides a delicate crunch that pairs perfectly with the tender edamame and cool cucumber. Crumbled vegan feta adds a creamy twang, while toasted pepitas finish with a nutty bite. Tossed in a silky, lemony tahini dressing, the salad is both refreshing and full of depth, with a hint of sweetness to balance the otherwise disparate elements.

The key to this cauliflower revelry? A mandoline.

Mandoline Tune-Up

Mandoline slicers are the most dangerous tools found in a kitchen. Otherwise known as a finger guillotine, digit decapitator, or the one-swipe skin remover, mandolines are notorious for their ability to quickly and efficiently cut through everything in their path. More often than not, that means those pitched razor blades mow through more than just carrots or potatoes. A moment of distraction or a slip of the hand can leave even experienced cooks seeing red. If you’re not afraid of your mandoline, you haven’t used it enough.

Looking Sharp

Why recommend such a hazardous appliance, even after numerous experiences that left a mark? There’s simply no other tool for the job. While a properly honed knife is essential, the sharpest edge can’t compete with the precision and consistency of a mandoline. That’s especially true when making delicate, thin shavings of cauliflower, rather than coarsely crumbled florets. So yes, despite those dire warnings, I’m telling you to put yourself in peril and use this modern torture device. If you’d like to keep all ten fingers, I have three easy tips for you:

  1. USE
  2. THE
  3. HAND GUARD

That’s it, that’s the secret to success. If you’ve lost the hand guard, don’t make this recipe. I won’t be held responsible for your hospital bill.

As visually stunning as it is delicious, each bite of cauliflower is paper-thin, creating a light, crisp, and satisfying texture. The result is a refreshing, bright salad that showcases the simplicity of raw cauliflower. Suspend your disbelief, watch your fingers, and give it a shot. Cauliflower is best when it can be itself, front and center.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Critically Panned

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t put noodles on bread. “It’s so heavy!” “That’s too unhealthy!” “Think of all that carb-on-carb action!” They may protest vehemently, but they’ll be wrong. Yakisoba pan has been a konbini staple since the 1950s, keeping hungry salary men full and fed ever since. Perhaps if convenience stores in the US could embrace the pasta sandwich, we would all be a bit better off.

Making The Case For Yakisoba Pan

Few other grab-and-go meals can beat that affordability, longevity, and satisfaction. Wrap these sandwiches up for school lunch, travel snacks, late night munchies; you name it. They’re every bit as comforting at any temperature or time of day. Typically, the noodles nestled inside are more like ramen noodles made primarily with white flour, but buckwheat soba makes more sense to me, given the name and added nutrition. Even if you splurge on the highest quality—which you should, given how much each component counts—you’ll still be able to feed an army on a budget.

Fun On A Bun

Think about it merely as yakisoba, AKA stir-fried soba noodles, packaged in an edible container. If you’d consider pairing garlic bread with spaghetti and meatballs, you’re already there. The soft hoagie roll yields easily to the earthy wheat noodles within, seasoned simply with soy sauce and sesame oil. Typically, there’s little more than a bit of pickled ginger for garnish on top, but I prefer to add some veggies for more texture and flavor. Any old frozen vegetable mix will do; the last thing I want to do is make this into a whole production. Yakisoba pan is simple, first and foremost. Add whatever you want and leave out what you don’t.

Newsworthy Noodles

Can we start a new movement that embraces bread as the vehicle for more foods? Yes, even MORE than we currently regard as acceptable, of which I’m aware there’s an extensive list. The fact of the matter is, there’s nothing that doesn’t work well as a sandwich, soba noodles included.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Back To School Lunch

For anyone with an eye on the school calendar, the carefree days of summer vacation are rapidly winding down. As the familiar rhythm of early mornings and packed lunches is about to commence, now is the time to start a new routine. This year, banish the dreaded lunchbox blues with homemade meals and snacks your young scholars will relish even more than recess.


Family-Friendly Lunch Box Pasta Salad

What Makes The Best Back-To-School Foods?

These creations are the secret weapon for conquering the chaos of Fall. They prioritize simplicity, packability, and versatility, making busy days a breeze.

  • Quick prep and assembly is critical for those pre-dawn dashes out the door.
  • No-fuss portability ensures these meals survive the journey in a backpack without getting soggy, crushed, or bruised.
  • Whole, plant-based foods pack in nutrition without a fight, making what’s nutritious truly delicious.
  • Make-ahead, batch cooking potential allows for easy doubling or tripling to fuel after school activities or pack lunches for multiple days.

Lunch and Learn

Start with a free download of my old e-book, Lunchbox Bites, then find fresh inspiration below. Don’t think of this list merely as the kid’s menu. They’re smart selections even if you’ve long since mastered mathematics, and you’re destined for a desk at work, not in the classroom.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Sushi For Sakura Season

Spring in Texas means vast fields of bluebonnets, rippling in the wind like waves in the ocean. In Japan, all eyes are on a different sort of flower, turning the air itself into a sea of petals. Sakura are reaching peak season right now across central Honshu, the main island which includes the hot spots of Tokyo and Kyoto. It’s the most popular time to visit either metropolis, heralding in a crush of tourists from around the world.

Why Are Sakura, AKA Cherry Blossoms, So Important?

Their aesthetic attraction needs no explanation, but there’s a deeper meaning that strikes at the core of Japanese culture. Their fleeting beauty illustrates that nothing in this world is permanent; blink and you’ll miss it. This philosophy is called “mono no aware.” Translated as “an empathy toward things”, or “a sensitivity to ephemera”, it’s also a vivid reminder to live life in the moment, or else it will pass you by.

Don’t let another sakura season pass you by. This spring, even if there are no blossoms to be found near you, host your own personal hanami and watch as sakura sushi blossoms on your plate.

Ingredients You Need To Know

I’m going to assume everyone understands the basics of sushi by now. Aside from the usual suspects, these pretty pink rolls call for a few specialty items:

  • Sakura powder: Many so-called sakura snacks cheat and use cherry flavoring with red dye. Real sakura blossoms taste nothing like their namesake fruit. Instead, the petals have a delicate floral taste, subtly sweet and lightly sour. Dried sakura blossom powder can be found online or in Japanese markets. If you want to replicate the experience with more accessible ingredients, you can swap 1 cup of the water for beet juice and add 1 teaspoon rosewater instead.
  • Umeboshi: Most people simply define these shriveled fruits as pickled plums, but there’s so much more to them than that. Unripe green plums are first fermented, introducing beneficial cultures and probiotics, then gently sun-dried, and sometimes infused with red shiso leaf. They’re powerfully sour, salty, and slightly bitter. It may be an acquired taste for some; I hated them in my early years but can’t get enough now. The best umeboshi will be sold refrigerated, as shelf-stable options will undoubtedly have added preservatives.
  • Shiso: Also called perilla, ooba, Japanese basil, or beefsteak, there’s no substitution for this unique green herb. The broad, jagged leaves are a member of the mint family, although if you ask me, they have a flavor reminiscent of toasted cumin and sharp citrus.

How Do You Make Sakura Sushi?

The unconventional shape may throw you at first. Don’t overthink it! Rather than taking a complicated mosaic approach to building a whole new art form, these sushi rolls take shape exactly the same way as your classic hosomaki.

  1. Use a thin layer of rice to cover only the bottom 1/4 of the nori. Layer three leaves of shiso and three pitted umeboshi on top.
  2. Roll it up as tightly as possible, taking care not to rip the nori. Seal the end with a light dab of water across the edge.
  3. Use a very sharp knife to cut the roll into pieces. Six is ideal; you only need five to make each flower, so consider the messiest one a mid-prep snack!
  4. Take each individual piece of sushi and use your hands to model it into a rough heart shape; pinch one end into a point, and press a divot into the opposite side, forming two bumps.
  5. Repeat with all the pieces.
  6. Arrange your sushi on a plate with the points facing inward in a circle. Garnish with an extra leaf of shiso and pickled ginger if desired.

Naturally, the best way to enjoy sakura sushi is outside on a picnic blanket while gazing skyward towards the pink petals, falling like snow. I’m happy to report that they taste every bit as good eaten inside on a cold, gloomy day, too. No matter what spring looks like for you, it’s worth taking a moment to celebrate, revive your spirit, and begin the season with a full stomach.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)2 Comments