Bento No. 10 - Cold Soba Noodles with Herbed Tuna and Tamago-Nori-Yaki

As I make more bentos, I guess, I become more creative in pairing my food. I also want to experiment more and try making Japanese food that I haven't tasted yet. I also tend to experiment on different container size and shapes to make my bentos more appealing. Today's Bento Menu:

1. Cold Soba Noodles
2. Herbed Tuna
3. Tamagoyaki with Nori

Cold Soba Noodles Recipe

For this recipe, you can check out this post where I have the procedure for making Cold Soba, and listed all the ingredients and where to buy them.

Herbed Tuna

This herbed tuna recipe can be done in under 5 minutes!

1 Can Tuna Chunks

Your choice of herbs. Mine was Thyme

1. Open the can of tuna and drain
2. Combine your herbs and rub gently on the tuna
3. To thoroughly infuse the flavor, microwave on low for 1 minute

Tamagoyaki with Nori

This is actually the most challenging to prepare. If it's the first time you're making this, it will take some patience. Actually, I don't have patience for this, that's why I asked my Kitty to do it for me! He's so great with it! For this, you'll need the following:

2 Eggs	1 Tbsp Sweet Soy Sauce
1 tsp Shallot Sauce (optional)	2 Nori strips

1. In a bowl, beat together eggs, sweet soy sauce and shallot sauce. If you want striations or streaks on your tamagoyaki, just beat it enough to break the yolks
2. Heat your tamagoyaki pan in low heat. Make sure to grease the pan
3. Pour a bit of the mixture, just enough to cover the pan and form a thin layer of egg. Let the egg cook for a bit, and while the top is still a bit wet (but cooked),gently roll the egg layer
4. Grease the part of the pan without the egg roll and then pour another layer of egg mixture. While it is cooking, place the nori strips on top of egg layer
5. Gently roll the eggs again. You can add another layer of egg or leave it at that
6. let the tamagoyaki oool and then slice

Bento No. 7 - Cold Soba Noodles with Hardboiled Egg

As I make more bentos, it seems that I want to try and make more Japanese themed ones. I wanted to experiment more on flavor and I dared to go where I wouldn't have gone if I were just the eat-loving person that I was a year ago.

This bento is an experiment bento that I whipped up in under 20 minutes. Not really bad for a first time recipe!

Today's Bento Menu

• Cold Soba Noodles
• Hardboiled Egg

Cold Soba Noodles Recipe

The Cold Soba Noodles were easy enough. It just needed a few ingredients and it's good to go.

4 Tbsp Rice/White Wine	1 Tsp Flavoring or 2 Tbsp dashi stock
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce	2 Tbsp Sugar
2 Bundles Soba Noodles

1. Cook the Soba according to package instructions
2. While you're boiling the noodles, make the sauce by combining the rice/white wine, white sugar, flavor enhancer (could be dashi stock but I don't have any), and soy sauce. Mix them together until all the sugar is dissolved. It may help to heat it up in the microwave for a few seconds just help in dissolving the sugar. Don't heat it up too long or the alcohol will dissipate completely. Place it in a non-spill container that will fit in your lunch box. Remember to cool the sauce completely before packing
3. When your Soba Noodles have finished cooking, drain the water and rinse it with cold running water (I used tap, since tap water is relatively cold compared to the boiling water). This is to remove any starch. Cold Soba Noodles, as I have read, should not have the starchiness that noodles have. Be careful though, these noodles are slippery!
4. Arrange your Soba Noodles neatly in your lunch box. Garnish as desired. I used Nori Strips

Hardboiled Eggs Recipe

Do I even have to expound on how this is done? Haha.

1. Put your eggs in a pot with enough water to submerge the eggs
2. bring the water to a boil
3. once water is boiling, let the egg boil for 5 to 10 minutes, depending on how hard you want your eggs
4. drain the water and submerge the eggs in cool water
5. carefully peal the shell, and cut in half, or cut in half and then peal the shell carefully

Where to Buy the Ingredients

Here's a list of where you can buy the ingredients I used in this recipe.

	Shallot Sauce Where it was bought: Carvajal, St. Binondo Alternative stores: None that I know of
	Lee Kum Kee Soy Sauce Where it was bought: South Super Market, Ligaya Alternative stores: Major Supermarkets
	Wang Soba Noodles Where it was bought: Robinsons Metro East Supermarket Alternative stores: Major Supermarkets with Asian section
	Sugar Can be bought anywhere
	Egg Can be bought anywhere
	Korean Vodka(?) I don't know. This was given to us. Probably in Korean stores