leggo my obento! the bento blog

todays bento are many first time attempts. my first sushi and my first soba noodles. since it’s summertime i’m experimenting with cold dishes (even though it has been a very cold summer here in seattle..)
his bento

top: donut peach
bottom: soba noodles with broiled chicken thigh, simmered shiitake, carrot; 2 pieces of crystallized ginger candy (the black container is sauce for the soba noodles)
my bento

top: soba noodles with thin sliced tamagoyaki, simmered shiitake, carrot, and broiled chicken thigh
bottom: cucumber roll and cherry tomatoes for garnish

originally i was just going to have the cucumber roll and some of the side dishes i included in the soba, but i had made so much soba for his lunch that i had some leftover! the cucumber roll is a little smooshed because i made them just a little too big. next time i will make them much smaller. not bad for a first sushi!!!

a note about soba noodles — after you boil them be sure to wash them really well.  after cooking, drain the noodles, then return them to the pot you boiled them in.  fill the pot with cold water and lightly “scrub” the noodles by gently rubbing them together in your hands (careful not to break them) until the surface is no longer sticky (do it for a few minutes).  drain the noodles back into the strainer and rinse with cold water.  if the surface is sticky you still need to “scrub” them more.