Sweet and Sour Chicken Bento Lunch for Kids
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Hello! If you are first time visiting my blog, Thank you and Nice to meet you :)
My name is Koko, I'm a Japanese Illustrator.
I share Drawing tutorials and inspirations. I hope to help your (your kids) creativity!
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Sweet and Sour Chicken.
Who can say NO to this delicious dish?! Needless to say, it was a big success.
In this post I’d like to share my recipe and tips, tools I use for this obento 🤩
Overview of Sweet and Sour Chicken Bento Lunch
So here is the overview.
MENU of Sweet and Sour Chicken Bento
MENU
-
- <Mini-MakiZushi>
Sushi Rice
Salmon Furikake – this is what I used, but this is also good.
<Sweet Sour Chicken>
<Tamago-Yaki>
Egg, soysauce, mayonnaise
<Vegetables>
Tomato
Sugar Peas
<Fruit>
Grapes
Sliced Oranges
- <Mini-MakiZushi>
What’s Furikake? Furikake is dry Japanese seasoning for rice. When we want something extra, we sprinkle Furikake over rice.
Furikake-ru, is a verb, “sprinkle over”. We have so many kinds of Furikake in Japan, it’s impossible to count.🤪 If you ever travel to Japan, be sure to buy local specialized furikake! A great souvenir idea.
Be careful not to buy spicy Furikake for kids. Some furikake can contain Wasabi or Chili – even though they are not that common.
Important Note about Grapes
It maybe a good idea to slice grapes for small children.
Grapes has choking hazzard, it’s the #3 most common death of children….! >> Resource
What’s sushi, really?
Anybody knows what the definately of sushi is?
I wrote “Mini-Makizushi”, but thinking maybe this isn’t actually sushi….because there is no vinegar in it. 😅
It’s a pure-rice mixed with Salmon Furikake, so I should maybe call it “mini-rice balls”??? humm.
A bit confusing, but as long as my son enjoys it.
TOOLS I used
This cute panda box can be purchase here – EU Japan Center
or US Amazon. ( Not exactly the same, but same principles. )
I love using those animal cups. They’re so useful, sometimes I put ketchup, mayonnaise, Raisins, or small crackers….
Kids love surprise!
Black Cat Foot Picks very useful, helps kids to eat finger food easier. Less messy 😉 and they’re cute!
Recipe : Koko’s Sweet and Sour Chicken
I’ve gotten quite a few request on Sweet and Sour Chicken recipe.
Thanks for asking!
Please note first: I never really major how much meat and vegetables I use.
You just use as you like, I guess…this is a very simple way to cook.
<Ingredients>
*Chicken – recommend chicken with skin. (Chicken whole leg….drumsticks….)
Cut chicken into 1-2 bites size.
*Flour in a plastic box or small plastic bag – once you cut chicken, put chicken into this and shake it. Then we will pan-fry.
*Vegetables of your choice
choose from:
- onion (quarter cuts)
- carrot (thin slice)
- colored peppers (thin or block cuts)
- snow pea
- broccoli
- Fresh Shiitake (thin slice)
<Sauce>
- Sugar 2.5 table spoon
- Ketchup 3 table spoon
- White Vinegar 3 table spoon
- Japanese soy sauce 1.5 table spoon
- Corn or Potato Starch 1 teaspoon
Mix them all, set aside.
Do not use Chinese or Thai soy sauce, you have to use Japanese soy sauce. Because their flavor is different than Japanese soy sauce, it will change the taste of the sweet sour sauce.
<Method>
Step 1. Start patting flour to chicken cuts. Put some flour into plastic box or bag. Put some chicken cuts into and shake it. This way you can flour chicken evenly and easy 👌
Step 2. use a teflon pan. Put neutral oil (corn, rapeseed, sunflower oil) – slightly more than normal amount, too little oil won’t taste as good. Medium Heat.
Step 3. Start pay-frying chicken until chicken gets crispy.
Step 4. Set chicken aside. Add some oil, start sir frying vegetables.
Step 5. After vegetables are cooked, put chicken. Mix.
Step 6. At the end pour sweet and sour sauce. Once sauce gets thick, DONE!
Itadakima-su!
Hope you enjoy it! Feel free to contact if you have questions – love to help.
Let’s make your kids smile!
I made e-cook book of Japanese food. 👇
Wrapping Bento – Furoshiki, Japanese style wrapping cloth
In Japan we have “furoshiki“culture , It’s a wrapping cloth, started back in hundreds years ago.
When I was a school student in Japan I remember my mother used to wrap bento box, so I did the to to Z’s obento.
This is just my idea, but I placed a piece of napkin. So that Z can clean his fingers etc etc.
Wrap it up!
I hope he could open it himself, if not….., we will practice together. 😅
Well! That’s all.
Thanks for reading and I hope you will make sweet and sour chicken to your kids!
Ja-ne,
Koko
