Monday, August 2, 2010

Caterpillar Bento

Two posts in one day?! I am actually catching up over the weekend. Yesterday I tried out traditional bento ingredients like inarizushi and a mango rice cake. Today I am using an idea I saw on KidsDreamWork.com in which you mix purple sweet potato into rice to make purple rice! It worked really well.

In this bento: three hand shaped purple onigiri with slices of olive for eyes, a red pickled ginger mouth, and spaghetti antennae, a piece of steamed corn, steamed romano green beans from Crescent Moon Farms, cherry tomatoes with a CUTE leaf pick, and fried padron peppers also from Crescent Moon Farms. If you are wondering where to get purple sweet potatoes, I suggest checking your local asian market. I found the potato used in this bento in San Francisco's Nijiya Market, but today I discovered the same kind of purple sweet potatoes at the Asia Mart on Guerneville Road in Santa Rosa. They may also be called Hawaiian Okinawa Sweet Potatoes. They are white skinned with a deep purple flesh.

To make purple rice, simply mash some cooked purple sweet potato and them mix it into cooked rice. Shape it using a piece of plastic wrap covering your hand, so that it doesn't stick to your fingers.

21 comments:

  1. How clever, and I am impressed! Two in one day. I love the caterpillar, he's so cute! I found some purple sweet potato at my Asian market! I love it. I also like the white sweet potato, or boniato.

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  2. Thanks Lyndsey! Actually, my inarizushi bento was made yesterday, and this caterpillar one was from this morning. I wanted to get them both up today though. I'll have to keep an eye out for white sweet potato, sounds yummy!

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  3. Excellent purple rice tip--as a lover of things edible and purple, I must try this! Adorable bento, keep 'em comin, SB!

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  4. Thanks bentobird! I think it may need some fillings, or additional flavoring. The onigiri with the pickled ginger was good, maybe I'll hide more of that in my next sweet potato onigiri.

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  5. Your purple caterpillar is so cute! I shall try this one too! My boy will surely like it. :D

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  6. Love love love the purple potato rice effect! Such a cute caterpillar idea too :)

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  7. Rice mixed with purple potato looks great! What a cute caterpillar ... I haven't test this to the kids. If they love the taste then will be great to mixed it into the rice so we can get natural purple color.

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  8. Love the caterpillar! He looks so smiley and friendly! Great idea! Mus try 1 day too! :) Any luck with the floss?

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  9. Do love the natural purple color resulted SB :D. And your caterpillar is so cute! :D

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  10. Oh how cute is that caterpillar? The purple is so pretty! I will have to give that a try one day.

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  11. i made a caterpillar too! with beef balls. love yours. so sweet in purple!
    cheers/karen =)

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  12. KidsDreamWork, thank YOU for the idea!

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  13. Thanks sheri! I think the caterpillar turned out really well. :)

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  14. Hi Lia! I think the taste could use a bit of help, maybe some seasoning or other additional flavor.

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  15. Thanks Tona-mama! It was fun and very easy to make the three round onigiri for this caterpillar. And yes, I found the pork floss! Yay!

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  16. Thanks tatabonita! It was fun to make.

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  17. Hi Kelly! I bet your kids would get a kick out of purple rice. :)

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  18. I love your caterpillar, Karen! That little crown pick really was cute. Thanks for checking out my blog!

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  19. Cute purple caterpillar! I like it so much...i should try for my son too...hihi..thanks for the sharing.

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  20. Thanks Emily! This caterpillar could hang out with your Cheshire Cat! :)

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  21. Haha...good idea. May be should give a try then... :D

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