Kanna's Bento: Inspired by Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (gluten free)

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Inspired by Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, I’m making Kanna’s Bento! The scene is so cute and I really wanted to recreate that kawaii feel! This boxed lunch is delicious, filling, super satisfying to look at and so I highly recommend making a bento like this as your meal prep for the week! Soft fresh onigiri with flavourful tamagoyaki, cozy simmered kabocha squash and adorable little dragon hotdogs, a perfect spread to help get you through the day!

Here are all the elements that make up this kawaii bento:

Tamagoyaki
Spincy Tuna Mayo Onigiri
Simmered Kabocha
Spinach Gomae
Dragon Hotdogs
Takuan (Daikon Pickles)
Steamed Broccoli
Fresh veggies: lettuce and cherry tomatoes

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My Essential Pantry Items

Zojirushi NS-ZCC10 Rice Cooker

Canada

Tamagoyaki Pan

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Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise

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Kanna's Bento: Inspired by Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (gluten free)

5 from 1 vote

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Course Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine Japanese

Ingredients

For the Tamagoyaki

2 eggs
2 Tbsp dashi or 2 Tbsp water with ¼ tsp dashi powder
1 tsp soy sauce gluten free
1 tsp mirin
neutral falvoured oil

For the Spinach Gomae

100 grams spinach you can sub with frozen whole leaf spinach
½ Tbsp sesame oil
½ Tbsp soy sauce gluten free
sprinkle of sesame seeds

For the Simmered Kabocha

½ Kabocha squash
water enough to cover the kabocha ¾ of the way up
1½ Tbsp instant dashi powder
1½ Tbsp brown sugar
1½ Tbsp sake/chinese cooking wine
1½ Tbsp soy sauce gluten free

For the Spicy Tuna Mayo Onigiri

3 cups uncooked Japanese short grain rice
1 can tuna in water
2 Tbsp kewpie
1 tsp sriracha you can omit if you don't want spicy
sushi nori (seaweed)

For the Takuan (Daikon Pickles)

1 medium daikon radish
½ cup water
½ cup sugar
20 grams salt
20 ml rice vinegar
Yellow food coloring if desired

Instructions

For the Tamagoyaki

Mix all ingredients except for the oil together.
Soak a small piece of paper towel and keep in small bowl to the side.
Grease your pan with the paper towel, make sure to get in those corners to prevent sticking.
On medium heat (you want to hear that sizzle but not tooo much or it’ll get too brown), ladle in a thin layer of the egg mixture and tilt the pan to coat.
Once the bottom of the egg is set but the top is still wet (the wet egg acts as a glue for your roll), roll the egg from top to bottom.
Grease again and push rolled egg back to the top.
Repeat this process with your remaining egg making sure to poke out air bubbles along the way.
Dont worry if your first few layers are a bit messy, it will come out nicer as you go.
When done, you can roll it in a sushi mat for few minutes to get a more uniform shape, slice and serve.

For the Spinach Gomae

Blanch spinach and rinse with cold water (you can use frozen spinach
Squeeze out all excess water
Rough chop your spinach into 1-2 inch chunks, no stress on this
Mix spinach with the rest of the ingredients.
Serve your side dish!

For the Simmered Kabocha

Wash the Kabocha, if you have a full one cut it in half and clean out the seeds. If you bought a chunk of Kabocha already cleaned, skip to the next step.
Cut into 1 inch chunks. Don’t remove the skin, it is nutritious and edible!
Optional step: Mentori method, cut the edges off to have a rounder edge. This helps the pieces break less while simmering.
Place kabocha, skin side down, into a saucepan and add dashi, sugar and sake. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, turn the temperature down to med-low for a simmer. Add soy sauce and cover with a drop lid or Otoshibuta. You can easily make your own by folding a piece of tin foil into a round disk that fits in your pot and poke a few holes in the middle.
Let simmer for 15-20 mins until the kabocha is cooked through and the skin is soft.
Remove from heat and let cool for at least 15 minutes, this helps prevent the squash from falling apart.
Serve hot or cold!

For the Spicy Tuna Mayo Onigiri

Wash your rice! Rinse rice multiple times until the water comes through clear. Cook your rice using whichever method you prefer. I use my new rice cooker that I am in love with!
In a small bowl, mix together tuna, mayo and sriracha (if desired) until combined.
With wet hands, take about a ½ cup of rice and form into the cup of your palm.
Press an ident in the middle with your thumb and add about 1 Tbsp of your filling.
Place a bit more rice on top and use both hands to press the rice ball into your desired shape. Kanna’s onigiri has a unique cylinder shape but you can form them into the traditional triangles if you prefer.
Take a slice of the seaweed and wrap it around your onigiri.
Best served fresh!

For the Takuan (Daikon Pickles)

Wash and peel the daikon radish.
Slice in half and then into half moons.
Put all your ingredients into a zip baggie or into a small container (as long as liquids cover all the radish slices).
Close and let pickle in the fridge for at least 6 hours. The closer to 24 hours the better!

Keyword Anime, Bento, Kawaii

Hello and Welcome! I’m Carly.

Gluten Free With Me is where food and geek meet!

With a heavy focus on food inspired by Japan and recreations from your favourite Anime, Manga, Movies, & Games.

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2 Comments

Jessica

August 22, 2022 at 3:05 pm Reply

This is such a fun and tasty dish! The simmered kabocha has become a staple in my kitchen. Thank you 🙂
- Carly
  
  August 22, 2022 at 3:07 pm Reply
  
  Thank you! That makes me so happy. 😀

Kanna's Bento: Inspired by Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (gluten free)

My Essential Pantry Items