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

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!
5 from 1 vote
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
  • Tbsp instant dashi powder
  • Tbsp brown sugar
  • Tbsp sake/chinese cooking wine
  • 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