Lunch bento, September 22, 2017

We had a day off due to a sudden job cancellation, and since nice sunny weather was expected, we decided to go up the road to the top of Blue Mountain in the Olympic National Park.

• Onigiri / rice balls
• Menuke no yuan-yaki / grilled yuan-sauce marinated rock cod
• Tamagoyaki / plain omelette
• Kyabetsu to hakusai no okaka-ae / steamed cabbage and napa cabbage mixed with bonito flakes
• Shishito no sotee / sauteed Japanese peppers
• Konnyaku no itameni / braised konnyaku yam cakes
• Satoimo no nikkorogashi / baby taro root in broth
• Kabu to usuage no nimono / Japanese turnip and thin deep-fried tofu in broth
• Murasaki tamanegi no amazuzuke / red onion in sweetened vinegar

Satsumaimo no taruto / sweet potato tart

A very easy and delicious tart with satsumaimo sweet potato. One of our favorites for fall, it tastes like a rich sweet potato pudding.

Whole tart:
1,114 calories; 12.6 g protein; 66.4 g fat; 96.2 g carbohydrate; 80.7 g net carbs; 47 mg sodium; 131 mg cholesterol; 10.0 g fiber

1/8 slice:
139 calories; 1.6 g protein; 8.3 g fat; 12.0 g carbohydrate; 10.1 g net carbs; 6 mg sodium; 16 mg cholesterol; 1.3 g fiber

Guriin oriibu no chuuka-aji / Chinese-flavored green olives

An experiment on simultaneous desalination and flavoring with a Chinese taste. Instead of adding salt to water to draw out the excess sodium of olives, I used shaoxing wine along with a couple of Chinese spices. As hoped, finished olives have very mild saltiness while imparting soft spiciness from Sichuan peppercorns and deep aroma of star anise. They work great as a Chinese pickle substitute.