the edible dragonfly

This is perhaps more fittingly the beginning of my blog. Today at a carboot sale I found this lovely dragonfly hanger which now proudly has my apron hanging on it. I see this as a sort of beginning for the trials and triumphs of cooking that I will share here.

Bento obsession

bento1: mushroom rice, teriyaki tofu and salad

Ever since I went to Japan on exchange as a teenager I have had a certain fascination for the Japanese bento (lunch box), even going so far as to research its history and different types. The bento I create are by no means "authentically Japanese" they certainly don't always contain Japanese food but I do try to put a variety of different delicious and healthy food in the lunch box.

I may not be vegetarian but most of the bentos I make are. My "partner in crime" is vegetarian and so I try to be create bentos that are not only tasty and healthy but meat free. This also limits how much I can copy from Japanese bentos as the majority have some sort of meat or fish in them. After searching the web it seems to me that more people are starting to warm up to the idea of making lunches similar to those of the Japanese. They dont have to be complicated and admittedly most of mine contain some leftovers from dinner as well as things I have cooked especially for lunch.

bento2: cylinder onigiri (rice balls), boiled egg, stir fry veges

And so it begins...

I wanted to begin this blog with an ode to the farmers market at Epic. I have been checking online for other farmers markets around Australia, in places that I am planning to visit or places I have lived and they do not seem to be as common as they should. Although the weather is getting colder and making it harder for me to get out of bed early on a Saturday morning the delicious food I can buy makes it worthwhile.

We buy the absolutely delectable tofu skins as often as we can from the handmade tofu stall. We fry them and eat them with a Vietnamese dipping sauce. They are crunchy and delicious on the outside and perfectly smooth on the inside. Unfortunately they often sell out before we get a chance to buy some from the kind couple who run the tofu stall but that makes them even more of a special treat when we do get our hands on some.