GWのお出かけをもっと楽しく！行楽弁当の下ごしらえ完全ガイド

Make your Golden Week outings even more enjoyable! A Complete Guide to Preparing Bento for Picnics

🌿 GW Picnic Bento Special

Make your Golden Week outings even more fun!
The complete guide to preparing picnic bentos

Karaage, Tamagoyaki, Onigiri, Vegetable Dishes | Use CH-210 for quick day-before preparation

Picnic bentos are essential for Golden Week outings. Preparing multiple dishes like karaage marinade, tamagoyaki fillings, decorative vegetable cuts, and onigiri fillings can be daunting. With the Happilaff CH-210 Dual Bowl Food Processor, mincing, pureeing, and making sauces can be done in surprisingly little time. If you prepare ingredients with the CH-210 the night before, you can simply pack your bento box the morning of your outing.

🍗 Recipe 1 | Garlic Soy Sauce Marinade for Karaage

Grate garlic and ginger at once in the large bowl

Uses large bowlRefrigerate for 2 daysDay-before prep OK
Ingredients (for 500g chicken thigh)
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 piece ginger (20g)
  • 4 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp mirin
  • 2 tbsp sake
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  1. Put garlic and ginger into the CH-210 large bowl and mince (pulse 3 times)
  2. Add soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sesame oil, and mix for 10 seconds
  3. Place chicken thigh in a zip-top bag, pour in the marinade, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight
  4. On the day, simply coat with potato starch and fry
💡 Time-saving tip: Mincing garlic and ginger takes only 30 seconds with the CH-210. Achieves uniform mincing in about 1/5 of the time it takes to mince by hand. Marinating overnight means you only need to fry on the day.

🥚 Recipe 2 | Finely Chopping Ingredients for Loaded Tamagoyaki

Mince ingredients uniformly and mix egg liquid in the small bowl

Uses small bowlDay-before prep OKKid-friendly
Ingredients (for 2 rolls of tamagoyaki)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 carrot
  • 1 handful spinach
  • 30g cheese
  • 2 tbsp dashi, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp soy sauce, pinch of salt
  1. Mince carrot and spinach in the CH-210 small bowl (pulse 2 times)
  2. Mix egg, dashi, sugar, soy sauce, and salt in the small bowl (10 seconds)
  3. Combine ingredients and egg liquid, then cook in a tamagoyaki pan
  4. Once cooled, cut and pack into the bento box
💡 Time-saving tip: Mince ingredients and mix egg liquid consecutively in the same small bowl. Minimizes washing up while achieving a uniform result. If you cook it the day before and refrigerate, you only need to pack it on the day.

🍙 Recipe 3 | Onigiri Filling / Mixed Rice Base

Mince and mix ingredients all at once in the large bowl

Uses large bowlFreezer-friendlyBatch preparation
Ingredients (for 10 onigiri)
  • 100g salmon flakes
  • 80g edamame (frozen, thawed)
  • 50g corn
  • 10 shiso leaves
  • 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, pinch of salt, 1 tsp sesame oil
  1. Mince shiso leaves in the CH-210 large bowl (pulse 2 times)
  2. Add edamame and corn, then pulse 1 more time
  3. Add salmon flakes, white sesame seeds, salt, and sesame oil, and mix (5 seconds)
  4. Mix with warm rice and form into onigiri
💡 Time-saving tip: From mincing shiso to mixing ingredients, everything is done in one large bowl. Prepare the mixed rice base the day before and refrigerate, then simply mix with rice on the day. Can be frozen for 2 weeks.

🥕 Recipe 4 | Decorative Vegetable Cuts / Namul Preparation

Slice a large amount of vegetables at once in the large bowl

Uses large bowlRefrigerate for 3 daysColorful vegetables
Ingredients (for 4 servings)
  • 1 carrot
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1/4 daikon radish
  • 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tbsp white sesame seeds, 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder
  1. Slice carrot, cucumber, and daikon radish in the CH-210 large bowl (using the julienne disc)
  2. Massage with salt, let sit for 10 minutes, then squeeze out excess water
  3. Dress with sesame oil, white sesame seeds, and chicken bouillon powder, and it's done
  4. For even better flavor, refrigerate overnight to let the flavors meld
💡 Time-saving tip: Continuously process julienned three types of vegetables with the CH-210. Achieves uniform julienned cuts in about 1/5 of the time it takes to cut by hand. Colorful namul brightens up your bento.

🍖 Recipe 5 | Meatball Mixture (Batch Preparation)

Mince onion and mix the meatball mixture all at once in the large bowl

Uses large bowlFreezer-friendlyKids' favorite
Ingredients (for 20 meatballs)
  • 300g ground mixed meat
  • 1/2 onion
  • 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg
  • Pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg each
  1. Mince onion in the CH-210 large bowl (pulse 3 times)
  2. Add ground mixed meat, breadcrumbs, egg, salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and mix for 10 seconds
  3. Roll into bite-sized balls and pan-fry
  4. Can be frozen for 2 weeks. On the day, simply thaw and add sauce
💡 Time-saving tip: From mincing onion to mixing the meatball mixture, everything is done in one large bowl. Batch preparing and freezing before Golden Week will significantly ease bento making during the holiday.

📅 Golden Week Picnic Bento | Day-Before Preparation Schedule

Day Before 6:00 PM~
Prepare karaage marinade & start marinating chicken / Make meatball mixture & freeze
Day Before 7:00 PM~
Prepare vegetable namul & refrigerate / Make onigiri filling & mixed rice base
Day Before 8:00 PM~
Cook tamagoyaki & refrigerate / Fry karaage & refrigerate
Day Of 6:30 AM~
Cook rice & form onigiri / Simply pack refrigerated dishes into bento boxes. Done in 30 minutes!

❓ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1. How can I prevent food poisoning in my picnic bento?
Make sure to completely cool any pre-prepared dishes before refrigerating. On the day of your outing, use ice packs and an insulated bag, and avoid direct sunlight. Meat dishes like karaage and meatballs should be thoroughly cooked through. Dishes made with pickled plums or vinegar are less likely to spoil.
Q2. What's the trick to mincing onions with the CH-210?
Cut the onion into quarters before placing it in the CH-210 large bowl. Use the pulse function and process in 2-3 batches to achieve uniformly minced onions. Processing for too long at once can result in a paste-like consistency, so adjust as needed while checking the texture.
Q3. How long can I store pre-prepared dishes?
Karaage, tamagoyaki, and namul can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. Meatball mixture can be frozen for 2 weeks. Onigiri filling (mixed rice base) can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 2 weeks. Batch preparing before Golden Week will significantly ease bento making during the holiday.

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