Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Freezing rice for faster bento packing...

I made a tad bit too much rice, so I thought well I could freeze some for speedy lunch packing. Instead of using my onigiri molds I decided to just shape the rice with my hands and let Diva dip them into sesame seeds. That way they would be smaller and fit better into the bentos and have some color to them. I did wet my hands occasionally when they got too sticky. This picture is of the rice frozen and ready to be put into a freezer bag, I do have a Foodsaver, but zip tops are easier when you want to take out a few pieces of food at a time. Next time I will freeze these on wax paper instead of a plate, they were kind of a pain to get off once they were frozen. When I am going to use these I heat them up to restore texture. They are soft and still taste good. I wouldn't put them into a bento frozen and expect to be able to eat them without heating first though, the rice would just be hard.
Edited to add-
you can season your rice with a little salt, sugar and rice vinegar or tamari or add flecks of nori, sesame seeds, dried fish etc. Or form them plain.
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6 comments:

  1. Hi, its me again. I'm new at bento . If i were to freeze them , do i steam them to heat them up or zap them in the microwave oven? I made some rice moulds for my 2 1/2 yr old Ashley to bring to kindergarten cos she wouldnt eat the fried rice or the fried noodles they serve there. She like her food plain and her vege seperateed.

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  2. HI there I Put a wet or damp paper towel over them and re heat them in tie microwave so they won't be hard once she gets to school

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  3. wow..thanks for the tips !!! You are a lifesaver. I made a batch the other day and froze them. Now all i have to do is just take one out whenever i need it. What a time saving idea !!

    Your little one is so cute, standing on her tippy toes helping you out in the kitchen !!

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  4. you're so welcome it's so nice to be able to make things go faster in the morning

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  5. I am a bit late here...lol
    Do you stuff the rice balls? What would be good for a vegetarian stuffing?
    Thanks!

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  6. you can stuff them
    most any veggies (cooked or steamed)
    mashed curry lentils would be good
    tofu doesn't freeze well I don't think

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