Temari Rabbit 2-Tier Bento #42

Asian baby corn salad, cucumbers, a bottle of soy sauce, Calrose rice, a mini Japanese mini hamburger, a slice of scallion tamagoyaki, an orange slice, and strawberries.

I adapted the mini hamburgers from this recipe. I didn't have all the ingredients she used and I also wanted to make a smaller batch to be sure I liked it before I tried again. They were great! Like some kind of little stovetop meatloaves. I could see this technique being used with a lot of different flavors. And they would probably freeze very well.

Japanese Mini Hamburgers
Makes 4 patties

Vegetable oil
1/4 stalk of celery, very finely chopped
2 baby carrots, very finely chopped
About 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion
1/2 pound 80% lean ground beef
2 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs
1 large egg, beaten
Salt
Pepper
3 tablespoons water
1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons honey

Heat about 1 teaspoon of oil in a nonstick skillet that has a lid. (You'll need the lid later.) Add celery, carrots, and onions and cook a few minutes until softened. Remove from heat and transfer veggies to a small bowl to let them cool.

After vegetables have cooled down a bit, mix them with the beef, bread crumbs, egg, and a bit of salt and pepper (use your own judgment here, but I'd say about 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper). Mix well with your hands.

Divide meat mixture into four equal portions. Roll into balls, then gently flatten each ball into a patty about 1 inch thick.

Heat about a teaspoon of oil in the skillet over medium heat. Gently lay the patties in the skillet and brown on each side. Add water to the skillet, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook about 5 minutes, or until the juices in the meat run clear.

Remove the skillet from the heat.

Mix soy sauce and honey, then drizzle over the patties. Set back on the heat and cook on high, turning the patties gently to coat in the glaze. Once patties are glazed, they are done.

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