I had time this morning and really had a taste for something different, and I'm sure those of you who read my blog on a regular basis are tired of the same old rice veggie meat thing over and over. Unfortunately as today is the day I get my pay check, my cupboards are down to slim pickings. I'm out of fresh veggies, my fruits are down to grapes and oranges, both of which are looking not as fresh as they could be. So i'm digging in my freezer and I pull out a bag of stir fry mix. And again, I do kinpara and quick stir fry's a lot so I though eh, and tossed them back in the freezer then thought, wait... I have that other half of my curry roux I made a zillion years ago and froze. This is a simple, and quick meal, add meat for a more wholesome meal, or beans and veggie broth for a vegan curry.

Curry Recipe:
recipes.sparkpeop
le.com/recipe-detail.asp?r
ecipe=951618
2 cups broth (you choose)
1 bag of frozen veggies (again your choice, I made it with stir fry mix)
1/2 recipe curry roux recipes.sparkpeop
le.com/recipe-detail.asp?r
ecipe=951506

Toss veggies and broth into a medium sauce pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and pull out about a half a cup of the liquid. Mix the roux with the liquid. This is a bit tricky, a fork works well to break it up and whisk it together. Add back to pot and simmer until reduced by half. Stir often. The rough has cornstarch as the thickener, which reacts to heat. So it thickens quicker on the bottom, and gets hard, then burns... burnt curry is not good, no sir.

Contents of bento:
1/3 curry mix (about 2/3 cup)
1.5 servings of rice my usual medium grain rice
In the sidecar
2.5 oz of chicken "ham" that I had stored in the freezer
1/2 cup grapes
2 dove chocolate squares

Total calories: 488

It was very satisfying, bold flavors. The curry is spicy and has just a hint of heat, the chicken sweet and finely textured. The grapes sweet and tart draw the last bit of curry heat from your pallet, and of course the deliciously smooth chocolate makes my heart melt.

Now if you notice I have an unusual bento in today's picture, well that's because it's an unusual bento.

This cheap (and I mean cheap, $8 on eBay, including shipping) but sturdy hamburger shaped bento is perfect for donburi style meals. Donbury is a basically a saucy type food served over rice. Now if you have ever brought pasta, or rice and sauce together for a lunch you will notice that your noodles or rice get mushy. Well, the donburi style bento is perfect for this kind of lunch because it separates it until it is ready to eat.

It comes in three 4 parts.

The bottom is a large bowl shape and there is an inner section that looks like the meat of the burger that holds a small spoon and fork. The lettuce layer is where you hold you saucy food, like my curry. When it's time to eat you have enough room in the bottom bowl to mix your rice and donburi. This bento is great too, because it's made of a sturdier plastic that doesn't warp in the microwave or top rack of the dishwasher. It's not water tight, so you will have to make sure your sauce is thick enough that it won't leak. All in all it's great for curry, and there is enough room in the burger tier to store a treat or two! This is or should be a staple of everyone's bento collection. If your not into the hamburger style there are other donburi style bento's you can get but they are a little pricier. You can also do this in a two tier bento, putting the rice in the roomier tier, and the sauce in the smaller.