Serves 4 | Prep and cooking time: 1 hr 30 mins | Difficulty: medium | Cannot be frozen
Ingredients
For the rice pandas
250g sushi rice, rinsed in several changes of water
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp sesame oil
2 nori sheets
To serve
2 Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 daikon radish, peeled
1 small cucumber
16 baby corn
225g mixed cherry tomatoes
40g salad cress, snipped
4 mini soy sauce bottles
Method
1. Combine the rice with 550ml water in a large pan. Bring to the boil over a moderate heat, then cover and simmer over a low heat for 20-25 minutes until the rice has absorbed the water and is tender. Remove and set aside to cool for 10 minutes, still covered.
2. Fluff the rice with a fork and spread out over a large tray to cool, about 30 minutes.
3. Once completely cool, scoop the rice into a bowl and sprinkle the vinegar and sesame oil over it. Carefully mix with your hands, then divide into eight portions, packing and shaping them into panda shapes.
4. Cut 1.25cm wide strips of nori with a sharp knife. Dip in water to soften, then tie around the centre of the pandas.
5. Dip the remaining nori into water. Pat dry and cut into shapes for the panda eyes, ears, and mouths. Press on to the rice in place.
6. Line one side of the bento boxes with chopped Romaine lettuce. Sit the pandas on top.
7. Cut the daikon radish into thin rounds. Use a flower-shaped cutter to cut them into shapes. Cut the cucumber in half and remove the seeds before cutting them into batons.
8. Secure the radish flowers to the cucumber batons with a toothpick. Cut any remaining cucumber skin into little rounds to secure to the top of the radish.
9. Place the radish and cucumber umbrellas in the box alongside the baby corn.
10. Arrange the cherry tomatoes and cress in small paper cases. Place in the boxes before serving with the mini soy sauce bottles.
