Tsum Tsum Sushi Rolls! One of my new year resolutions is to give my  blog greater attention and more love. After my leg injury last year, it has been rather difficult getting back my mojo to blog regularly – an affair that I used to do almost daily.

So starting today, I will be sharing many of the postings that I have made but had not the chance to post them here. I have been posting much more regularly on my Instagram than my blog over the past one year :P.

Many of you would know that I enjoy making decorative sushi rolls, also known as kazarimaki sushi. My second cookbook ‘ Kawaii Deco Sushi’ was dedicated solely to recipes for decorative sushi rolls.

I also like to create Disney characters in my sushi rolls. Especially Tsum Tsum characters.

Being cute and roundish in shape – making them easier to be replicated in sushi rolls.

To start the week, let us enjoy some lovely Disney Tsum Tsum Sushi. I cannot decide which ones I like better, so here a compilation of some of the Tsum Tsum sushi I made.

Frozen series~~~ Elsa the Snow Queen, Anna and of course, the adorable Olaf.

We have good old Winnie the Pooh and friends!

Here is Mickey and Minnie together with Donald and Daffy. 

And not forgetting the Disney princesses – Tinkerbell, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty.

Ever since I started my journey in bento making, I remained very thankful to the various opportunities I have received.

So imagine my excitement when I was invited to Tokyo to teach a kazarimaki sushi  workshop. Thank you Japan Awaits for hosting me.

I hope I will have the chance to teach in Tokyo again soon.

Here are some photos from the workshop from one of the sessions. It was so much fun teaching everyone – thank you so much for coming.

Final shot of the Tsum Tsum sushi created during class!

Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More info on my bento cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Bento’  here and my 2nd cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Deco Sushi’ out now in stores here!

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Happy that I finally got this recipe post for baked cream cheese tart up on my blog.

Ever since the Hokkaido’s BAKE cheese tart hit Singapore shores earlier this year, everyone has gone crazy for their yummy tarts. I personally love them too, but since I usually prefer to buy & eat them when I am back in Japan (read: no queue).

I guess the other alternative is to try baking some myself too. :) So I started baking these tarts about 2 months back.

Since then I made a few rounds of these baked cream cheese both plain and also with character designs.

The recipe was adapated from Michelin Guide Sg.

This time i decided to make them into Winnie the Pooh bear designs, and with little bumblebees too!

Aren’t they cute?

It is recommended that you use Hokkaido cream cheese for an authentic taste.

Hokkaido cream cheese also gives a more delicate and softer texture to that delicious cream cheese filling.

However, you can use the regular cream cheese that you can get from your supermarket most convenient for you.

Have fun baking these Winnie the Pooh Baked Cream Cheese Tart!

Tart Crust

150g cake flour

75g unsalted butter (cut into small cubes)

30g icing sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp milk

0.5 tsp vanilla bean paste

Cream Cheese Filling

200g Hokkaido Cream Cheese (or other cream cheese brand you use)

20g Parmesan cheese

30g unsalted butter

1/4 tsp salt

100ml milk

1/2 vanilla bean pod OR 0.5 tsp vanilla bean paste

30g icing sugar

8g corn starch

1 medium size egg

1 1/3 Tbsp lemon juice

For egg wash

1 egg yolk +a few drops of water

METHOD

Prepare Tart Crust Part I

this recipes makes about 9-11 tarts (this depends on whether you are making designs or just plain). In this case, for Winnie the Pooh, I made 9 tarts and use the remainign dough to create the ears and bumblee details etc.

Add the ingredients in a bowl.

Use a scrapper, dice up the mixture quickly until they resemble crumbs.

Transfer onto the worktop, press and knead until they come together.

Tip: Stop once they come together, do not knead too long as the butter will melt a lot and you will get an oily mess.

Spread into a round disc of about 1 inch thick. Wrap with cling wrap and set in the chiller for about 45mins to 1hour.

In the meantime, move on to prepare the cream cheese filling. 

Cream Cheese Filling 

Using electric mixer, beat the egg until thick and fluffy.

Place the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, milk, butter, salt in a bowl. If you are using vanilla bean pod, cut open, scrap the beans and add into the mixture. If not just add the vanilla bean paste directly here.

Heat the mixture over water bath until all the butter and cheeses melt into an even creamy texture.

Remove from heat. Sieve in the corn starch and icing sugar. Using a hand whisk, whisk to achieve an even mixture with no visible clumps.

Then add in the egg and using hand whisk, whisk quickly to achieve an even mixture.

Place the bowl back into the water bath and turn back on the heat. Keep mixing.whisking until the mixture thickens and you can a smooth, slightly glossy, custard-like texture.

Remove from heat.

Add in the lemon juice, whisk to achieve an even mixture.

Transfer the cream cheese custard filling into piping bag and set in the chiller. 

Tart Crust Part II

Remove the tart crust dough from chiller.

Butter your tart tins. Preheat oven to 180c.

Roll out to about 3mm thickness. using a bowl or round cutter, cut the dough and transfer into your tart tins. Using your thumbs, gently press the sides and trim/cut the excess edges using scrapper.

Use a fork, prick the base. This is to prevent the tart crust from rising when blind baking the crust.

Repeat for all tart tins.

Using the excess dough, cut out small round circles for Pooh’s ears, as well as the oval and halved heart shape for bee and its wings. 

Baking 

Bake the tart tins at 180C (with fan on) for about 8mins. In between at around 6mins mark, you may need to remove the smaller pieces of Pooh’s ears and bee shapes.

Remove from oven. Let it cool slightly. Remove the crust from tart tins.

Pipe in the cream cheese filling. Brush gently a layer of egg yolk wash.

Bake at 250C for 8mins or until the edge is nicely brown and top starts to brown just a little.

Remove from oven.

Decoration, Final Assembly

Make two slits at the top left and right corner of the tarts, slide in the round cookies for Pooh’s ears.

Pipe melted chocolate for eyes/nose of Pooh bear as well as the details of the bee. I stuck the bee on the tarts using some melted chocolate behind. 

Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More info on my bento cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Bento’  here and my 2nd cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Deco Sushi’ out now in stores here!

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The post [Recipe] Pooh Bear – Baked Cream Cheese Tarts appeared first on Little Miss Bento.

I made numerous Tsum Tsum bento / foodart / sushi  etc, that I have already lost count. Many of them have been posted on my Instagram, at least for the last 3 months or so after my leg injury.

Here is a brand new post on Mermaid Tsum Tsum Bento!

I wanted a breakaway from the usual Tsum Tsum characters like Mickey, Minnie, Pooh… you get the drift. And decided to make the Little Mermaid Tsum Tsum characters.

Partly I was inspired by the cute glass bottle decoration that I got at 3 coins in Japan, it has sand and cute little seashells. Also also because the weather has been crazy warm these days and I really would want a dip in the pool.

There are many characters of the Little Mermaid Tsum Tsum series, but since I am only making one lunchbox, I decided on Ariel the mermaid, Sebastian and Flounder.

Hopefully next time I will make Ursula too. haha. 

I always try my best to use natural ingredients to colour and complete the characters in creating my cute bento lunches. With the exception of Flounder’s fine details, most of everything else is made with natural food ingredients).

• Ariel (face=rice + ground roast sesame, hair = beetroot udon noodles, eyes/nose=sushi seaweed, star = egg sheet)
• Sebastian (face=rice + ebikko, pincers= tomato, eyes/mouth= sushi seaweed)
• Flounder (face=rice + egg yolk, fins=egg white with blue food pen, eyes mouth= sushi seaweed)

I think the most tricky part of this Little Mermaid Tsum Tsum bento wrapping the noodles around the rice ball to form Ariel’s hair. haha.

The side dishes included mizuna salad, lettuce, boiled egg and otah (spicy mackerel fishcake).

Have a great Monday hope this cute Little Mermaid Tsum Tsum bento cheers you up!

Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More info on my bento cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Bento’  here and my 2nd cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Deco Sushi’ out now in stores here!

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Tsum Tsum Sushi for lunch.

Getting back to the bento/foodart making groove for a bit before the long weekend. WOO HOO! Totally love long weekends~~

Have got to enjoy it while it last since the beginning of the new year has lesser public holidays.

I baked some Tsum Tsum bread but that will be for tomorrow’s posting. (Super excited though and can’t wait to share them with you).

But first, sharing with you these cute dango sushi balls, designed and created to look like the characters from Tsum Tsum Disney game.

Can you recognise all of the Tsum Tsum characters?

We have Piglet, Pooh Bear, Donald Duck , Mickey, Daisy Duck and Pluto Dog.

Mainly made out of sushi rice, I coloured most of them naturally except the ears of piglet where I used some pink colouring to achieve the darker tone. You can use other ingredients like ham to make the ears.

I shape the sushi rice into balls of around 30-35g, and added the details using sushi seaweed/slice cheese etc. 

The side dishes for today’s Tsum Tsum sushi lunch are some sauteed vegetables, with prawns and egg. You can pair the sushi with your own favourite side dishes/meat etc.

Used my sushi board from Bento & co today.

Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More info on my bento cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Bento’  here and my 2nd cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Deco Sushi’ out now in stores here!

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Winnie the Pooh Xmas Toast!

It has been sometime since I made kawaii open toast. This time it is Disney’s Winnie the Pooh!

Some of us instagrammers are getting together today for a Disney Xmas collaboration posting, so I thought that this would be a fun creation to make.

Besides, who wouldn’t love these Winnie the Pooh Xmas Toast treats?

Lets take a closer look at the kawaii toasts and the ingredients used. 

Winnie the Pooh

– Scrambled eggs, sushi seaweed, crabstick, lettuce

Tigger

– thinly sliced carrots, ham, sushi seaweed, cream cheese

Piglet

– Chicken and Picnic Ham, sushi seaweed, crabstick, lettuce

Xmas stocking

– Butter, desiccated coconut, red sausage, crabstick (white layer)

Xmas tree

– Butter, desiccated coconut, matcha jam, sprinkles, strawberry

I hope this will give you some recipe ideas to make cute Christmas theme food, snacks and bento.

If you like this Pooh Xmas Toast treats, I think you will also like the my earlier creations of Peanuts the Gang and Sanrio characters too.

Have a wonderful Thursday. Hang in there, one more day to the weekend!

Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More info on my bento cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Bento’  here and my 2nd cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Deco Sushi’ out now in stores here!

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Mickey and Minnie Tsum Tsum Bento.

This time in Japan I didn’t get to go to Disneyland, also didn’t plan for it since I was travelling alone. But I got to visit a few Disney stores and managed to get some of these new cute kitchenware/cutlery.

I picked up the Tsum Tsum chopsticks at Disney store located at Tokyo Skytree Solamachi, (also spotted them at Disney store in Yokohama).

Aren’t they cute. There are also designs in spoons and forks too. 

For today’s bento, I made two rice onigiris into Mickey and Minnie Tsum Tsum character.

Its quite straightforward, shape the larger circle for the head and two flat small discs for the ears, then wrap the needed parts with seaweed.

The eyes and nose were also seaweed which I cut out using small scissors. (I later realised that I forgot Minnie’s eyelashes OOppps).

Can you tell what Minnie’s ribbon bow is made of? Yes its the red layer of imitation crabstick.

And of course part of my trip is often to stock up on the latest cute food and kitchen stuff. So I was really thrilled when I spotted these Mickey and Minnie mini sausages again at a local supermarket in Shizuoka.

The Disney character prints on the sausages are really cute.

On the way leaving Japan back to Singapore, I was also super thrilled to discover this cute Mickey soy dish at Haneda Airport and immediately got one.

They even have Minnie version in pink but I figured that I was happy with just the Mickey soy dish.

Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More info on my bento cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Bento’  here and my 2nd cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Deco Sushi’ out now in stores here!

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Winnie the Pooh Bento

I had quite a bit of leftover rice from the bento workshop that I conducted, so I knew it was time to make some bento!

As I had to cook the rice in a huge batch for the class, this time I used some icing colours to prepare the rice and coloured them yellow. You can use my previous methods of mixing egg yolk, or egg soboro, or yellow deco furifake instead to avoid using edible colours.

Yellow rice~~ Pom Pom Purin? Gudetama? Winnie the Pooh?

Ended up making Winnie the Pooh bento :)

Winnie the Pooh is happily hugging a small jar of honey :) hahah are you happy like him too? 

For this bento, I made a more kawaii baby version of Winnie the Pooh. And here are the ingredients

– Yellow rice (Japanese rice cooked with some icing colour mixed with the water) *for head, body, limbs

– Seaweed *for facial features

– Imitation crabstick (red layer only) *for tee-shirt

– Mini sausage & slice chedder cheese *for hunny jar

Side dishes for my Winnie the Pooh bento included baked soy honey chicken wings, blanched broccoli, carrot and lettuce.

Packed my bento in one of my favourite boxes from Noda Horo Japan.

Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More info on my bento cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Bento’  here and my 2nd cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Deco Sushi’ out now in stores here!

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Tsum Tsum Bento!

Tsum Tsum is definitely one of the hottest things now (aside from Gudetama,… haha).

Started out as a LINE game, this Disney mobile game became a hit with people across the globe playing this stacking game. Titled Disney Tsum Tsum, which is translated as ‘Disney stack stack’, the game involves connecting at least 3 of the same characters that causes them to ‘explode’, gaining points and coins in the process. The longer the chain, the more you earn.

These cute Disney characters are all kawaii version of their original self, looking more baby like, and shaped like plush little beanies stacked on top of each other.

I have been putting off making Tsum Tsum, except a handful bento earlier but felt like creating one this morning!

Have you played Disney Tsum Tsum before?

Here is a glimpse of the game.

This is so popular that the game has spin off merchandise and products based on Tsum Tsum Disney characters.

It is pretty amazing the number of characters that have been already introduced into the game.

To make this Tsum Tsum Bento, the characters were shaped using Japanese rice.

I managed to make them in decreasing sizes, stacked on top of each other.

A total of seven Tsum Tsum characters. (Bottom up) Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Stitch, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Mike Wazowski (from Monsters Inc) and Perry (from Phineas and Ferb). The last two characters were actually not as familiar to me.

One of the most tricky part of making this Tsum Tsum bento is to ensure that all of them fit all inside the box.

But I managed to do it! So happy.

I did however wishes that I used ham for piglet’s nose instead as the pink kamaboko sort of ‘disappeared’ on the pink rice :P

The side dishes included sauteed pork slices, mizuna salad with cucumber and cherry tomates and some fruits.

Packed this Tsum Tsum bento in my white monbento box.

Tea towel is from ihanna, cute design right?

You might also noticed some slightly different way of taking my photos. Been playing around with a set of Nikon J4 camera and Nikon’s macro lens.

Still trying to get used to using a camera versus my usual iPHone. I do like the narrow depth of field effect in the photos :)

Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More info on my bento cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Bento’  here and my 2nd cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Deco Sushi’ out now in stores here!

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Beauty and the Beast Bento.

I am sure many are familiar with this well known French fairytale, Beauty and the Beast.

Popularised by Disney animation remake in 1991 based on this classic fairytale, as well as several other television/films spin offs.

Continuing my fairytale bento series, I decided to make this Beauty and the Beast bento.

In the story, Belle (the head strong village girl) ends up falling in love with the Beast, who is actually a prince fallen under a spell. Their true love transforms the Beast back to his original self and of course… they lived happily ever after :D

In the Disney animation, I fondly remembered some of the other characters including  Lumière the candlestick, Cogsworth the clock, Mrs. Potts the teapot, and her son Chip the teacup.

They were actually all the prince’s servants, also fallen under the spell and transformed into household objects.

I did not have time to make so many characters, so I only made Cogsworth the clock. Cogsworth is actually minced meat patty with its details added on using slice cheddar cheese and seaweed.

To represent Mrs Potts the teapot and her son, I used little rement pieces to decorate the bento.

Belle (Beauty) and the prince (beast) were mainly made out of riceball, with details added on including egg sheet (for hair, beard etc), seaweed (eyes, mouth), pink kamaboko (cheeks), seaweed and cheese (horns). 

Bento side dishes included sautéed French beans with carrots, lettuce and cherry tomatoes. I also cooked a pot of black chicken herbal soup (not pictured) to pack along for a wholesome lunch.

Packed today’s Beauty and the Beast bento in my magewappa box from Bento & co. The smaller bento box is from Afternoon Tea Japan.

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Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More info on my bento cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Bento’  here and my 2nd cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Deco Sushi’ out now in stores here!

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Winnie the Pooh Temari Sushi!

After making the Sanrio theme Temari Sushi bento, I have always wanted to make another character design temari sushi.

This time, I decided to go disney with Winnie the Pooh!

Inspired by Disney Tsum Tsum, I mentally planned out the sushi while grocery shopping and sketched the design out last night.

Decided to miss out Eeyore (sorry!) as I couldnt think of a nice sushi ingredient to use. I did not want to use it simply for colour.

Since I am going to eat this sushi meal, I wanted something that would look cute and tasted okay too. 

Can you tell the sushi ingredients used to make these Winnie the Pooh Temari Sushi?

Winnie

• sushi rice with crabstick mayo wrapped in thin slices of mango (head)
• mango slice (ears)
• seaweed (features)

Tigger

• sushi rice wrapped with salmon sashimi and ika sashimi )head)
• picnic ham (nose)
• salmon sashimi (ears)
• seaweed (features)

Piglet

• sushi rice mixed with salmon flakes and sakura denbu
• picnic ham (ears, nose)
• seaweed (features)

Hunny (honey) pot

• sushi rice wrapped with ‘aburaage’ fried tofu pocket
• egg sheet (honey and words)

I can’t wait to try making other character temari sushi foodart and bento creations.

Hope you like this!

Plated them on my wooden sushi board from Bento & co, and enjoying the cute Winnie the Pooh Temari sushi with a cup of Tsujiri Matcha Latte.

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Follow my bento creations, food art and food styling journey on my Facebook my page here or my Instagram here.

More information about my bento cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Bento’  here. My second cookbook titled ‘Kawaii Deco Sushi’ will be out in July 2015! 

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