Tuna and Tomato Bento

Japanese bentos are a beautiful way to express your love for your family. Tuna is full of omega-3 fatty acids and great for heart health. Tomatoes are chock full of vitamins A, B6, C and K.

A dash of soy sauce atop this combo of tuna and tomato in sticky Japanese white rice is sublime. The tuna and soy sauce contribute salt and the tomatoes sweeten the rice.

Popular in America are mayonnaise mixed sushi rolls. Feel free to add to taste. Also, if you want to add a crunchy component, try fried onions. (The kind in the can.)

This tuna and tomato bento is also a great project to enjoy with children.

Ingredients:

1 cup of cooked Japanese white rice (short-grain)
½ cup tuna flakes
Note: I used ½ a can Chicken of the Sea Tuna contained in water.
Use tuna stored in oil if you'd like a salad dressing-ish gloss on your tomatoes.
1 small Roma tomato
Note: Your favorite tomato is fine. I like the Roma because its not quite as watery as other tomatoes.
1 small yellow tomato for garnish and to add to the bento box, if desired
Soy sauce (or salt or mayonnaise or other favored seasoning)
2 cheese sticks, cut into bite-size pieces
1 carrot, cut into sticks
Candies..and whatever else you want to add to your Japanese bento box!

Directions:

Let your cooked rice cool so you can comfortably handle the grains.
Dice your Roma tomato.
In a bowl combine the tuna flakes with the diced tomato and rice.
Add any mix-ins: Mayo, fried dried onions, crushed Japanese rice crackers.
When combined, take plastic wrap and scoop up the mixture to form triangles.
Note: If you don’t use plastic wrap, you’ll need a bowl of water nearby to constantly dip into for your sticky rice covered fingers.
If you like butter, you can also slightly grease your hands and handle the rice that way.
You can also use a cookie cutter. Or order accessories online specifically designed for creating fun shapes with rice.
Arrange the tuna, tomato rice balls with the cheese bites, carrot sticks, candies and soy sauce into a bento box.