In Lifestyle, Personal, Recipes, Savouries

collaboration: littlemissbento x v’s kitchen

Posted on June 24, 2014

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This is a blog post dedicated to my first Insta-collaboration with an amazingly talented bento artist, none other than the lovely Shirley, or otherwise known as @littlemissbento. I first met Shirley at a Japanese dessert event (read more here) and we clicked right away! We share a common penchant and affinity for all things Japanese (especially matcha!).

With her easygoing and bubbly personality, it’s always a joy talking to her. After a round of brainstorming, we picked Totoro as the theme of our collaboration. The plan was for me to provide a dessert that would complement the bento.

After contemplation, I decided on Totoro macarons! I’ve always wanted to attempt character macarons but never found the occasion to. I was really excited for our exchange as I’ve always adored her bento creations. The amount of detail, patience and hard work that go into every bento is commendable. So we met up last weekend morning over Tsujiri to swap our creations. Shirley kindly explained the process of making it as I marvelled at the bento.

How could anyone bear to eat such a pretty looking thing? I couldn’t stop gushing over it!

What’s in the bento:

Swiss button mushrooms, broccoli, tamago, sushi rice, nori, grilled salmon a fresh bed of lettuce and my Totoro macaron (black sesame/kuro-goma).

Well, I ate it eventually and wiped it clean! It was certainly as delicious as it looked! I usually avoid tamago but Shirley’s version might have converted me. I felt warm, fuzzy and lucky all at once as I was consuming the bento.

It was my first time making black sesame macarons. Initially, I felt rather apprehensive about how the Totoro macarons would turn out. I used freshly ground black sesame to achieve the grey hue of the macaron shells. A light and not-too-sweet black sesame cream was used to sandwich the shells together. Thankfully, the outcome was decent and the macarons were well-received by those who tried them.

Check out Shirley’s website for more mouthwatering pictures of her bentos. She has generously shared recipes so you can recreate them in your own kitchen! She also conducts workshops to share her love and passion for bentos.

You can also find her on her various social media platforms. Feast your eyes!