One of the challenges in making bento is finding natural ways to make it colorful. I try to avoid using dye to color my rice. To make My Melody I had to source for Sakura Denbu. This is ground seasoned codfish with a sweetish flavor and is bright pink in color. I have been searching for this product since last year. I even have to ask relatives from the Westcoast to keep an eye out for this. I finally spotted one at our local Asian store early this Spring.

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To make, I added sakura denbu to my cooked rice and mixed it until I got my desired color. I used a plastic wrap to mold the rice in the shape of my melody. I decorated the face with nori and cheese.

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My Melody bento with edamame shumai, japanese sausages, red and yellow bell peppers.

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