Cucumber & Carrot Stuffed Chikuwa for your Charaben

This is a light and delicious drinking snack. All you have to do is slide a cucumber into chikuwa to create this visually appealing bento item or appetizer.Leaving the tip of the cucumber intact, moisten it and the chikuwa to make it easier to slide through. If you push it in too hard, it will tear, so be careful. Recipe by Heartful Kitchen Rei

This is an easy standard side dish recipe!Nothing, really. Recipe by Ayumin

My mother used to put this dish in my bento lunchbox when I was a kid.Since the chikuwa are already cooked, they are safe to put in a bento lunchbox as a side dish.When you have time, if you let the chikuwa cool in the pot, they absorb the flavour more and they will be even more delicious.Adjust the flavor of the chikuwa to preference. Recipe by Poron526

This variation on cucumber chikuwa is a great drinking snack and an easy way to fill up spaces in a bento. Fill it up with whatever you like ♡ It's delicious with mentaiko or burdock root ♪So that the cucumber doesn't tear the chikuwa, use a vegetable peeler to shave the cucumber. Recipe by Heartful Kitchen Rei

I found it too much work to try to stuff cheese into the holes of chikuwa, so I started rolling them instead, and progressed to this stage. I've been making this for my family for 5 years - it's a long-running hit!The key is to adjust the way the cheese and shiso leaf are layered so that they don't get stacked up at the end of the roll. Although it's a bit extra work, score the chikuwa since those scores are really important in making the chikuwa easier to roll. Recipe by Karumichan

I came up with this when thinking of what I could use in a bento.Just boil the okra, let cool, and stuff into chikura. The okra is rather short, so there's not much leftover. If you boil the okra the day before, it's even easier. Recipe by Yuuyuu0221

I made this as a drinking appetizer. Recipe by Shiroi grape

I wondered what I could insert in chikuwa to make them fun. Broccoli makes them cute, easy, and useful for character bentos. After making these, I added mayonnaise and they tasted like a yummy salad.These are convenient in bento as they sit upright. Make sure the broccoli is not too big or it will look unruly. Recipe by Kagocha-

I had some chikuwa fish sticks and wiener sausages in the fridge, so I kind of forced them together to make a cute charaben item.If the nori seaweed won't stick, use a tiny bit of mayonnaise as 'glue'. For 2 chicks. Recipe by Mai*Mai

Thinking that cucumber rolls wouldn't be quite satisfying enough, I tried making the rolls with cucumbers stuffed in flavored chikuwa.It's best to go a little sparingly with the sushi rice.Try spreading a touch of wasabi if you like. For 2 rolls. Recipe by Poron526

I thought up a good way to fill in the small gaps of my charaben!The thinner you can slice the fish cake, the easier it will be to use.They're also delicious stuffed with tuna and mayonnaise, salmon and mayonnaise,wasabi, mustard, etc. Recipe by Otometeo

The mayo sesame dressing is delicious. This is a quick and easy dish to make. Besides cucumber, broccoli stems are also tasty!About this recipeThis is part of my favorite mayo sesame series. Adding chikuwa gives it a bit more volume. Broccoli stems don't release much moisture, so it's still delicious the next day.

I love marinated squid, but squid is quite expensive, so I cooked this recipe with inexpensive chikuwa.It's an easy recipe which doesn't even use a stove. Recipe by JUNSEI mama

I came up with this recipe for a bento item.Be careful not to burn them.They're also visually appealing cut in half and skewered with toothpicks or plastic cocktail picks. Recipe by uzukaji

I created this recipe when I was trying to come up with an easy and delicious side dish which uses my favourite chikuwa, and ingredients I had at home.It will also be delicious to use tomato ketchup or cheese as a substitute for mayonnaise.It's really hot so, be careful when you eat! Recipe by Momijiy

I thought up this recipe as a bento filler.If you tie the chikuwa too tightly, they'll break, so be gentle. Recipe by Bu-nyanm

I wanted to cook one more side dish, so I used chikuwa fishcake sticks which I had on hand in the refrigerator.Baking the chikuwa fishcake sticks too long will make the chikuwa expand and mayonnaise will overflow.It's ok to bake it until the tops are lightly browned. Recipe by Koumasamam

I tried wrapping chikuwa with cream cheese and shiso leaves, and it became a delicious little item! I've been addicted to these ever since. I enjoy them with wine or beer!Use as much cream cheese as you like. I use about 1 tablespoon per chikuwa. For 3 rolls. Recipe by Miruchan mama

I like creating a variety of crispy chikuwa dishes.They are hot, so please be careful not to get burned.They burn easily, so check on them often. Recipe by Momijiy

I thought up a new way to use my freshly pickled umeboshi from this year.I suggest using a thick chikuwa since they give a nice texture. Recipe by Snow*Love

I wanted to cook an easy drinking appetizer with chikuwa.Shredded cheese is the same as thinly sliced natural cheese. It's mainly used in dishes similar to pizza. Recipe by TOMOMO

Cucumber chikuwa is a great appetizer, and I made it to be more voluminous! You can eat a lot of these spring rolls in place of a salad I stuff chikuwa with whatever I fancy to enjoy various kinds of fresh spring rolls.It's quicker to rehydrate rice paper wrappers in hot water, but they will be difficult to handle if they soften too much. So you won't fail much if you rehydrate them in water until you get used to making fresh spring rolls. If the rice paper wrapper is too hard to roll, it will soften with the moisture from the vegetables, so let them rest for a little. The rice paper wrapper will soon soften enough to roll. Recipe by Heartful Kitchen Rei

I like fried hanpen fish cakes with cheese, so I used chikuwa instead the the results were delicious.It became even more tasty when I rolled in shiso leaves .It is important to fry these up quickly over a high heat!The cheese will melt and seep out if you try them for too long...You don't have to add in the yukari but if you add it and stack 2 leaves of shiso together, then it will become even more delicious with the increased fragrance of the shiso . For 1-2 servings. Recipe by Hamumaki

An easy-prep recipe using cucumber and chikuwa fishcake sticks. I love the combination of vinegar and ra-yu hot sesame oil.Use Ra-yu (hot sesame oil) to taste, but perhaps more is better? Recipe by mama deko

My mother-in-law showed me this way to eat chikuwa.The hole in the chikuwa is large, so be sure to cut the cucumbers to an appropriate size. Even if the crab meat may appear slightly loose, as long as the cucumber is snugly packed, they should turn out fine. Recipe by Kazapi-

I came up with this recipe as a drinking appetizer that'll still delicious even if made in advance.When you cut the ham into round strips, if you cut them a bit wider than the chikuwa, the ham sticks out from the chikuwa like flowers and they look cute.You can substitute mayonnaise with ketchup if you like.　It might be cute if you change the asparagus to some other ingredient. Recipe by mybinue

These double cheese chikuwa make fantastic snacks and side dishes. I thought they'd be even more delicious than regular cheese chikuwa if I added a crispy layer of cheese on the outside too. .You don't need to oil the pan as the oil from the cheese will be sufficient. When the bottom of the cheese starts to crisp, it'll be easy to unstick so don't interfere with the cooking until that point. Recipe by AyakoOOOOO

I mostly use rice with mixed grains, vegetables, fish ( or low calorie meat ) for my husband's bentos, to combat his weight problem. This recipe is a favorite that makes frequent appearances in his bentos!Besides chikuwa, you could use boiled and dried baby sardines (chirimen jako) and tuna too Crush the roasted sesame seeds between your fingers instead of sprinkling them as is for a richer sesame aroma. Instead of using chili pepper, using ichimi togarashi (Japanese red chili pepper powder) or shichimi togarashi (Japanese red chili pepper mix) is also OK. For 4 servings. Recipe by Renbasu

My husband loves the combination of mayonnaise and yuzu pepper paste. I mixed them with cucumber and chikuwa to make an easy side dish.None in particular. Adjust the amount of mayonnaise and yuzu pepper paste to taste. For 2 to 3 servings. Recipe by happy sky