Monomeshi vol.2
~ Lunch for Monosus members ~

What do you usually do for lunch?

Making lunch boxes and going to the usual shops.
Time between work and taking a break is an important thing.
You can probably tell a little about a person by how they spend their lunch.

This time, it's the second installment of Monomeshi, where we take a look at what Monosus members have for lunch!
This time, we will be reporting on lunchtime activities by our members cooking in the kitchen at our Yoyogi office, as well as our members at our satellite offices in Kamiyama and Suo-Oshima.

Do your best with what you have.
My dish doesn't have a name.

Today's Lunch

Japanese-style pasta made with various vegetables left over at home

Today's Key Points

I've gathered together some vegetables that are on the verge of going bad in the fridge.
I always buy vegetables from the local greengrocer run by my landlord, and today I bought okra, morning glory, and nameko mushrooms. I like mushrooms, so they feature often.

First, cut the vegetables.

I boiled some water and poured Japanese soup stock into it. I told everyone I could use this Japanese soup stock and put it in the fridge, but it didn't seem to run out.

Then add the pasta and vegetables.

Cover and boil for 5 to 7 minutes. During this time, I wash the dishes and check my emails. When it has absorbed most of the water, I check it, remove the lid, and let the water evaporate.

Finally, drizzle on some chili pepper and olive oil and it's done!

How do you usually make it?

At our company, we basically make things that can be completed using one frying pan and one plate.
Pasta or rice porridge. If I make multiple dishes at work, it takes a long time to eat them, so if I make just one dish, there's less washing up to do. I also think it helps keep my utility bills down.

One-pot, one-pan cooking was popular for a while, so I made a lot of different things at the time, and pasta with a sauce can be made really delicious using this method.

What made you start making them?

Eating out is boring and expensive. I used to make my own bento lunches, but I'm not good at mornings, so it's hard to make them, and I don't like cold rice very much. The members of the coding factory started making them, so I started making them too, and now I make them two or three times a week.

Cooking tips:

My cooking basically doesn't have a name. I just make things with what's around.

Since I was in elementary school, I often cooked dinner for my family.
I live in the countryside and the supermarket is far away, so I naturally learned to make food with what was in the fridge.

If you don't have that item, you can substitute it with something else.
For example, if you don't have wine vinegar, you can try adding fruit juice to grain vinegar.
You can also have paella with sake instead of wine! It's a completely different dish, but it was delicious (laughs).
Come to think of it, maybe I inherited the spirit of creating things with what I have from my mother.

Other than pots, I don't have any particular preferences for tools, and I make everything with the "I'll do my best with what I have at hand" mentality. I even use a regular knife to cut carrots into decorative shapes.

We use whole wheat flour instead of wheat flour, and when we make tempura with it, it becomes chewy. It has a different flavor in itself.

What's your favorite menu item?

White rice. I can eat three bowls of white rice alone.
People ask me if I need miso soup or other side dishes, but it's totally fine!

Next up was lunch for the Kamiyama satellite office members.
Members of the Kamiyama office can enjoy lunch at Kamaya, the Food Hub Project 's cafeteria, as a more affordable alternative to the company cafeteria.

However, when work gets busy it can be difficult to attend.
Today, I was told about my visit after a long time.

"This is a place to enjoy vegetables."
When you come to Kamaya, your brain recognizes this.

Today's Lunch

Unfortunately it's raining today.
Seven of us, including members who had come from Yoyogi for satellite work, went to Kamaya together.
Kamaya is about a 5-minute walk from the office.
Along the way, the scenery is wide and you can see mountains, which is a nice change of pace.

Arrived at Kamaya! Today's menu is...

• Chestnut pumpkin potato salad
• Potato Fried with Coriander
• Carrot and fried tofu salad
• Sukumochi and eggplant namul
• Stir-fried Sudachi Chicken with Sichuan Pepper
• Miso soup
• cooked rice

Fill a plate that is half full with whatever you want, in the amount you want.

Today, the most delicious dish was the stir-fried Sudachi Chicken with Sichuan Pepper, which had just the right amount of spiciness.
Recently, pumpkins and eggplants have been appearing a lot due to the season.

What I like about Kamaya Lunch

Actually, I don't really like vegetables that much, but at Kamaya, I no longer have any aversion to them.
I don't usually eat much pumpkin, and I actually don't like eggplant either.
However, when I come to Kamaya, perhaps because of the atmosphere and cooking methods, my brain registers the feeling that "this is a place to enjoy eating vegetables," and I am able to enjoy the food.
Today I realized that pumpkin can also be used in salads.

What's your usual lunch?

In the previous article on Monomeshi, I saw Hata Mine making a hamburger bento, and I actually made bento for a while. I enjoyed being able to organize the meal the way I wanted and concentrate on it.

But now I'm busy, so I basically eat rice balls and store-bought soup. That sounds a bit like an office lady (laughs).
I wanted to continue making things myself, so I make my own rice balls.

Before going to work, I wake up by eating rice balls.

I think onigiri is a very deep subject. I try changing the ingredients every day and researching a little bit at a time.
I heard on TV recently that it's better not to squeeze it too hard and to just make it fluffy, so I decided to try that.
I bought some salted salmon for onigiri. I try to use the fried chicken fillings in the onigiri at convenience stores, which overturns my preconceived notions.

I want to eat healthy meals that also include vegetables. From now on, I want to continue to choose meals that will keep me in good condition even when I'm busy.

Finally, we have lunch for Vice President Nagai at the satellite office in Suo-Oshima, Yamaguchi Prefecture.

If there are no restaurants, you can make one yourself.
It's ready in 10 minutes using vegetables picked from the field.

Today's Lunch

Today's menu is pasta with meat sauce and pumpkin soup.

Today's Key Points

All the vegetables used in the cooking are from our own fields. Today we have gourd pumpkin, onions, and green peppers. Pumpkins and green peppers are in season now.

How did you make it?

Coarsely chop the onion and bell pepper, fry them with the minced meat and season them. Microwave the pumpkin, then blend it with the milk, salt and pepper in a blender.
It's all done in the 10 minutes it takes for the pasta to boil!

It was a simple yet delicious lunch.

What prompted you to create it?

There are no restaurants around the office in Suo-Oshima, so I make it almost every weekday.
When I'm in the Yoyogi office, I eat out a lot, and a meal of pasta would cost me about 1,000 yen, but today I think it was about 100 yen per meal.
Lack of choice led me to start cooking for myself, which is cheap, tasty and nutritionally balanced.
It's nice not to have to go outside even on rainy days.

What are your tips for making lunch?

It basically takes 10 minutes to make.
I usually rotate between pasta, udon, soba, fried rice, and ramen. I try not to spend too much time worrying about what to eat for lunch.
In Yoyogi it would take 10 minutes to go to the store and 10 minutes to come back, but now it takes 10 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to clean up.

What's your favorite menu item?

Hmm, I don't really have any particular feelings about lunch...

How was your lunch time in Yoyogi, Kamiyama, and Suo-Oshima?

Kamaya's lunch menu includes pasta made with ingredients you have on hand in one pot, and pasta made in 10 minutes with freshly picked vegetables. It automatically puts you in the mood to enjoy vegetables.
Although they were busy, everyone enjoyed their lunch break.

I would also like to do a special feature on food and drinks.