Making character bento does not always need to be a rice based bento. Sharing with you this teatime teddy bear sandwich bento I made last week.

You can simply pack your favourite ingredients into your sandwich and then add other decorative food elements to ‘dress’ up the bento.

In this bento, I used mashed potato and seaweed to create the teddy bear character. Mashed potato is an ingredient that many kyaraben (character bento) artists have used and I am seeing more and more such creations. It is still consider quite a ‘new’ thing for me; I don’t think I have made more than 5 bento with mashed potato characters.

The good thing is that, it is a good dietary option for some of you who are not so much into rice. The mashed potato also allows for ‘mistakes’. For instance, if you accidently made a cut or a dent, there is no need to worry. You can just smoothen it out.

This whole bento took me under 40 mins to make!

I have another post also using mashed potato to share with you soon. Keep a lookout!

Shirley - Bento specialist, Singapore

Hello :) I am Shirley, a bento artist/chef and blogger. I started making bento back in 2011 as getting lunch was very inconvenient at work, and in 2012 my blog, Little Miss Onigiri was born. Bento making is a passion that I am fond of, and excited about. My head is often bursting with ideas on what to make. Even when I visit the supermarkets, I often imagine what I can make out of an ingredient or food product. Character bentos are my forte, but I also enjoy making usual bento lunches, bread, sweets and other decorative food items. If you like kawaii and and fun creations, I am sure you will enjoy my blog postings. I will continue to do my best and thanks for staying with me.