My mother made ‘Bento’ lunch for my sisters and me for many many years. One of the memorable things of her ‘Bento’ is Cucumber that she cut decoratively, and those Cucumber pieces stood out in the ‘Bento’ box. Such a simple effort can make just a piece of Cucumber something special. I will show you some decorative cuts I know.

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Ingredients

Cucumber *firm & thinner one with no seeds and no watery parts is ideal

Method

1. Crown
   Cut 5-6cm in length. Using a pointy fruit knife, carefully make zigzag cuts in the middle part toward the centre all around, and divide into 2 pieces. You can add a little bit of Mayonnaise on top.
   
   
2. Leaf
   Cut 3-4cm in length and cut in half lengthways. Make ‘V’ cuts, and slide the V-shaped pieces and form into a leaf. You can keep the edges or trim them off.
   
   
   
3. Cup
   Make 4 or 5 diagonal cuts toward the centre, make same cuts 7-8mm above. Use the pointy end of the knife and cut the centre. You may wish to trim the bottom a little bit, so that the cup sits well. Cups are good to serve Wasabi for Sashimi Platter.
   
   
   
4. Rings
   Slice two 3-4mm thick discs, cut out the centre, and make them into rings. Cut one of them and connect the rings. You can connect multiple rings.
   
   
   
5. Ball
   Slice two 3-4mm thick discs, make cuts as shown in the picture, and connect the discs.
   
   
6. Bamboo
   Cut about 6cm in length. Cut the middle part in half about 2-3cm, cut one side diagonally, turn over and cut the other side diagonally, and divide into 2 pieces.
   
   
   
7. Fan
   Cut about 7-8cm in length, cut in quarters lengthways, and trim the edge. Cut 3/4 of each piece into 7 very thin slices and shape into a fan.