OK so I like to play with my food. Is that such a bad thing? I mean, would you look at these cute little guys? Don’t you just want to eat them up?! I don’t know why I can’t just eat regular sushi like everyone else. If I’m not making this sushi salad, I’m whipping up sushi hamantaschen or sushi candy. Somebody save me from my sushi obsession!
And when I set my sights even higher, I make things like this incredible 3-tier sushi wedding “cake”. I made it for a charity fundraiser a few years ago, and people walked right past it thinking it was covered in fondant. The rose is made of pickled ginger and the leaves are molded from wasabi paste. Each layer is filled with a different vegetable and wrapped in nori “ribbon”.
The thing about sushi is – it’s sticky. So sticky, in fact, that when you try to work with it, it gets glued to your fingers. The trick is, to let some plastic wrap do the work for you. Just squeeze as tight as you can and the rice will mold itself into whatever shape you wish. And right now, I wish for adorable sweet little snowmen!
Snowman Sushi
1 cup sushi rice, cooked according to package directions
1 sheet nori
1 small carrot
wasabi powder
black sesame seeds
soy sauce
fillings of your choice such as kani, sushi-grade tuna, umeboshi etc.
Method:
With wet hands, take a small handful of rice and place it on a piece of plastic wrap. If you wish, you may add fillings to the rice at this point. Twist the wrap tightly so that the sushi compacts around the filling. Remove the rice ball and set aside. Repeat with remaining rice and filling.
Layer three of the rice balls one on top of the other. Cut a strip of nori and wrap it between the first and second sushi balls to resemble a scarf. Decorate the snowman using strips of carrot for the nose and black sesame seeds for the eyes.
Mix some wasabi powder with water to form a paste. Make small flat discs out of the paste and place it on top of the snowman to resemble a beret.
Serve with soy sauce and enjoy!
Other Sushi Recipes:
sushi salad
sushi salad II
kani salad
sushi hamantaschen (onigiri)
candy sushi
So flipping cute!!! I love how talented you are with sushi.
I am a huge fan of onigiri. These snowmen are ridiculously cute! Would totally stuff these with some spicy tuna!
Adorable! We must be on the same wavelength. I made sushi this Shabbat and had left over rice so I made a sushi family. I used a cookie scoop to make the rice balls. Love the hats on the snowmen. If you don’t mind sharing, what brand of wasabi do you use? I wasn’t crazy about the taste of mine – and would love to find an alternative.
So cute! I can’t believe the rice didn’t stick to the cookie scoop. I use Natural Earth Products wasabi powder.
Thanks. Living in Northern California has a lot of advantages – but you do need to be a bit of a sleuth to find ethnic kosher products. Fortunately, I enjoy the hunt. The cookie scoop I use has a lever to push the dough out and this helps, but yes, the rice does stick to it. I also add mirin and rice vinegar to the rice which might make it less sticky.
I don’t know where you live in Northern California but have seen that brand at the Whole foods in Cupertino if you are near there.
Love love love this idea – must try this for Tunie B. one day soon. you must check out leesamantha on instagram – you will be floored on what she could do with sushi rice!
xox Sarah
These are absolutely adorable. I want to make them for my kids lunches, they will love them!
Unreal! You sushi obsession is well founded — sushi is delicious. I don’t know if you have ever been to LA but the “sushi pizza” and “baseballs” at SushiKo are delicious!
Incredibly creative and gorgeous. You put a lot of thought and work into these. Brings new meaning to the concept of sushi!
These sushi snowmen are sooo cute!
I love your creativity. That sushi cake is genius! Love the ginger roses.
Amazing!! I can’t believe you made these, so cute. How did your kids feel about eating them?
Funny story there – my son loves avocado and he accidentally grabbed the wasabi the second he saw these (he thought it was avocado). He put it in his mouth and…you can imagine how that went! He’s traumatized now and won’t eat sushi or avocado.
LOL, I think everyone has a wasabi story, but he will get over it. My daughter once was snacking on peppers as I was cutting them and I didn’t realize when she took the jalapeno slice and it took her a while to come back to them, but she finally has.
These little guys are so adorably amazing – you have such creative ideas!! Keep up the creativity, I would happily eat any of your amazing creations!
Thanks so much Rachel, that’s so sweet of you to say!
Hi just to let you know I used your idea on my blog (http://parisian-at-the-antipode.weebly.com/blog/summer-christmas-creative-cook) – you are OF COURSE referenced back to – and they have to visit to actually get the recipe, I only used the picture.
If this is of any nuisance to you, please let me know.
And keep the lovely blog going :)
Thank you,
Roxane
Thanks Roxane!