Candy Sushi

My kids love sushi, so serving sushi for Jammy's Lego Ninjago party was a no-brainer. This being Silicon Valley, most of my kids' friends love sushi as well, so we don't have to deal with any Gross! or Eww! comments. Just to be on the safe side, there will also be a plate of potstickers, and for an extra-special treat, I'll be making candy sushi. Actually, they are so easy and fun to make that I'll probably let the kids make their own!

I first came across candy sushi when I was scouring the internet for Lego Ninjago party ideas to steal, and found photographer Jenny Lee's post about the amazing Lego Ninjago party she threw for her son Cooper. The candy sushi immediately caught my attention, and even though she didn't include any instructions, it seemed pretty easy to figure out how to replicate this fun treat. For the sake of crafty parents and sushi lovers everywhere, I've documented how I made mine:


You will need:
* Rice krispy squares (you can make them yourself or buy ready-made Rice Krispies Treats)
* Gummy fish (I bought Swedish Fish from Ikea)
* Fruit roll-ups (I bought Fruit by the Foot; try to get a variety that's dark green, i.e. apple flavor, or purple, i.e. grape flavor, so it resembles nori as much as possible)



To make the salmon nigiri in Jenny's blog post, take a rice krispy square and cut or shape it into a rectangle. Lay a red gummy fish on top. Then wrap a length of fruit roll-up around the square and pinch the ends together at the bottom. Easy peasy!


After successfully replicating the salmon nigiri, I was inspired to create more types of sushi. One of my boys' favorite types is tekka maki (tuna roll), so I got to work. To make a candy tekka maki, take a rice krispy square and use the palms of your hands to roll it into a cylindrical shape. Cut the cylinder in half so you have 2 short cylinders.


Take a bamboo skewer or a chopstick and poke a hole through the center of the cylinder. Swirl it around a couple of times to enlarge the hole.



Use kitchen scissors to snip the gummy fish into thin pieces, with a length equal to the height of the rice krispy cylinder. Poke the gummy fish piece into the center of the rice krispy cylinder, and wrap around the sides with a length of fruit roll-up.

(Sorry for the ugly photos, by the way. The ones below are better)

Here's another variety of sushi you can make: ikura (salmon roe) maki. It has the basic cylinder shape like tekka maki, but you don't need to hole out the middle. Just make a small dent on top, fit it with icing and cover the icing with orange nerds or orange sprinkles.


I've always thought of tamago (Japanese omelette) nigiri as an ideal "first-time" sushi for people hesitant to enter the world of raw fish. What could be less "Ewww" than rice and scrambled egg? This candy version is even easier for picky eaters to try. Just top a rice krispy square with a sliver of yellow cake, then wrap a length of fruit roll-up around it.

Aren't they adorable? By the way, candy sushi (or any gummy candy) is great for teaching kids how to use chopsticks, because the sticky candy is so easy to pick up!