Fruit Sushi (Week 4) Japan Recipe

Have you ever tried sushi? Do you even know what it is? Or do you hear the words “RAW FISH” and run to the next room?

I would have to call myself a conservative sushi eater. I love California rolls! I wouldn’t label that as adventurous though since all the ingredients are cooked. Strangely enough, the best sushi I ever had was actually in Nicaragua (you all know Nicaragua is in Central America, very far from Japan right?). The chef put a native spin on the sushi by wrapping some of it in very thin slices of plantain which are kind of like big bananas.

I figured if the Nicaraguan chef can make sushi native, so can I. Native, that is, for an audience comprised of a lot of children, mom & dads. Inspired by lots of fun photos I saw on Pinterest, I gathered a bunch of ingredients, spread them out along the dining room table and made all kinds of fruit sushi creations with my kiddos and their friend.

These are the ingredients I started with:

 Ingredients:

• Rice Krispies
• Fruit Roll-Ups
• Swedish Fish
• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Any other fruit you’d like to try, kiwi would be fun
• Sprinkles
• Shredded Coconut

Instructions:

Banana Sushi

1. Cut bananas into 1-2 inch slices
2. Wrap trimmed strips of fruit roll ups around the banana slices
3. Dip tops in shredded coconut or sprinkes
4. Another banana option is to roll the slices in peanut butter and coat with Rice Krispies

Rice Krispie Sushi

1. Make a pan of Rice Krispie Treats
2. Cut treats into small rectangles
3. Top with a Swedish Fish or fruit of choice
4. Wrap a thin strip of fruit roll up around the entire rectangle
5. Sprinkle with shredded coconut

Caution: Go easy on the banana sushi. The fruit roll up starts to get mushy when it’s wrapped around the banana slices, so eat it while it’s fresh! No doggie bags!

What about the real thing?

At the very beginning of this post I asked you what sushi is? Fruit sushi is obviously a kid fun and friendly recipe, but what about the real thing? To find out more about the real deal, read the book Sushi for Kids by Kaoru Ono. I did my best to read this book to my daughter before bed over a couple of nights. We learned a ton even though I fumbled my way through pronouncing the Japanese words and names.

Cutting Frozen Tuna at the Tsukiji Fish Market

Five Things We Learned About Sushi

1. Over 2000 years ago sushi was originally made as a method to preserve fish.
2. Sushi is made of vinegared rice combined with other ingredients including seafood and vegetables.
3. Tuna is a popular fish used for sushi.
4. Tuna fish are very large. The swordfish tuna can grow to 15 feet and weigh up to 1,100 pounds!
5. The Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo is the largest, and one of the busiest, fish markets in the world.

Want to Learn More?

This is an Amazon link. There are several used copies available for 1 penny! We checked this book out from our local library. I hope you find a copy and learn lots about sushi! Leave a comment to let me know what you learned!

 This post has been linked up at…

Jennifer Dawn
True Aim
Milk and Cuddles
Laugh and Learn Link Up

This post was also linked up at the Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop