June 18th is International Sushi Day, and we’re celebrating the occasion with ultra adorable Gudetama sushi rolls!
Naturally colored a rich Gudetama-yellow with the help of turmeric, these sushi rolls are jam-packed with a trio of pan-fried spam, tamagoyaki, and fresh tomatoes. Trust me, if you can make regular sushi, then you can 100% make Gudetama sushi! They’re perfect to gobble up for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (because, let’s face it, any time is a good time for sushi).
To really take these over the top, I made a sushi “stack” and placed a bacon “blanket” on top, complete with little Gudetama hands holding on tight. I know… it’s possibly too cute to eat. But it’s International Sushi Day… you have no other choice!
Craving more cute sushi ideas? Head over to my blog, Love At First Bento, or check out my Instagram, for all sorts of adorable and yummy sushi roll and bento box inspiration!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups warm, fully cooked sushi rice
- 2 sheets nori seaweed
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- Your choice of sushi fillings (I used tamagoyaki + fried spam + tomato)
- 1 yellow egg sheet (get the recipe HERE) (optional)
- Cooked bacon slices (optional)
Recommended Tools:
- Multi-purpose nori punch
- Bamboo sushi rolling mat
- Plastic wrap
- Scissors (sanitized for use with food)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Make the Decorations:
1. Take the sheets of nori seaweed and, using clean scissors, cut them so they measure approximately 18 cm x 10 cm. Reserve the scrap pieces of nori for the next step.
Create a Gudetama face from nori seaweed using a multi-purpose nori punch. If needed, use a small, clean pair of scissors to further cut the nori pieces into Gudetama shaped eyes and a mouth.
TIP: To more easily recreate Gudetama’s open mouth look, combine two pieces of nori together (one for the top of the mouth, another for the bottom) to create one seamless open mouth.
2. Create a Gudetama face from nori seaweed using a multi-purpose nori punch. If needed, use a small, clean pair of scissors to further cut the nori pieces into Gudetama shaped eyes and a mouth. TIP: To more easily recreate Gudetama’s open mouth look, combine two pieces of nori together (one for the top of the mouth, another for the bottom) to create one seamless open mouth.
Optional: Using either a wavy-shaped food cutter or a knife, cut out Gudetama’s “hands” from the yellow egg sheet. Repeat until you have the desired number of hands needed for each sushi piece.
Optional: Cut a cooked piece of bacon into “sushi-sized” pieces – this will become Gudetama’s bacon blanket.
Prepare the Rice:
3. Divide the prepared sushi rice into two equal portions.
4. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of warm water with turmeric powder and mix until dissolved. Add your homemade dye to one of the rice portions and mix until evenly colored. Feel free to add more turmeric powder until desired yellow color is achieved.
Assembling the Sushi:
1. Fully wrap your bamboo sushi mat in plastic wrap, then lay it flat so that the slats are horizontal. Place one of the 18 x 10 cm sheets of nori on top of the sushi mat (shiny side facing DOWN), with the shorter edge closest to you.
2. Add some yellow rice on top of the nori. Wet your hands with water and gently spread the rice until it evenly covers the entire sheet of nori, adding more as needed to fill in any gaps.
3. With wet hands, carefully pick up the nori and flip it over so that the rice side is facing down. Aim to place the nori near the bottom edge of the bamboo mat.
4. Place your fillings near the bottom-middle end of the nori, making sure to keep them tight together and horizontally aligned.
5. Grab the part of the sushi mat that’s closest to you and begin to roll your sushi awayfrom you, keeping the fillings in place with your fingers. Aim to cover your fillings with the first roll, then continue rolling until there’s no nori left, using the bamboo mat to tighten and shape the roll along the way.
TIP: Adding a little bit of water along the vacant edge of nori at the end of your roll will help things stick together better.
6. With a sharp, wet knife, cut your sushi roll into about 6 pieces (depending on how big you want them). Re-wet the knife in between each cut by wiping it clean on a damp towel.
7. Repeat steps 1 – 6 with the remaining portion of white rice to create 6 white sushi rolls.
Decorating:
Using tweezers, apply the nori facial features (eyes + mouth pieces) to the front of a yellow sushi roll. Feel free to use some mayo or honey to help them stick better. Use a picture of Gudetama as a guide for more exact facial feature placement. Repeat with remaining yellow sushi rolls.
Optional: Place a plain white sushi roll beneath your Gudetama sushi roll. Lay a cut piece of bacon atop the white sushi roll, so it looks like a blanket. Using tweezers, place Gudetama’s egg sheet hands atop the top edge of the bacon, using a bit of honey or mayo to help them stick on better. Repeat with all remaining sushi rolls.
EXTRA: If you want to get extra eggy with your sushi-making, try adding Gudetama oshizushi to your menu: a yummy slice of fried spam pressed between two thin beds of sushi rice, and then topped with a fried Gudetama egg for extra decadence!
Please note: Sanrio has invited, but does not necessarily endorse, the comments of this guest blogger. Any ideas or instructions for homemade products featuring Hello Kitty or other Sanrio characters are authorized for personal use only. A separate license from Sanrio is always required to sell or distribute any products featuring Hello Kitty or other Sanrio characters. The contents of this blog are the copyrighted works of Sanrio.