Panda Sushi

1. Make the sushi rice. I used this recipe.

2. Make the ears and eyes
   After a little more internet search for “how to roll sushi,” I figured I’d start small with the ears and eyes. I tried to tint some rice with soy sauce to make it black. It was brown. So I added a couple drops of food coloring. Cheating? I learned of “black rice” after the fact. So I spread out my own “black” rice on a bit of Nori and folded a small roll. Then I cut the excess Nori with scissors. (Can I do that?) Two small rolls for the ears, which I sliced into pieces, and two slightly larger rolls for the eyes.
3. The big roll
   I spread out my rice as instructed on a full sheet of Nori, wet hands and all, then used logic to determine the placement of the two eye rolls. I was a little off. But the roll went relatively well considering I was applying logic to a total unknown. Then I sliced the pieces.
4. Assembling the Panda
   I relied mostly on gravity and the sticky nature of things, but I used tiny pieces of dried spaghetti to keep some of the ears on. I used slices of baby carrots for the eyes (as in the photo), Arame sea vegetable strings for the mouth (tedious and difficult, since they are stiff), and I used a hole puncher on a piece of Nori for the nose (I already used scissors, I figured I could use a hole punch). A few slices of cucumber for “bamboo” (to add more than just rice, which I imagine is the dullest sushi ever) and I was done.

5. The result
   While my sushi recipe was simple for a new adventure (rice and a few veggie sticks? No raw fish?), my challenge was the rolling. I had never eaten sushi, rolled sushi, let alone tried to make art from the roll. Clearly I need a bit more finesse.  Not quiiiiite like this one, huh? But I’m pleased that I tried something totally foreign to me and with minimally recognizable–and even pretty tasty–results.

6. What I would have done differently

   I’d have started at an Asian supermarket. Since I was focused on the art of wrapping and my ingredients were simple, I thought I could get away with more conveniently located stores. Had I started at the right supermarket, I’d have learned about black rice. What was I thinking? Although the black food coloring worked, I’m pretty sure it’s not a Japanese delicacy. Mistake. Second, I’d have taken pictures of the mess in my kitchen after trying to make sushi.