How to Make Sushi With Kids

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How to Make Sushi With Kids

A fun, interactive, (and in this case, vegetarian) meal to make that's very kid-friendly. Takes some prep work on the grown-up's end, but kids are so excited to roll their sushi on up!

Chelsea Lyon 🍡

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Step 1 of 25

Gather ingredients (see supplies list below) 👇 Most can be found at any Asian market, including the bamboo sushi mats and kids' chopsticks.

Step 2 of 25

Pour dry rice into the pot. Rinse by filling up with warm water, swishing the rice around with your hand, then pouring out the water. Repeat until water is no longer cloudy.

Step 3 of 25

Add the water to the dry rice, cover, and flip rice cooker switch to "cook." Once cooked, pour rice into a mixing bowl to cool.

Step 4 of 25

To flavor the rice, heat the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan until sugar dissolves. Pour half onto rice and mix in. Rice that's too moist already may not need the second half.

Step 5 of 25

Gather the ingredients for the inside of your sushi, a grater, and a knife.

Step 6 of 25

Kids can grate the cucumbers and carrots. We used the kind that's child-proof.

Step 7 of 25

The grown-up can slice the cucumber into thin strips...

Step 8 of 25

... while kids can scoop out the cucumber seeds with a spoon.

Step 9 of 25

Slice the carrots also into long, thing strips.

Step 10 of 25

As well as the avocado.

Step 11 of 25

Now, gather all ingredients to be rolled into your sushi.

Step 12 of 25

Place a nori sheet onto the bamboo mat, shiny face down.

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*This is the part kids love! With wet hands, plop a handful of rice onto the nori and carefully spread with a rice spatula only about 1/4" thick. Leave about 3/4" of an uncovered area at the top.

Step 14 of 25

Form ingredients width-wise, but we scootched them down a bit more than this before rolling because the first rolling motion needs to capture all the veggies. I like them to stick out the ends a bit.

Step 15 of 25

Show kids to roll the nori over using the bamboo mat...

Step 16 of 25

... until one rotation is formed—meaning just when the bottom edge of the nori meets the rice.

Step 17 of 25

Squeeze the bamboo mat to tightly pack the roll's shape.

Step 18 of 25

Roll back the mat and finish rolling the sushi with just your hands. Then form the mat around the fully-rolled sushi to pack it tighter—otherwise the insides will fall out while being cut!

Step 19 of 25

In a light sawing motion (otherwise the knife will squish the round shape down), first cut the roll in half. If kids are old enough to use a knife, they may cut their own.

Step 20 of 25

Show them what the cross-section looks like and praise them! They get really excited to see this and seem awe-struck that they made such a pattern.

Step 21 of 25

Cut each half into three pieces, making six pieces in all.

Step 22 of 25

Present on a pretty plate faced upward. This one was mine...

Step 23 of 25

... and this one was an 10 year old's. Not bad! Just reiterate the light sawing motion when cutting, and to tightly squeeze the shape when rolling the sushi. Either way, it's delicious!

Step 24 of 25

We made some instant miso soup I bought from the Japanese market to complete our meal, and ate outside on the patio at sunset. *sigh* 😌

Step 25 of 25

Eating your own meal always tastes best, and in the end it doesn't even matter how it looks! TIP: Chopsticks are tricky for tiny hands, so you can provide clip things to keep them together at the top.

You're Done

Check out other guides by this author!

Chelsea Lyon 🍡

Santa Barbara, California

sweetanythings.wordpress.com

Kittehs, noms, design, learning, and lady independence. Instagram: chershi // Tumblr: chelsealyon // Pinterest: calyon

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24 Comments

Supplies

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Jessica Self

Santa Barbara, CA

Alyssa V

Wonderland

Karah Roy

Tanya Reyes

Steve Egerton

Fallbrook, Ca

Rochelle Hilton

Meowrry Sparkle

Paige Madi

Cami Patton Newman

Whitecourt, Alberta

Masan 9 .

Betsy R

Caz Draven

Miel Bondi López

Coyoacán, Distrito Feder...

Alexandria Duran

Tucson, AZ

Brooke Cranfill

Karen McKnight

Houston, Texas

Jacquelyn Fletcher

Marshfield, Massachusett...

White Zach

Memphis, TN

Kylie Bowers

Siobhan Carney

Jason Farrell

Bridgetown, Barbados

Bri N

Ro Begum

Cari Stilwell

Suzannah Whitford

Wasilla, Alaska

2 Cups Short grain sushi rice

2 Cups Water

2 Bamboo mats

1 Package of roasted nori

2 Cucumbers

1 Carrot

1 Avocado

3 Tablespoons Rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1 Teaspoon Salt

That's great, Palmer!

Chelsea Lyon 🍡 (author) 3 months ago

Making it today. Just need to find a bamboo mat...

Palmer Love 3 months ago

Super fun guide, thanks for sharing :-)

Shine W 5 months ago

Lov

Mags Kegel last year

Mmm sushi!

Smael Syt last year

Look like korea famous food... simple and well being food... Thanks !

CHO junwon last year

Seems delicious! You make the sushi very well(^-^)/ from japanese

Miwa Hirata last year

I am a 'kid' and I love making sushi solo! :D

Brianna Falconer-Nash last year

I love sushi but hate paying up the nose for it, now I can have a fun project that I can eat!

Stacy Monclus last year

Great! Thanks. Can't wait to try with my kids.

Raquel Tucker last year

@christopher yummmmm. Would love to see a guide on that!

Brittney Riley last year

@Ro: thanks! I don't know how to make kimchi but I definitely enjoy eating it. @Carolyn: I'm so excited this inspired you to give it a go! She's gonna love it. @Devon: you know my answer 😉@Jess: salmon would have been an excellent addition. Now that I've practiced with easy ingredients for kids, my next step is to of course add the fish. Nigiri sushi is even easier and tastes wonderful. I'll ask my local Japanese market for sushi grade fish and maybe do another guide. @Christopher: I've seen that done and I think it's so so creative! Make a guide?

Chelsea Lyon 🍡 (author) last year

CHELSEA!! you're featured too! look at us best friends and feature makers! haha good job, befri!

Jessica Self last year

For the kids I've used fruit roll ups in place of the nori, fresh fruit in place of veggies, and fresh homemade rice crispy treats for the rice. Yummmmmy with 5 m's

Rex Wholes last year

Raw salmon or crabmeat works well too! Can't live without salmon aha!

Jess Young last year

Is it okay to substitute bacon/fillet mingion bites for all those vegetables you're using? Or will that ruin the dish?

Devon Claire Flannery last year

Love that you include kids in this. My 7 year old has been asking me for ages to make sushi with her but I always thought it would be too fiddly for her. Will definitely give it a try now.

Carolyn's Sugar Free Treats last year

Do you know how to make kimchi? Thats korean.. This was fab!!!

Ro Begum last year

@H W ahahaha, that was awesome!

Jessica Self last year

Thanks all! @Jason I think in the future I'll try some dishes I remember having in Japan. Curries, maybe tempura udon soup... any specific requests?

Chelsea Lyon 🍡 (author) last year

Any more japanese dishes ?

Jason Farrell last year

I thought sushi was made with fish, not kids.....

Heather W last year

I love this guide! I think it's really important to involve kids in cooking, even if it takes a little longer.

Brittney Riley last year

you are awesome! thanks for sharing Chelsea! I have to do this with a small group of my preschool kids sometime! great guide!

Jessica Self last year

Be first to comment on Step 1.

no need, clean 2-3 times is ok, in this way the rice is more delicious

Hongyu Jing last year

Next time i make rice I'll try it and see how it tastes.

Heather W last year

Right! Whenever you cook dry rice, whatever method, rinse rice with warm water until the water is clear. This removes some excess starch so the rice tastes cleaner and the texture is just right.

Chelsea Lyon 🍡 (author) last year

I've never heard of doing this before though.

Heather W last year

I'm pretty sure it's to clean the rice ?!?

Krista Ivie last year

What is the purpose of doing this?

Heather W last year

Be first to comment on Step 3.

@Synku I found the flavoring recipe online and only used half of the solution, so it didn't taste too sweet at all. The subtle sweetness mixed with the rice vinegar in the sushi is delish, but flavor the rice however you like!

Chelsea Lyon 🍡 (author) last year

@Christa: Whoops, probably should have mentioned to check out the supplies list down below where I give all ingredients and their measurements.

Chelsea Lyon 🍡 (author) last year

How much sugar and salt do u put in?

Christa Hudson last year

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...Btw doesn't that squashed sushi piece at the middle look amazing?, I know it's smashed but it look like a flower or some dec at the middle :3

Hussain Kadhim last year

Yeah as a 10 old it's very Good!, I like the creative of my little brothers cuz if you look at the things they make from a different angle you will find it amazing, even their sketches that look like scribbles!, if they draw a sketch, tell them it's amazing and they would get better soon, btw doesn't that s

Hussain Kadhim last year

Thank you @Rane and @Danny!

Chelsea Lyon 🍡 (author) 6 months ago