Description
Sushi Balls (Temarizushi) Halloween Style offer a fun and festive twist on traditional sushi with a creative Jack-O-Lantern cat face design. These bite-sized sushi balls use seasoned sushi rice topped with various ingredients like smoked salmon, fried egg, cucumber, radish, and fish roe, shaped neatly using cling wrap and decorated with nori and mayonnaise. Ideal for Halloween parties or themed gatherings, this recipe combines basic sushi-making techniques with a playful presentation.
Ingredients
Scale
Rice and Seasoning
- 2 cups uncooked sushi rice
- 1 tsp konbu dashi powder (or 5cm kelp piece)
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1.5 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Toppings
- 1 slice smoked salmon (thinly sliced)
- 1 egg (fried flat)
- 1/4 small cucumber (thinly sliced)
- 1 small radish (thinly sliced)
- 1 tsp fish roe (for toppings)
- Nori sheets (for Jack-O-Lantern cat face decoration)
- Mayonnaise (for piping face)
- Soy sauce, mayo, and wasabi (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- Cook the Sushi Rice: Rinse the sushi rice thoroughly. Cook the rice either in a rice cooker or on the stovetop. Before adding water, mix the konbu dashi powder or place a 5cm kelp piece over the rice to infuse flavor as it cooks.
- Prepare Sushi Vinegar: In a small pot, combine the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Heat over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Create Jack-O-Lantern Nori Faces: Using nori sheets and a 6.5cm diameter cookie cutter, cut out 2 round nori sheets to serve as the cat faces.
- Cook and Prepare Egg: Crack the egg into a frying pan and fry it flat. Let it cool down, then use the 6.5cm diameter cookie cutter to cut out 2 round egg slices to top the sushi balls.
- Prepare Vegetables: Wash and thinly slice the radish and cucumber into small rounds for topping and decoration.
- Season the Rice: When the rice is cooked, remove the kelp if used, then pour the prepared sushi vinegar over the rice. Mix gently to coat all the rice grains evenly and let it cool slightly.
- Form Sushi Balls: Place a piece of cling wrap on your palm. Put your desired topping in the center, then add approximately 1/3 cup of sushi rice on top. Gather the cling wrap around the mixture and gently shape it into a ball by softly squishing it.
- Repeat Formation: Continue making sushi balls with various toppings such as smoked salmon, egg, cucumber, and radish.
- Plate Sushi Balls: Remove the cling wrap from each sushi ball and place them attractively on a serving plate.
- Decorate with Nori: Use chopsticks or tweezers to carefully place the pre-cut nori pieces on the sushi egg balls to create the Jack-O-Lantern cat face expressions.
- Pipe Mayonnaise: Using a piping bag or small squeeze bottle, draw cat face details with mayonnaise on the nori decorated sushi balls for an cute and festive look.
- Add Fish Roe Toppings: Sprinkle fish roe on top of the radish and cucumber sushi balls to add color and flavor.
- Serve: Present with soy sauce, extra mayonnaise, and wasabi on the side for dipping, if desired.
Notes
- Using cling wrap makes shaping sushi balls easier and helps keep them compact.
- Adjust sugar and vinegar in sushi vinegar according to your taste preference for perfect balance.
- Kelp or konbu dashi enhances umami flavor in the rice but can be omitted if unavailable.
- Ensure sushi rice is cooled enough to handle but not cold for best texture.
- For a vegan version, omit egg and fish roe and use vegetable toppings only.
- Use fresh ingredients for toppings to maximize flavor and presentation.
- Sushi rice cooker or stovetop cooking yields equal results depending on your equipment.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Japanese
Keywords: sushi balls, temarizushi, Halloween sushi, Japanese appetizer, sushi recipe, festive sushi, smoked salmon sushi, egg sushi, fish roe toppings, sushi rice
