How cute are these Disney style sushi rolls? I spy a Hidden Mickey! These sushi rolls are modeled after those found at the Kona Cafe in Disney World's Polynesian Village Resort.
According to Disney Food Blog, Kona Cafe's kids sushi entree includes cucumber-wrapped crab rolls, chicken nugget rolls, shrimp tempura rolls, cucumber rolls, and a hidden Mickey roll! Depending on your server, they may or may not let you order this kids entree as an adult. But we don't have to ask anyone's permission to have it at home!
While called "sushi," this roll is simply sushi rice wrapped in nori (dried seaweed). In other words, there's no raw fish here. What a great way to acquaint kids with sushi!
So how do you get magenta-colored rice? Believe it or not, beets! That's right, it's an ingredient more commonly found in Disney parks and resorts' salads than their vibrantly-colored sweets. We love that this bright shade of magenta is made with plants instead of food coloring. For all you The Office fans, we know Dwight Schrute would approve!
Even better, these Disney style sushi rolls do not taste like beets! The recipe uses just enough gorgeous beet juice to color the rice without altering its flavor. This makes the dish more kid-friendly. Heck, we wouldn't even tell kids there's vegetables in here. Kiddos who love rice will surely enjoy this cute play on sushi!
While beets provide a gorgeous pop of color, you could easily try other sushi varieties as Mickey-shaped rolls. Just make sure that the ingredients you choose for the ears roll to a 1/2 inch diameter, and the head rolls to approximately one inch in diameter. Once rolled, each roll is a hearty size, measuring 2 inches in diameter.
For those who have never made homemade sushi before, it's pretty easy. Plus, you don't actually need any special tools. To simplify things, we use plastic wrap instead of a sushi mat.
The hardest part is making sure all the rice is packed in the right places so your Mickey shape looks best. We've done all the math for our recipe below, in order to give you the greatest chance of your Disney style sushi turning out as impressive as the ones pictured.
Add some Captain Cook's style Pulled Pork Nachos, and you've got yourself a great Polynesian Resort-inspired meal. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2.25 cups prepared (cooked) sushi rice (this is about 1 cup + 2 tablespoons rice before cooking*)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 beet, quartered
- 2 sheets sushi nori (8" x 7.25"). We used Emerald Cove Organic Toasted Sushi Nori (photo for reference) found at our local grocery store.
Instructions
- Tip: watching the YouTube video below this recipe might help with the placement of your Mickey head and ears within the sushi roll.
- Cook your rice according to package directons.
- Meanwhile, cut the beet into quarters. Add the water and beet (skin side up) to a small saucepan on medium heat. Once the water starts bubbling, simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Immediately drain the beet liquid into a small cup and set aside. Do not discard the beet yet. (You should have about 2 teaspoons of beet water. Reserve the beet. You might need to reheat it again if you need more to color your rice).
- Add 3/4 cup of cooked sushi rice to a bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of beet water and gently fold until the rice is evenly colored magenta. (If desired, repeat step #2 using the same beet and add more beet water for a deeper color. The beet juice colors the rice, but does not flavor the rice.)
- Lay a sheet of nori on a piece of plastic wrap. To one side, add 2 tablespoons of magenta-colored rice and spread evenly, about 1" wide.
- Use the plastic wrap to tighly roll the nori sheet over to make a tube of rice, then use a sharp knife to slice the tube away from the unrolled nori. Then, repeat this step to yield 2 small tubes for the ears. Set the tubes aside.
- Add 1/2 cup magenta-colored rice to what remains of the nori sheet and spread evenly, about 1.5" wide. Use the plastic wrap to tightly roll the nori sheet over to make a large tube of rice. (This is the head.)
- Set the large tube aside with the others.
- Lay out another sheet of nori on a piece of plastic wrap. Towards one side of the nori, add 4 tablespoons of white rice and spread evenly, about 1" wide.
- Lay the largest, magenta-colored tube (seam side down) on top of this bed of rice. This is the head.
- Add one of the small, magenta-colored tubes (seam side down) to the upper left side of the big tube, then pack 3 tablespoons of rice underneath the smaller tube to prop it up and keep it in place. This is one of the ears. Then, repeat with the second smaller tube on the upper right side. This is the other ear.
- Use the remaining white rice to completely encase the Mickey shape in rice. Start with the top of the roll, and then fill in any gaps you see on the sides.
- Use the plastic wrap to tightly roll over the nori sheet to make a large tube. If there's any remaining nori that isn't rolled, dip a finger in water and use it to seal the excess nori to the large tube.
- Using a very sharp knife, slice the roll into 6 (thick) or 8 (regular) pieces. To prevent the magenta color from migrating outside the Mickey shaped tubes of sushi, we recommend cleaning your knife between each slice. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons Nishiki premium grade sushi rice
- 1.5 cups water
- 2.5 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1.25 teaspoons granulated sugar
- .75 teaspoon salt
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