My son loves to make food. He’s becoming a foodie like me and I’m so proud. I love to cook. And eat. I’m a definite foodie so it thrills me to see my son taking an interest in anything culinary. One day he asked me to buy sushi roll making supplies and so began our fun journey in the kitchen together. Read this post for how to make a DIY Sushi Roll Making Kit Gift for Kids Interested in Culinary Arts. Make it for your child for a Christmas present, holiday gift or birthday present.
My son used cooked chicken strips and smoked salmon rather than raw fish for his sushi rolls. I didn’t want to mess around with any raw fish so this worked perfectly.
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Pack all these ingredients and components up into a kit to give a child a homemade gift in the form of a DIY sushi kit this holiday season. When preparing to give your child the gift, have vegetables and meats on hand in the fridge ready to be used in the meal prep like cucumbers, ripe avocado, carrots, smoked salmon, and cooked chicken tenderloins. Buy a wooden or canvas basket, fill it up with the items listed below, and wrap it all up in wrapping paper as a gift for your child.
Kids who love to cook and experiment in the kitchen will love this unique gift!
Ingredients for a DIY Sushi Roll Making Kit Gift for Kids Interested in Culinary Arts
I love to cook and create recipes but I have had zero experience in anything sushi related. So, I began my search to find a good kit at a reasonable price. We found this one (see affiliate link below). We really love the kit. It comes with 2 rolling mats, a paddle, a rice spreader, and 5 pairs of chopsticks. I love how it is mold-resistant and authentic being made of bamboo wood. To clean it, I simply wipe it down with a cloth. It must be fully dry before storing. It comes with instructions so don’t worry:)
Bamboo Sushi Kit, Carbonized Rolling Mats for Mold-Resistant, Included 2 Rolling Mats – 5 Pairs Chopsticks – Paddle – Spreader – Beginner’s Guide (PDF), Roll on! Beginner Sushi Making Kit
Next, we needed more components to make sushi rolls like food and rice. I searched online and quickly found that sushi rice is recommended for making sushi rolls. Below is the rice we use. It’s sticky and works well to ensure the rolls stick together.
List of ingredients and tools needed to make sushi rolls:
- sushi kit
- sushi rice
- roasted seaweed sheets
- rice vinegar
- vegetables: such as cucumber, avocado, carrots
- meat: optional smoked salmon or chicken tenderloins (cooked)
- dipping sauces such as wasabi, soy sauce, and/or sweet and sour sauce
ONE ORGANIC Sushi Nori Premium Roasted Organic Seaweed (50 Full Sheets)
Kikkoman Rice Vinegar, 10 Fluid Ounce
Add sauce to your kit: soy sauce, wasabi sauce, and/or sweet and sour sauce.
Kikkoman Soy Sauce in Dispenser 5 fl oz (Pack of 2)
Inglehoffer Horseradish Squeeze Wasabi, 9.5 oz
Kikkoman Sweet & Sour Sauce 11 oz
Making the Sushi Roll
My son is in middle school and he made these rolls. This was easy for him to do, though the seaweed is delicate so advise kids to be gentle when rolling.
How did he do it?
- My son cooked the rice first in a pan on the stovetop, according to the directions on the package.
- He unrolled the bamboo mat and set the rice spreader and paddle on the sides.
- He cut all the food in a julienne cut (even thin strips) while the rice was cooking: the ripe avocado, cucumbers, carrots, smoked salmon, and cooked chicken tenderloins.
- Next, he laid a roasted seaweed sheet on the bamboo. He added a scoop of rice (estimate but don’t do too much) to the top of the seaweed sheet and spread it around the seaweed sheet after dipping his fingers in the rice vinegar.
- He added a few sticks of the cut vegetables and meat for the meat sushi rolls. Don’t make it too full.
- Then he carefully rolled it up and squeezed the whole roll with his hands to help it stick together.
- Lastly, he cut the roll into slices with a sharp knife.
- Serve with dipping sauce: soy sauce, wasabi sauce, and/or sweet and sour sauce.
- He also made vegetarian sushi rolls using vegetables only.
Cooking with Kids, Fun in the Kitchen
This is such a fun mother and son/mother and daughter project. Dads who like to cook too! Parents, I hope you and your child enjoy this DIY Homemade gift basket idea. Teaching kids cooking skills is a very valuable way to spend time with kids. Plus, it can be super enjoyable (and yummy) as an activity done together as a family activity. Exposing kids to different foods is also such a good idea and if they ever show any interest in cooking, encourage it, you won’t be disappointed and they will be learning a valuable life skill.
I learned right alongside my son in this endeavor. I had never attempted to make sushi rolls as it seemed too hard, but it really wasn’t that hard at all. It was amazing to me to see how easily my son made the rolls without hardly any help from me. And they were delicious!
Eat well and enjoy life!
Looking for more ideas for activities for kids? Check out these fun ideas…
DIY Slime Kit Gift for Crafty Kids
DIY Craft Bin for Boys or Girls) with STEM Focus
Or make something for the wild birds in your own backyard:
DIY Peanut Butter Bird Seed Suet Cake
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I have always wanted to try to make sushi myself. This is great…
Me too! It was fun and not as hard as I thought it would be. Our wasn’t authentic, but we loved it! A great experience for my son. He loved using the chopsticks too! Thanks:)
I love making sushi at home! I got into it earlier this year and it really isn’t as hard as you might think! I also think that getting kids involved in the kitchen is a great way to encourage them to try new things and eat their creations!
Yes, I totally agree with you! If kids help, they are much more likely to try it, especially good for exposing kids to new foods. Thanks!
I’ve never tried to make sushi, but your post has inspired me. I think it’s great that your son likes to help you in the kitchen. The sushi rolls you made look delicious!
I was nervous, thought it would be hard but it wasn’t nearly as hard as I thought it would be. My son was able to make rolls on his own even. It was fun, yummy, and gave him a new cooking skill so it was ideal all the way around. Thanks for stopping by!
I’ve always wanted to learn how to make sushi and reading this. gave me more motivation to get started. Great post!
xoxo
Sabina
Thanks! I hope you enjoy your experience making sushi rolls and enjoy eating them! Thanks!
We’ve only made sushi a few times, but it’s so fun! Another option is to make hand rolls (kind of like tacos) if you get frustrated using the mat. Yum!
It is fun! And tasty! Thanks for the tip on making them:)