Did you know that Sushi does NOT mean raw fish? It actually means “Rice flavored with vinegar”. I had NO idea! Recently, I attended a class where Michiko Duncan, a wonderful woman from Japan, taught me how to make sushi. It was so yummy and now my kids love it too. Truth be told, the aren’t so crazy about the sushi rice, but I just gave them plain rice and all was well. My kids are just weird and although the sushi rice is sweet, they didn’t like it. I mean, these are the kids that would rather have broccoli than have a sucker. But they did thoroughly enjoy topping their sushi with all kinds of veggies and munching it down. YUM!

So to begin, rinse your sushi rice really well. It is a pretty dirty rice, so you want to get it good and clean.  Then make your sushi rice either on the stove top or in a rice cooker according to the directions. Sushi rice is a different kind of rice than white rice or brown rice. I found what I used at the Asian store. After the rice is cooked, add the sushi rice seasoning. The recipe I used took 4 cups rice, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt. Mix the vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved before pouring over the rice. Mix well.

While the rice is cooking, begin to gather your toppings. We used:
- shredded carrots
- cooked brocolli
- cucumber (small cubes)
- cheese
- crab
- salad shrimp
- pees
- scrambled egg
- avocado
Some others that are yummy are:
- corn
- mushrooms
- bamboo shoots
- seaweed wraps (cut into tiny bits)

To assemble- Put a pile of rice on your plate. Add toppings you like. Mix and eat. Yum!! Here are some kids and the sushi that they made:

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