Rice Cube Sushi

In the past, my attempts at making sushi at home using a bamboo mat had rarely resembled the real thing. However, my mom, who has a knack for finding unique gifts, recently returned from Seattle with this funky little avant kitchen gadget called the Rice Cube.

The results are modern and sophisticated. Rice Cube sushi will never fail to impress your dinner party guests. This ingenious little gadget allows you to compress rice and other favorite ingredients together to create elegant bite-sized sushi pieces.

Here’s a great party suggestion – Prepare some favorite ingredients ahead of time and have your guests make their own sushi.

As you assemble your ingredients, embrace a little creativity. The sushi bar at your local Whole Foods or other market will sell fresh raw sushi-grade fish by the pound. Featured here are my favorites – ahi tuna (known as yellowfin), smoked salmon, shrimp and eel.

For the fillers, I prepared sliced nori (edible seaweed), avocado, jalapenos, green onion, red and orange bell peppers, lemon slices, pickled ginger, wasabi, soy sauce, cream cheese, sesame seeds, and toasted panko crumbs.

I toasted the panko with a tsp of butter over medium heat until crunchy and golden brown.

For this sushi, I used simple jasmine rice. Brown rice, basmati, polenta, orzo or any preferred grain will also work very nicely. Standard restaurant sushi rice is prepared by adding vinegar, sugar and salt to the rice to serve as an adhesive. No need for added calories here. The compression from the cube binds the rice very easily.

The Rice Cube is so easy to use. Start by simply adding rice into the well. Fill it about half way to the top.

Next, add the sashimi and/or any ingredients you choose. Here I added ahi, avocado, jalapeno, lemon slices, red bell pepper, and toasted panko. The panko adds the perfect crunch.

Next, close the lid and compress the well forward.

Magically, a delectable cube of sushi is formed!

Sesame seeds make a beautiful garnish.

Not that complicated, right? Anyone can be a creative sushi master, thanks to the Rice Cube.

(smoked salmon, avocado, red bell pepper, green onion, toasted panko)

(gulf shrimp, red bell pepper, green onion, lemon, jalapeno, nori)

(ahi, lemon, avocado, cream cheese, red bell pepper)

(ahi, toasted panko, orange bell pepper, lemon, wrapped in nori)

(eel, sesame seeds, avocado, toasted panko)

(smoked salmon sashimi, nori, seasame seeds)

(shrimp, jalapeno, toasted panko, orange bell pepper)

(salmon, shrimp, green onion, ginger, cream cheese, lemon, sesame seeds)