How is your week going? To be honest, I’m definitely excited that the weekend is close at hand because this has been a crazy one, editing pictures and planning everything for next week’s blogging series edition: catweek (eep! spoiler alert) – and we are exhausted with anticipation, we really hope you like what’s in store.
Today though we have a very relaxing recipe post that shows how we (almost) failed making our own japanese gummy candy. I’m already laughing at myself for considering this post as a recipe, please don’t take me too seriously.
A few months back (spring to be precise) our friends Marcel & Silvia went to Japan and brought us a very funny souvenir: the popin cookin’ box to make your own sushi-shaped gummies. We love candies and sushi so they were spot on with their present.
I know this has already travelled around the blogosphere, but for those not familiar with this type of candy toy, popin cookin’ is a box that contains several colored powder that in contact with water forms a gel. The fun is that the plastic box has built-in shapes that allow you to reproduce three famous sushi treats: ikura, tuna and tamago nigiri.
We quickly decided to create first our favorites, while Dani would attempt his beloved ikura nigiri I would go first for, what seem the easiest, the tuna nigiri. Oh, well as usually things doesn’t go as imagined.
Although the back of the box may look confusing for people like me who are only able to slightly read some hiragana (understanding almost nothing once I’ve figured the words out) the instructions are as easy as can be:
- Construct first the rice that will work for everything else, then make the toppings.
- For rice, tamago or tuna the steps are always the same: pour water until the craved line, then pour the powder that belongs to that space and either stir like crazy (rice) or let it sit for a couple of minutes (the other two).
Even with my very limited Japanese knowledge I was able to read Gohan (rice) on the blue envelope
Trying to reproduce the nigiri rice shape.
The red gel is the tuna while “cooking”, you can make two nigiri out of it.
Not that happy with the final result, the typical tuna lines were hardly noticing.
Don’t worry, Juno was safe here, she never ever eats anything from the floor. In fact never eats anything that’s not her food or the malt paste, she is a little insensitive to food treats.
Dani had to look up the english instructions to follow slightly different steps for his ikura nigiri. The salmon eggs spherification was made using the baster, once the orange liquid touched the clear solution it was converted into a sphere. I think making the ikura is much more fun than the rest; Dani scored this time!
Look! orange eggs! it’s working!
Are those too much eggs for this little nigiri?
And the final result: the nigiris are not looking that bad, aren’t they?
And what about the taste? Well, I found it to be too strong gummy flavour for my taste, but Dani who is more into that type of candy (I’m a liquorice girl) found them yummy enough. Oh, and if you don’t have friends travelling to Japan but have realized that candy making is maybe your thing you can order it from Candysan!
Have you ever played with these japanese kits? I’m sure you’ll be able to do a better work than us!
i saw this in the market and had no clue what it was lol thanks for sharing! i’m surprised to know it’s actually edible..
Definitely surprising! With the bright colors and everything the little sushi pieces look more like some cute erasers :)
Oh! Doncs us ha quedat molt bé! Nosaltres encara ho tenim a un calaix… ;)
Me n’alegro molt que l’hagueu fet servir! Itadakimasu!
Sí! Merci! Teniem moltes ganes de fer-ho però sabiem també que valdria la pena muntar el show amb les càmares ;) així que al final ha tocat ara a l’hivern. Moltíssimes gracies, ha estat molt diver la veritat! Ahhh i volem veure la segona part de les fotos del viatge, que no me n’oblido eh!
This is so fun!!! You didn’t make those foods in the first picture though, did you? Those are erasers right? Coz I have erasers just like those! I got them at a Japanese shop in Taiwan though :P -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
Hahaha, your’re right! those are erasers (also a friends’ souvenir from Japan), but I thought the mix-up would be fun for the photo :) Do you have the same erasers? I believe there is a huge collection of different sets, they’re too cute.
ah ha! there is a huuuge candy store in chinatown in washington dc and i saw this there. i was tempted to buy it but skipped! it’s so cute though! perhaps next time we’ll pick one up! :)
Why can’t we have amazing candy stores here in Barcelona? :) Let us know if you pick one up, I’m sure you have more steady hands than ours and they turn great.
Haha nice job you two c: Your nigiri looks appetizing enough
Damaris! I only have tried one candykit and it was with these
chocolate which I’ve failed haha :’) Xx
http://icepandora.blogspot.com
Wow, chocolate seems lot harder than this one that only involved powder and water. Thanks for the nice words on our final result :)
I’ve seen videos of people making these kits! I’ve yet to try it out, but I really want to try it out now! :)
It was fun & so easy :) I will keep an eye if you try it out!
It still blows my mind how realistic the rice and fish eggs turned out, from powder and liquid? I think your nigiri is cute and definitely realistic enough as a candy! I had a bad addiction to lollies and went cold turkey but the other day I bought a bag of skittles – oops. I guess sugar is just too addictive! Love all your little ‘how to’ photos and you know I’m super stoked for cat week, woohooO!!
Totally realistic! :) I only like the sour or liquorice type of candy, but I’m also an addict :) Lately I’ve been more into chocolate than I used to, but still not that favorite. Thanks for your wooohoo! ♥
Oh my gosh! This is BEYOND cute! How fun! I think the most mesmerizing thing is making the caviar! I love it.
I’ve never heard of these before but they look like messy fun! Love the mountain of eggs hehe. :D
This is Dani, Juno & Damaris.
Our heads are full with photography,
our hearts stay in Japan.
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