Cook the sushi rice as per your rice cooker instructions or in a pot. Before adding the water to cook the rice, mix in the dashi powder or about 5cm of kelp over the rice. *1
While the rice is cooking, in a small pot, heat the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt together to make the sushi vinegar on medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
Prepare the Jack-O-Lantern face, by cutting up the nori sheets and using 6.5cm diameter cookie cutter, cut out 2 round nori sheets for cat face.
Crack the egg and fry it flat in a frying pan. When it is cooled down, cut out 2 rounds using the 6.5cm diameter cookie cutter.
Wash and thinly slice the radish and cucumber.
Once the rice is cooked, pour the sushi vinegar over it and mix to flavour the rice.
Once the rice has cooled down a little, place your favourite topping in the centre of a piece of cling wrap.
Place a scoop of rice on top of the topping by using a 1/3 cup then seal it together with the cling wrap and softly squish and shape it into a ball.
Continue to make sushi balls with various toppings.
Remove the cling wrap and place them on a serving plate.
Using a pair of chopstick or a tweezers, decorate the jack-o-lantern’s face, with pre-cut nori.
Pipe mayonnaise out to draw cat face. *2
Top with fish roe on radish and cucumber sushi balls.
Serve with soy sauce, mayo, and wasabi (optional).
Notes
*1 cooking rice time is not included in the overall cooking time for this recipe*2 I bought and used a gadget called “decopen” from Daiso to pipe out mayonnaise for drawing the cat face.