Summer Series 1 - Week 1
Educational Activity
Kon'nichiwa! Or hello in Japanese. Thank you for continuing this travel journey with us to Japan. Today, we are going to learn how to use chopsticks, a fun way to practice at home, and you will even be able to eat some yummy food along the way too!
To start, you'll need a pair of chopsticks per person. These can be found in most local grocery stores where you purchase sushi, or they can be purchased online as well.
Once you have your chopsticks, you are ready to start learning how to properly hold them. Follow along with the diagram down below:
You can practice picking up smaller items, like erasers, before moving on to actual food, but once you feel like you've got the hang of it, you're ready to start the second part of this activity.
Not all children like the flavor or texture of sushi, and for those who don't we wanted to provide the option of a dessert inspired sushi. If your children do like sushi, then the more the merrier. You can typically purchase it fresh at most local grocery stores and enjoy this recipe as a dessert to practice your chopstick skills with in addition to real sushi!
Japanese Inspired Banana Sushi
An American Spin on a Japanese Classic
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Chill Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
4 Medium sized bananas
Dark chocolate, or milk chocolate (1 whole bag of chocolate morsels)
½ cup of Roasted pistachios (to mimic the green color of matcha) blitzed in a food processor, or crushed/ground by hand
⅓ cup of shredded coconut
⅛ cup of honey
Directions
1. Pour the chocolate morsels into a pyrex glass bowl or measuring cup that is at least 12+ inches wide.
2. Heat it in 20-30 second intervals, stir, and continue until the chocolate is completely melted.
3. While the chocolate is melting, find a cookie sheet and line it completely with parchment paper.
4. Peel each banana and put one toothpick into each end carefully in the center of each end to avoid breaking apart the banana. You can also use wooden skewers if this is easier.
5. Hold the banana over the bowl of melted chocolate.
6. Dip the bottom half of the banana into the chocolate until the bottom half is covered. Spoon the chocolate over the banana until the top half is completely covered and allow for the excess to drip back into the bowl.
7. Place onto the cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle crushed pistachio over each banana.
8. Heat the honey in a small container for about 20 seconds in the microwave. Thinly drizzle warmed honey in zig zags across each banana top.
9. Allow for the bananas to cool in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to an hour. The longer you freeze them, the more of the inner parts of the banana that will be frozen on the inside.
10. While the bananas are freezing and the chocolate is hardening, it’s time to continue practicing your chopstick skills!
11. Once the chocolate has hardened, cut the banana into medallions that mimic the size of sushi pieces in a sushi roll. Serve on a plate or in a bowl and enjoy!