Hana Sushi: Colorful & Fun Sushi for Parties

Sushi is by definition colorful: its combination of white rice and pink or yellow raw fish, usually accented with a vegetable or two, makes for a dazzling display. This book takes sushi to the next level, with its instructions for making fanciful rolls and other creations that look like smiley faces, animals, letters of the alphabet, flowers, Christmas trees, trains, geometric shapes and more. There's no denying that such pretty food will make any party a hit--what guest wouldn't delight at seeing (and eating) the Porcupine, which is made of purple yukari rice with carrot thorns and kamaboko (fishcake) eyes; or the Miniature Doll Couple on the Shell Thrones, which places dolls made out of colored rice, sakura dembu (cod flakes), tamagoyaki (omelet), cucumber peel and carrot inside empty clam shells set on mounds of salt? Unfortunately, the intensely intricate projects and lack of in-depth instructions position this amusing book as more of a coffeetable cookbook than a practical guide. Still, there's no denying Boutique-Sha's impressive creativity.