Kelly Loves sushi kits (... and so do we !) (review)

Sophie and Juliette both love eating sushi so they sometimes grab some from the supermarket or our local Japanese restaurant. The problem though is that Sophie doesn't really like fish and Juliette is not a huge fan of vegetables so they are limited in what they can choose. Making your own sushi is a great way of getting around this problem as you can customise it to suit your own tastes. Not only that - it's great fun too !

Kelly Loves recently sent us a fabulous selection of products for us to have a play around with. Created by Kelly Choi, a woman who was born in Korea then moved to Japan, immersing herself in their culture, Kelly Loves offers a wide range of ingredients that are a perfect introduction to Asian food. Let's take a closer look at what we received.

 

Kimchi is a classic Korean dish, made principally with fermented cabbage, and this Kimchi sachet (£1.79) is a simple way to enjoy the flavours. It contains Napa cabbage, radish, red pepper powder, salt, onion and garlic, amongst other things, and is suitable for vegans. It can be eaten on its own, served over rice or fried up in a wok with noodles. It's perfect as an introduction to Korean food and makes a refreshing change if you want to try some new flavours.

 Crispy fried onions (£2.75) are great for adding flavour and texture to sushi, as well as offering an impressive finish if you stick them all around the outside (a particularly good idea if you don't like the traditional seaweed sheets). However, they are very versatile and have been sprinkled over everything from cheese on toast and mashed potato to pizza and soup. Whatever they go with, they are delicious and really perk up the most mundane of dishes.

This Bento box (£14.95) is the perfect way of storing your sushi or taking it to work or school for lunch (and showing off to all your friends !). 

It has a unique double layer that is firmly held in place with an elastic band. This is ideal for keeping fruit or cakes/biscuits separate from your sushi if you don't want your whole lunch to smell of fish ! It's a great size and has been instantly adopted by Juliette.

  

Back to the ingredients, soy sauce (£3.95) and spicy mayo (£3.35) are both great ways of adding instant flavour to your sushi. They are also enjoyed by the non-sushi lovers though, with rice or noodles (for the soy sauce) and sandwiches or carrot sticks (for the spicy mayo).

Ramune (£2.55) is the perfect accompaniment to sip along with your sushi. It is a traditional Japanese lemonade, served in a classic glass bottle. As well as the original Ramune flavour that we got, this is also available in lychee or yuzu flavours. The kids love the little glass marble designed to keep the fizz in the drink !

 

A sushi mat (£2.30) is indispensable if you are trying to make sushi. (Well, you probably could make it without one but this makes it all much easier !) It's perfect for rolling up sushi and pressing it into shape so that it doesn't all fall apart. I would suggest buying one mat per person so that you can all make sushi at the same time, without waiting your turn.

Sushi nori (£3.35) is one of the classic sushi ingredients, guaranteed to give your homemade creations an authentic look and taste. They are toasted seaweed sheets that add taste and texture, as well as providing an appealing colour contrast to the rice. Each pack contains seven sheets but we split them in half to make smaller sushi.

 

Sushi rice (£2.50) is the other absolute must-have when making sushi. This fine short-grain rice is perfect for sticking your creations together (but I warn you in advance - it does end up sticking to your fingers like glue when you've made a few!)

Sushi vinegar (£2.10) should be stirred through your cooked sushi rice and this instantly brings it to life, giving it a lovely authentic flavour.

 

Finally, add a hit of authentic flavour and zing to your sushi with sushi ginger (£3.35) or wasabi (£2.35). Now, we are all wimps so we didn't like either of these, but they are a great way of adding a traditional kick to your food.

You won't get perfect looking sushi the first time you try to make a roll but it is great fun and incredibly simple. Just chop up some small strips of fish and vegetables (we used smoked salmon, prawns, carrots, and cucumber) and let your creative juices flow !

Once rolled, chop it into slices and serve on a plate (or stick it straight in your bento box ... or mouth !) Meshiagare !

I have shown you the prices for each individual ingredient but it is cheaper to buy the Ultimate Sushi Kit for £29.99 which contains everything above except the Ramune drink and the kimchi. Whatever you think of sushi, these are great fun to make and you may surprise yourself. I was not keen on the idea at all but by picking my favourite ingredients, they actually came out really nice.

for more information : https://kellyloves.com/products/ultimate-sushi-kit

Disclosure : I received the products in order to share my honest review.