Sushi originated in Southeast Asia where salt water was used to ferment fish, according to Tori Avey of PBS Food. This process preserved them for long periods of time sushi reached Japan in the seventh century, according to the sushi encyclopedia website (www.sushiencyclopedia.com).

The popularity of sushi was then an all-time, since sushi wasn’t a popular dish among the Chinese who invented it.

Basic original sushi consisted of three simple ingredients: rice, vegetables and raw fish.

Turning sushi into a dessert can be a treat that everyone can enjoy, even people who prefer not to eat raw fish.

Rice Krispies Sushi Roll

4 individually wrapped Rice Krispies Treats

1 banana

1 cup strawberries sliced

1 Fruit by the Foot Sprinkles and whipped cream (optional)

Unwrap two Rice Krispies Treats and place them on a sheet of waxed paper. Flatten the Rice Krispies into one large rectangle. The rectangle should be at least one-fourth inch thick or else the Rice Krispies will start to separate once the sushi is rolled.

In a small bowl, prepare the banana and strawberries by dicing them into small pieces.

Spread the fruit mixture onto the Rice Krispies, about one inch away from the edge. Roll the flattened Rice Krispies upward and gently press forward until it forms the traditional sushi roll. If you press down, the filling will be pushed out from the side. Try doing this process as carefully as possible.

Press down firmly to seal the candy sushi roll together and apply firm pressure across the roll. This will make sure the roll retains a round and uniform shape when it is rolled up. Cut the excess Rice Krispies off. Cut the roll into one inch segments and top each piece with a generous portion of sprinkles. The sprinkles imitate the masago, or fish eggs, seen on many rolls.

To make a more realistic looking candy sushi, wrap each piece with green Fruit by the Foot before adding the sprinkles to imitate the nori, or seaweed, wrapping.

Rice Krispies Nigiri

1 individually wrapped Rice Krispies Treat

1 package gummy bears

1 package Swedish Fish

1 Fruit by the Foot

Unwrap the Rice Krispies Treat and break off a one.

Form the section into a rounded cylinder shape by placing the Rice Krispies into one palm and pressing down with the index and middle finger of the opposite hand.

Place a Swedish Fish on top of the Rice Krispies and press down firmly to combine the two ingredients.

If the candy does not stick, warm a non-greased frying pan on the stove on low heat and place the Swedish Fish on the surface until the bottom starts to melt.

Turn the heat off and place the fish on top of the Rice Krispies mound.

Be sure to keep an eye on the candy, as the sweet treat could easily burn inside the pan.

Wrap the candy nigiri in green Fruit by the Foot to give it an authentic nigiri look.

For Gunkan style, or seaweed wrapped nigiri, flatten a Rice Krispies treat to one-fourth inch thickness.

Cut the Rice Krispies into a small oval shape and use your hands to flatten the edges.

A bottle cap can also be used to cut the Rice Krispies into the rounded shape.

Wrap the edge of the Rice Krispies with green Fruit by the Foot and apply firm pressure to adhere the candies together.

The Rice Krispies mound should come only halfway up the Fruit by the foot. Fill space with gummy bears and apply pressure to combine the bears with the Rice Krispies.

If the gummy bears don’t stick, place the gummy bears in a non-greased frying pan on low heat to melt the bottoms of the bears and stick them to the Rice Krispies.

For a more realistic looking Gunkan style nigiri, use only orange gummy bears to make the candy sushi look like a salmon roe nigiri.

Miguel Lopez can be reached at [email protected] and Miguel Razo can be reached [email protected]