Instructions

Decorations:

1. Using the rain drop cutter, make 5 rain drop cutouts from the green pepper – these will become the spikes along Pusheenosaurus’ back.
2. Using the pointy tip of the rain drop cutter, cut out 4 small triangles from the remaining green pepper (right along the edges) – these will become the tail spikes.
3. Using the circle cutter, make a circle cutout from the spinach. Cut this in half with a knife. These will become the spots along Pusheenosaurus’ back.
4. Using the circle cutter, make 2 more circle cutouts from the spinach. Take one circle, and cut out 3 thin strips with a knife – these will become the forehead stripes. Take the second circle, and cut it into 3 thick strips with a knife – these will become the tail stripes.
5. Using the cat nori punch, punch out a cat face from the nori. Reserve the eyes, nose/mouth, and whisker pieces, and discard the rest. Take the nose/mouth piece, and, with scissors, carefully cut off both sides of the nose, until you are left with only a straight line sticking up from the mouth.
6. Using the cat nori punch, punch out a second cat face from nori. This time, you will only be needing the whiskers, as they will become Pusheenosaurus’ angry eyebrows.

Assembling:

1. In a small bowl, mix together matcha powder with about 3 – 4 tablespoons of warm water until fully dissolved. Add matcha mixture to warm sushi rice, and mix until evenly incorporated.
2. Add the green rice to the nigiri sushi mold, keeping the mold inside the rectangular holder it comes in. You’ll want to fill the rectangle about halfway full, and ensure none of the cylinder edges are visible. With the back of a rice paddle or spoon, gently press down the rice until it has filled all of the crevices and is relatively flat on top.
3. Carefully remove the mold from the rectangular holder, flip over, and gently push against the push indentations on the bottom of the mold until the rice slides out. Do this over top a plate lined with plastic wrap. It’s okay if your rice rectangle has indents from the mold, and/or if it breaks apart slightly into cylinders.
4. Wrap the rice in the plastic wrap, and, using your hands, press the rice into a compact rectangle, re-shaping as necessary. Round the corners out by pressing them into the crook between your thumb and index finger. It’s okay if only one side of the rice is smooth (the other side may have indents from the mold) – we only need one smooth side for decorating!
5. To make the ears: Place the rectangle rice body down on a flat surface, and add about 2 tablespoons of green rice (1 tbsp for each ear) to the top right end of the rectangle. Using the plastic wrap the rectangle body was wrapped in, gently press and smooth out the newly added rice so that it adheres to the body. Taking your thumb and index finger, pinch & pull at the rice until a point is formed, and then repeat to form the other ear. Once finished, wrap up the entire body and set aside until needed.
6. To make the tail: Scoop about 2 spoonfuls of green rice onto a new sheet of plastic wrap (place the spoonfuls side-by-side, as if in a straight line) and wrap up completely. Using your hands, spread out the rice so it becomes a long yet compact “stick”, then begin molding it into the shape of a tail. To form the base of the tail, press one end of the rice stick into the crook between your thumb and index finger, pressing and rocking back and forth. To help form the point of the tail, pinch & pull at the other end of the rice stick with your thumb and index finger, until a point begins to form. Lightly press the whole tail into a gentle curve, using a cupped hand as a guide. Set tail aside until needed.
7. To make the legs: Scoop about 1/2 teaspoon of green rice onto a small square of fresh plastic wrap and wrap up completely. With your hands, squish the rice into a small ball, then flatten the sides out slightly so that it resembles a small peg. I find it best to do this by continuously pressing the ball in between your thumb and index finger. Set aside, and repeat 3 more times.
8. To put it all together, place the rice body inside the bento box it’ll be served in. With tweezers or chopsticks, add the tail and legs to the body, applying gentle pressure until they stick.
9. Using tweezers, add the 5 green pepper spikes along the top edge of the body; they should start right beside the left ear, and end near the top left corner, with no spaces in between.
10. Using tweezers, add the 4 green pepper triangles to the tail; 2 will go near the base of the tail, and two will go near the point. They should be sitting opposite each other.
11. Using tweezers, place the spinach half circles onto the top of the rice body, right beneath the spikes. The flat ends should line up with the edge of the rice body.
12. Using tweezers, place the 3 thick spinach strips along the tail, pressing the ends gently to the rice to adhere.
13. Using tweezers, apply the nori facial features. I recommend using a picture of Pusheen as a guide.
14. Using tweezers, apply the 3 thin spinach strips in between the ears, pressing the ends gently to the rice to adhere.