Bat Musubi
Author: Guava Rose
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 50 mins
Total time: 1 hour 10 mins
Ingredients
Bats:
  • Paper template of large bat (up to 10-1/2" wide bat will fit on a standard sized sheet of nori)
  • 10 large sheets of nori (save scraps)
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt
  • Optional: sesame-chili oil, onion powder, garlic powder, dried red chilies
Furikake:
  • Nori scraps from the bats
  • 1 c. sesame seeds
  • 2 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 tsp. sugar
Filling:
  • 5 c. freshly cooked short grain rice
  • 1-1/4 c. furikake (from above)
  • Umeboshi, pitted (optional)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bat paper template on top of 2-4 sheets of nori. Pin template to nori sheets, or hold template firmly in place while cutting around the design. Repeat with remaining sheets of nori.
  2. Brush each side of bats lightly with oil. If using sesame-chili oil, only add a few drops to the olive oil before brushing onto the bats. Sprinkle with sea salt, then the onion powder, garlic powder, and/or dried chilies if desired. Bake for 18-20 minutes. The bats will be toasted, but not crispy. Set aside to cool.
  3. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees. Place the sesame seeds onto a large baking sheet. Mix with the 2 tsp. sea salt and the sugar. Tear all the nori scraps into 1" strips. Use kitchen shears or clean scissors to cut them into shreds crosswise. Mix the nori shreds into the sesame seed mix. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring about halfway through. Remove from oven, stir, and allow to cool.
  4. Mix furikake well, and measure 1-1/4 c. into the fresh rice. Gently mix together. Add umeboshi if desired. Taste and add more furikake if needed, to taste. Store any extra furikake in an air tight container or jar. Mold the mixed rice into triangle musubi using about ½ c. rice for each musubi. Place one musubi onto each bat body. Serve immediately while still warm so each person can wrap the wings around their own musubi before eating.
  5. If not serving right away, set up a station with the bat nori, bowl of furikake rice, and ume. Individuals can place rice and ume onto bat nori and roll up their own bat. (Note: for a Spam Bat musubi, add a strip of prepared spam (cut slices in half lengthwise) into the musubi)
Recipe by Guava Rose at http://www.guavarose.com/2014/10/bat-musubi/