Substitute for nori

[Texasmomof4]

I have used, carrots, bell peppers, cheese, ham, turkey, pieces of hot dog, egg sheets, cream cheese, strawberry, etc, etc, etc. You can really use anything you like to make the faces. Hope that helps. And I have also seen items wrapped in plastic wrap with stickers to make faces.


Happy Bentoing,
Donna

[Divash]

I've been known to order mamenori online (soywraps.com is a good source), but failing that, sliced cheeses are great for making faces. If you want something with a darker color, cut shapes out of a leaf of purple cabbage or a bit of red onion, fruit roll-up, that kind of thing. Any food that's flattish and more-or-less flexible (or is already the shape you're looking for) will work. I also like to use brined grape leaves and roasted bell peppers sometimes. You can put the scraps into a soup or casserole for a dinner.

[DaughterOfTheStars]

Just buy a black food coloring marker! You can draw right on it!

[CatAnne]

I have to drive in to the major city to find Nori. I found it cheaper at a health food store rather than the major grocery store, but the major one has a bigger selection of everything I need. I can't wait to move back to where I used to live. There's an international market, and it's much easier to find everything. It's a good 45 minutes to drive into town, so Nori is a treat. Same with a lot of other foods.

My dad hates Nori and olives, I can't blame him about the olives, but he loves when I get him a plate of cheese and crackers with wine.(I make it all pretty, and he loves the flowers. My dad's from England and a lot of people think he's gay because he likes to cook, garden and wear scarves, but he's not.) I use the red/purple grapes or rasins sometimes, but Nori is better.

He loves imitation crab with grapes. Wine, with pretty cheese cut outs, crackers, grapes and imitation crab and he's over the moon.
I'm a sucker for food design, it has to be pretty.

[strangeseraph]

Use some black food coloring in some frosting for sweet things, and then you can pipe on the faces with icing bag. Use the food coloring again with something like cream cheese or mayonnaise for salty or savory things like rice? I've never done it, it just sprang to mind that this could work. Best of all, you can save the frosting you don't use in the fridge for another time.