Ponyo
Culinary Movie Night Guide
Difficulty Level: Easy
Table of Contents
Equipment
Here is a list (with links) of all the equipment and decorations I used for my Ponyo Culinary Movie Night. I would be incredibly grateful if you used my links. I will make a little commission, and that would really help with the cost of the website and related expenses. You can find my full Amazon List here!
- Glass Droppers for Fujimoto’s Elixir- Click Here for Link
- Ube Flavoring- Click Here for Link
- Star Sprinkles to decorate tray- Click Here for Link
- Soot Sprites to decorate tray- Click Here for Link
- Green Bucket for Daughters of Anarchy- Click Here for Link
- Bubbles for True Love’s Kiss- Click Here for Link
Tips
- Personalizing the Menu– When planning your menu for your movie night, don’t feel pressured to serve exactly what I chose to serve. Feel free to remove/add/replace dishes so it makes sense for you and your guests. I’ve included an editable menu in this guide to make it your own!
- Managing Your Time– These movie nights can take a lot of time to prepare, especially if you plan on doing everything yourself. If you are planning a culinary movie night with a group, I suggest doing a potluck style. Have each person contribute a dish or two, and it’ll be very manageable. If you are planning on preparing everything yourself, here are some things I’ve learned while doing these often:
- Make A To-Do List– I can’t stress this enough! It’s very easy to forget simple things like opening a bottle of prosecco before you start the movie so you aren’t fumbling with the seal before serving. I have done this so many times! Your to-do list should include absolutely everything you need to do leading up to pressing play.
- Start Early– I learned this after a few very long days of trying to cook, prepare, and host all on the same day. Anything that can be done in advance should be done during the days leading up to the movie night. Some examples include pre-mixing cocktails, making desserts and other foods like soup that hold up well in the refrigerator, and pre-making any handmade decorations. Hosting is stressful enough without having to make a multi-course meal in one day, so get as much done as possible before.
- No Pausing– The question I get asked the most is “Do you pause the movie to bring out the next dish?”. It’s important to me that I don’t disrupt the flow of the movie, so I do not pause. It’s also important to me to enjoy the movie with my guests. Setting up everything I need before the movie helps me bring out each dish efficiently. The setup usually includes plating each dish and storing it in the refrigerator, so all I have to do is quickly microwave it before serving. I set out any garnish or decoration on my kitchen counter so it’s easily accessible. I even pour the cocktails into their cups and store them in the refrigerator, so all I have to do is add ice and any finishing touches before serving. Always think about how you can do the bare minimum during the film. I always include the setup in my to-do list as well, so I don’t forget about any aspect of the preparation.
- Optional– If your budget permits, I recommend ordering food that you may not be confident in cooking or food that may take a lot of time to cook. I do this occasionally, and it helps cut down the preparation time and supports local businesses. Win Win!
- Decorations- Have fun and decorate your space and serving tray! Add elements from the theme of the movie, but make a budget and stick to it! I usually use things I already own because these movie nights are DIY, and I don’t need to spend a fortune to make it fun. If I do buy decorations for the movie night, I try to find cheap or reusable things. If you are curious about some of the things I’ve used during the movie nights, here is a link to my Amazon List. All these items are things I bought with my own money and enjoyed using.
- Manage Stress- Culinary Movie Nights are fun and a great way to show your friends and family you love them. Sometimes, things you envision in your head will not come out perfectly. When this happens to me, it can be discouraging and stressful, but the people I do these for have NEVER expressed anything but appreciation. Go easy on yourself and remember that your guests are just happy to be there and to experience something you put so much thought and time into making.
Menu
I have created a free, editable and printable, menu for all the dishes I served for this Culinary Movie Night! Feel free to change it to what will work for you and your guests.
Cues
These are the cues I used during the movie night so I knew when I had to get the next dish ready to serve.
Please note: Each cue describes a scene that happens a few minutes before I have to serve the dish. It does not describe the scene the dish is based on. Some people get confused with that, so I thought I should specify. Because the cues only give you a few minutes to prepare the dish, it’s very important to have everything cooked and set up before the film starts. Review the “Tips” section above for ways to make this seamless.
I often get asked why I don’t use time stamps to keep track of when to serve the next dish and the simple answer is, I don’t find those helpful. If I used timestamps, I would have to have a separate timer going or keep disrupting the movie to check the timestamp. It makes much more sense to have cues to indicate when the next scene is about to happen. This allows me to enjoy watching the film with my guests. Below is the link to the cues I used. This document is editable, so you can make updates if you decide to take out or change dishes.
Recipes
Fujimoto’s Elixir
Ingredients: Serves 1
¼ cup passion fruit pulp
¼ cup pineapple juice
2.5 oz coconut rum
1 oz blue curacao
Swedish Fish for garnish
Pineapple leaves for garnish
1 oz coconut rum for garnish
A few drops of purple ube flavoring for garnish (I get this from my local asian market in the baking section but this is the link to order it online.)
Instruction:
- Add the passion fruit pulp, pineapple juice, and 2.5 oz of coconut rum to a glass with ice and stir.
- Then, add blue curacao. Gently pour it on the side of the glass so the colors don’t mix. You can use a spoon to help guide the liquid. Do not stir after adding the syrup. The blue curacao will sink to the bottom of the glass, creating the ocean effect.
- To make the ube liqueur for the glass droppers, mix 1 oz of coconut rum and a few drops of purple ube flavoring. Ube goes well with coconut, and the purple color matches Fujimoto’s elixir. Once mixed, fill the droppers with the liquid.
- Garnish the drink with pineapple leaves, Swedish fish, and the droppers.
This is the first item being served during the film so you can make it right before you’re ready to start the film. Make sure to mix the drink before consuming so all the flavors mix.
Ponyo’s HAM with a Side of Sandwich
Anime food always looks so beautiful, so it was my goal to use the best-looking ingredients to make Ponyo’s ham sandwich. Make sure to use big leafy lettuce, thick slices of cheddar cheese and ham, and the most important part is selecting the perfect slice of bread. I recommend using Japanese milk bread from a local Asian market or bakery, or you can use the sliced French brioche from Trader Joe’s.
To Assemble– Spread a generous amount of kewpie mayo and mustard on each slice of bread. Start layering from bottom to top with lettuce, then tomato. I sprinkled a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder on top of the tomato. Then, layer the cheddar cheese, ham, and the top slice of bread. Make sure the lettuce, cheese, and ham are all visible to match the sandwich in the film.
*I recommend making these sandwiches close to when you’re planning on starting the movie so the bread doesn’t get soggy.
The Tracks of Sosuke’s Tears
This is a very simple dish to prepare. I made these ice cream cones right before serving because I noticed that ice cream left uncovered in the freezer starts oxidizing and the color and texture slightly changes. To make serving this dish quick, I set out the ice cream scoop as well as set up to cones. When it was time to prepare and serve, I quickly scooped the ice cream, drizzled the olive oil, and sprinkled the salt. Super Easy!
Now… I have recently started loving vanilla ice cream with olive oil and salt. It seriously tastes like a lighter version of salted caramel. I chose to feature this strange combination because I liked the idea of the dripping olive oil and salt representing Sosuke crying over losing Ponyo. Feel free to only serve the vanilla ice cream if you aren’t feeling adventurous.
Lisa’s Warm Honey Tea
Another easy one to serve! I selected a black tea I already had on hand. To make sure I was able to serve the tea fresh and quick, I had the tea, honey, and mugs set out on my kitchen counter before the movie started. I also had my electric kettle plugged in and filled with water, so I just had to press a button. This scene happens close to the ramen scene, so I also started heating up the ramen broth on my stove top while assembling the tea.
It’s HAAAAAM!
The famous Ramen scene! This is a must when you are doing a Ponyo Culinary Movie Night!
To make sure I could quickly serve this dish, I had everything prepared before the movie started. All I needed to do was heat up the broth, then pour the warm broth in the bowl with the instant ramen, cover it with another bowl to trap in the heat, and then add all the garnishes once the ramen has stewed in the broth. Make sure you have the green onions already sliced, the Canadian bacon pieces selected (the ham), and the egg cut in half. I stored all three of these things in the refrigerator, so it was easy to grab when needed.
How I cooked everything:
The soft-boiled eggs- I only needed one egg for two ramen servings; however, I cooked an extra egg just in case. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Once the water is boiling, gently place two eggs in the water. Let the eggs boil for exactly seven minutes. After seven minutes, remove the eggs and place them in a small bowl. Let the bowl rest on the counter for about 5 minutes, and then place the bowl in the refrigerator. I like to let the egg rest for a bit so the extreme change in temperature doesn’t shock and potentially break the egg.
For the ramen & broth – I used the brand Shin instant ramen packets. One for each person. Remove the dry noodles from the package and place them in your ramen bowl. I did this before I started the movie to save time. I also set up the broth before the movie by adding all the ingredients to a medium sauce pot. I did not heat up, though. I just kept it covered on the stovetop, so it was ready to go.
Ingredients for broth– Makes two servings (multiply depending on how many people you are serving)
2 Seasoning mix packets from Shin packages
2 Flakes packets from Shin packages
4 cups of water
½ cup heavy cream
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp better than bouillon (chicken or veggie)
2 tbsp of seasoned mature vinegar (My favorite brand is Lee Kum Kee)
A few cloves of freshly minced garlic
1 inch knob of freshly minced ginger
How to make the ramen–
When you are making the tea, heat the broth pot on your stove top on medium-high heat. Stir occasionally. Once your broth comes to a simmer, it’s ready.
Split the broth evenly into your ramen bowls over the dried instant noodles. Cover your bowls with another bowl on top so the steam can quickly cook the instant noodles. This will take about 3 minutes.
Then, place your garnishes to match the ramen from the movie. Two Canadian bacon slices on top left, half an egg on top right, and green onions on the bottom. I did not do any additional cooking to the Canadian bacon. When it mixes with the broth, it gets lightly cooked and becomes soft and flavorful.
Daughters of Anarchy
Ingredients– Serves 1 bucket (Multiply ingredients depending how many people you are serving)
½ cup of coconut water
½ cup of pineapple juice
½ cup of coconut rum
¼ cup of blue curacao
Swedish fish for garnish
Instructions– In a big cup with a lid, mix the coconut water, pineapple juice, coconut rum, and blue curacao. Store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve. When it’s time to serve, fill your green bucket with mostly ice. You want to use a lot of ice so the bucket looks extra full. Shake your cocktail mix and pour it into the bucket. Garnish with Swedish fish.
*Please note this is a BIG drink. My husband and I were sipping on these for hours! If you don’t mind sharing drinks, this would be a good one to share!
True Love’s Kiss
This is a dessert that is great to prepare the day before. This will save you time the day of the movie night!
I really wanted to represent the bubble Ponyo was trapped in so I had the idea of using “fill your own” ornaments. Now I’m obsessed and you’ll probably see a lot more movie nights featuring these! Here is the link for the ones I used. I would be super grateful if you supported my channel by using the link! Click here.
To represent Ponyo, I chose to fill the bubbles with strawberry mousse for her red hair and dress. This is the recipe I used. It was super easy. You just have to blend all the ingredients, and you’re done!
