Stuffed Fried Tofu Pouches (Inari Sushi) Recipe

Fully-flavored with dashi, sesame seeds and young sardines

Cooking time

30min+

Calories

294kcal

Sodium

800mg

Nutrition facts are for one serving.
Time to cool is not included in the cooking time.

Directions

Place each sheet of aburaage onto a cutting board, use a cooking chopstick or rolling pin to firmly push down and roll over each sheet. Then cut the sheets in half and widely open each to form pouches.
Place (1) into boiling water and allow to boil for about 3 minutes to remove excess oil, then drain.
Place (A) into a pot, add in (2), cover with a lid and simmer for about 15 minutes, then allow to cool.
Mix together (B), warm in a microwave (600W) for about 20 seconds, pour onto the rice and quickly mix in using a chopping motion to avoid mushing. Cover with a wetted and wrung paper towel to maintain moisture.
Add the chirimenjako and sesame seeds to (4).
Divide (5) into 8 equal portions, wet hands with vinegared water (extra) and gently stuff the seasoned rice into drained (3). Garnish with pickled red ginger if available.

Cooking Basics

Dashi - how to make from kombu and dried bonito flakes

Ingredients (for 800 ml / 27 fl. oz. of dashi)

Kombu/kelp: 10 g (3 × 25 cm / 1.2 x 10 in.)

Katsuobushi/bonito flakes: 20 g (0.7 oz.)

Water: 1000 ml (33.8 fl. oz.)

Directions

Soak the kombu in water for 30 minutes, then heat over medium heat. Just before the water comes to a boil, remove the kombu and turn off the heat. After a few minutes, add in the bonito flakes and allow to sit for 2 minutes. Place a dampened paper towel over an all-purpose strainer and strain the dashi.

Tofu (deep-fried) - removing excess oil

Since these days high-quality cooking oils are used for deep-frying, it is not always necessary to remove excess oil. However, remove excess oil if there is an odor, and when you want the tofu to thoroughly soak up flavor. For quickly simmered dishes, place the deep-fried tofu into a strainer and pour boiled water all over it. For inari sushi (sometimes called inarizushi, stuffed fried tofu pouches) and simmered dishes with deep flavor, place the deep-fried tofu into boiling water and allow to boil for about 5 minutes before using.