← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 6 aburaage sheets (makes 12 pouches)
• 300 ml water or kombu dashi
• 3 tbsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Soy sauce
• 2 tbsp Mirin
• 1 tbsp Sake
• 300 g Japanese short-grain rice
• 330 ml Water
• 4 tbsp Rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 2 tbsp Pickled sushi ginger (gari) (optional)

Method

1. Rinse the rice until the water runs nearly clear and cook it with the 330 ml water. Dissolve the vinegar, sugar and salt together.
2. Roll a chopstick firmly over each aburaage sheet, which makes them easier to open, then cut them in half crossways. Pour boiling water over them in a colander to remove excess oil, then squeeze gently.
3. Bring the simmering liquid to the boil in a wide pan, add the tofu pieces in one layer and cover with a drop lid. Simmer over low heat for 12–15 min, until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Leave to cool in the pan for 20 min.
4. Fold the sushi seasoning and sesame seeds through the hot rice while fanning it to cool. Wet your hands and shape it into 12 loose ovals.
5. Gently open each pouch, squeeze out a little liquid so it is moist but not dripping, and tuck in a rice ball. Fold the edges over to close, and serve seam side down with pickled ginger.

Tips

• Ready-seasoned inari pouches from Japanese shops let you skip the simmering entirely.
• Use tamari for gluten-free. Some aburaage brands are fried in shared oil, so check the label if that matters to you.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Just One Cookbook RecipeTin Japan Japanese Cooking 101