STUFFED TOFU Parcels

inari zushi

Highly portable, inari zushi is great for a lunch box or picnic food. The sushi rice filling is wrapped in deep-fried tofu, or abura age, which can be bought from Japanese shops and has a distinctive sweet and savory flavor. You can try adding other flavorings to the rice, such as chopped perilla leaves or lemon zest.

MAKES 12 parcels | PREPARATION TIME 1 hour, plus sushi rice and ingredient preparation

INGREDIENTS

For the tofu pouches

6 pieces abura age, or deep-fried tofu | ¹⁄₂ quantity dashi stock | 3 tbsp sugar | 4–5 tbsp soy sauce | 2 tbsp sake | 2 tbsp mirin

For the stuffed sushi

1 quantity sushi rice | 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds | 6 seasoned shiitake mushrooms, very finely sliced

METHOD

1 To make the tofu pouches, cut each piece of deep-fried tofu in half and open it up (see below). Season the pouches by simmering them with the remaining ingredients in a saucepan for 15–20 minutes. Drain in a colander.

2 Mix the sushi rice with the sesame seeds and mushrooms in a large mixing bowl. Carefully spoon the filling into each tofu pouch until it is half full. Use your fingers to loosely pack the filling, but make sure you don’t overfill the pouch. Make a parcel by tucking one edge of the tofu pouch under the filling, then folding the other edge over the top. Repeat with the other pouches to make 12 parcels.

How to make and season TOFU pouches

To make it easier to open, roll a chopstick over the tofu first. In a colander, douse with boiling water to remove oils.

Simmer the pouches with the other ingredients over low heat until most of the liquid has reduced.

Stuffed tofu parcels