Inarizushi

Inarizushi (稲荷寿司) is a pouch of fried and vinagered omelette-tofu typically filled with vegetable-suited sushi rice alone. Tales tell that inarizushi is named after the Shinto god Inari. Foxes, messengers of Inari, are believed to have a fondness for fried tofu, and an inarizushi roll has pointed corners that resemble fox ears.

Recipe

 * 2 cups (370g) of sushi rice
 * 1 packet of aburaage (enough tofu to cut into 10 pieces of inarizushi)*
 * 1 cup (235ml) of Japanese dashi broth
 * 3 tsp of miso
 * 4 tbsp of soy sauce
 * 4 cups (946ml) of water
 * 1 and ½ tbsp of sugar

Directions

 * 1) To start preparing tofu sushi rolls, you need to first prepare 2 cups (370g) of sushi rice.
 * 2) Next, you need to prepare your aburaage (store-bought or homemade). You need 10 individual pockets of aburaage for 10 pieces of inari roll.
 * 3) Pour 4 cups (946ml) of water into a large pot on the stovetop and bring the water to the boil.
 * 4) Add your aburaage to the boiling water and allow it to cook for two minutes.
 * 5) After two minutes, remove the aburaage from the boiling water and cool them on the side. At this point, you may want to lightly press the aburaage in a tofu press to remove any excess water before you prepare your sushi rolls.
 * 6) Leave your aburaage to one side and pour your soy sauce, Japanese dashi broth, miso, and sugar into the same water in the pot.
 * 7) Bring the broth to the boil, then lower the heat so it can simmer. When you lower the heat, add your aburaage back into the pot and leave the ingredients to simmer for at least 10 mins. This allows the aburaage to absorb the flavors of the broth, giving you delicious, well-seasoned sushi tofu skin.
 * 8) Once you’re happy with how well the tofu is seasoned (you can leave it for longer than 10 mins, if you desire more flavor), it’s time to remove the aburaage from the pot again. Again, you need to lightly press any excess liquid out of the aburaage, or it’s going to be too watery to make tofu musubi rolls that don’t fall apart!
 * 9) With your seasoned and pressed aburaage ready to go, the next step is to roll your sushi rice into uniform sized balls. You need 10 balls of rice that fit into the pockets.
 * 10) Inari sushi has a distinctive cylindrical shape, so you need to shape your tofu pocket around the rice to achieve this.
 * 11) Repeat the process until you have 10 inarizushi ready to serve!

Recipe Note

 * Aburaage are pieces of tofu that have been deep-fried to form pockets. They are an essential ingredient for pocket sushi dishes. You can buy pre-made Aburaage in the store, or you can prepare your own at home from a firm block of tofu.