Inari Sushi (Sushi Rice in Sweet Tofu Pouches)

Name: Inari Sushi (Sushi Rice in Sweet Tofu Pouches)
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Makes 10 (serves 2–3)
Ingredients: Rice (uncooked) 2 rice cups (360 ml); Aburaage (fried tofu, rectangular) 5 sheets; Dashi granules (Japanese soup stock) 1/2 tsp; Toasted white sesame seeds 1 tbsp; Water For cooking rice + about 1 L for boiling + 200 ml + some to wet your hands; Sugar 5 tbsp; Soy sauce 2 tbsp; Mirin (sweet rice seasoning) 1 tbsp; Vinegar 3 tbsp; Salt 1 tsp

Makes 10 (serves 2–3) · About 1 hr 30 min (About 30 min of this is just letting the simmered tofu pouches cool)
Simmer fried tofu pouches in a sweet and savory broth, then fill with sushi rice.

① Cook the rice→② Remove the oil from the fried tofu→③ Simmer the fried tofu and let cool→④ Make the sushi rice→⑤ Fill

What to buy

Rice

Rice (uncooked)2 rice cups (360 ml)

Tofu

Aburaage (fried tofu, rectangular)Cut in half to make 105 sheets

Seasonings & dry goods

Dashi granules (Japanese soup stock)1/2 tspToasted white sesame seedsOptional1 tbsp

Check what you already have

WaterFor cooking rice + about 1 L for boiling + 200 ml + some to wet your handsSugar3 tbsp for the simmering liquid and 2 tbsp for the sushi vinegar5 tbspSoy sauce2 tbspMirin (sweet rice seasoning)1 tbspVinegar3 tbspSalt1 tsp

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How to make it

Wash and cook the rice

About 50 min in a rice cooker

Put the 2 cups of rice in a bowl, add water, stir with your hand, and pour out the cloudy water. Repeat this 3–4 times
Put the rice in the rice cooker and add water up to the "sushi rice" line. If there is no such line, add water to a little below the 2 line
Turn it on. While it cooks, do steps 2–3

How to tell it's doneThe rice cooker is turned on.

Cut the fried tofu and remove the oil

High → Medium heatAbout 5 min

Put the fried tofu on a cutting board, lay 1 cooking chopstick on top, and roll it back and forth while pressing with your palm (this makes it easier to open into a pouch later)
Cut in half with a knife. Gently slide your fingers in from the cut end and open it into a pouch without tearing it
Put about 1 L water in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the fried tofu and boil over medium heat for 2 minutes
Drain in a colander. When cool enough to touch, press between both hands to squeeze out the water

How to tell it's doneAll 10 are open into pouches, and no water drips from the squeezed tofu.

Be carefulThe fried tofu is hot right after boiling. Do not squeeze it right away; let it cool a little first.

Simmer the fried tofu in a sweet and savory broth

Medium → Low heatAbout 15 min + cool 30 min

Put 200 ml water, 1/2 tsp dashi granules, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp mirin and 2 tbsp soy sauce in a pot and mix
Lay the fried tofu in, overlapping as little as possible, and put over medium heat
When it boils, turn to low heat. Cut aluminum foil into a circle a little smaller than the pot and lay it right on top of the tofu (a drop lid). Simmer about 15 minutes
Turn off the heat and let it cool in the pot for about 30 minutes (the flavor soaks in as it cools)

How to tell it's doneWhen you tilt the pot, only about 2–3 tbsp of liquid is left at the bottom. All the tofu has turned brown.

Be carefulLift the foil to check partway through. If the liquid is almost gone, add water 2 tbsp at a time. If you leave it, the bottom will burn.

Make the sushi vinegar and turn it into sushi rice

About 10 min

In a small dish, put 3 tbsp vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tsp salt and mix well until the sugar dissolves (if it won't dissolve, warm in the microwave at 600 W for 10–20 seconds and mix)
Move the cooked rice to a large bowl while hot, and pour the sushi vinegar over all of it
Put the rice paddle in vertically and move it side to side, mixing without mashing the rice. If you have it, also mix in 1 tbsp white roasted sesame seeds
Fan it to cool (use a pencil board if you do not have a fan)

How to tell it's doneThe rice is glossy and has cooled until it feels just slightly warm (not hot).

Be carefulJust-cooked rice is hot. Use the rice paddle, not your hands.

Fill the fried tofu with sushi rice

About 15 min

Divide the sushi rice into 10 with the rice paddle (about 2–3 heaping tbsp per piece)
Wet your hands with water and lightly squeeze 1 portion of sushi rice into an oval 5–6 cm long
Take 1 piece of fried tofu from step 3 and lightly squeeze out the liquid (if you squeeze too hard, it tears). Open it and put in the sushi rice
Push the sushi rice into the corners of the tofu pouch with your fingers, then fold the opening closed
Put them on a plate with the closed side down

ReadyAll 10 have sushi rice pushed into the corners, with the closed opening facing down. Cover leftovers with plastic wrap, put them in the fridge, and eat by the next day.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🥬 Ingredient guide

Aburaage (fried tofu pouches)Dashi Mirin Shoyu (soy sauce)

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Boiling Heat levels (high, medium, low)Otoshibuta (drop lid)

If it didn't work out

The fried tofu tearsYou used too much force opening it in step 2, or squeezed too hard in step 5. To hide a tear, put a scrap of another piece of fried tofu on the inside before filling.

The flavor is weak or the color is paleThe simmering or cooling time in step 3 was too short. Next time, simmer until the liquid is low and let it cool fully.

The rice does not go in wellThere is too much sushi rice. Use a little less per piece, and shape it into an oval first before filling.

The bottom of the pot burnedThe liquid ran out. Do not use the burned parts; take out only the tofu on top. Next time, check the amount of liquid partway through.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me