Inarizushi

I love sushi but not so much the raw stuff. I can remember the first time I tried inarizushi. One bite and I was in love. I really liked the beancurd skin but I don’t usually eat all the rice inside. It’s a good thing I saw inarizushi with different fillings in a Japanese restaurant in Hong Kong and it gave me the idea to make my own version of stuffed inarizushi.

The typical inarizushi found in Japanese restaurants is simply sushi rice stuffed in aburage or fried tofu pockets soaked in a sweet soy mixture. I decided to jazz it up by adding a tuna corn salad on top of the rice. Once I made a salad from shredded crab stick, cubed mangoes and chopped cucumbers and stuffed it in the inarizushi. Whether you eat it with just rice or with a salad in the stuffing inarizushi is a very hearty and filling sushi.  I served this at our New Year’s Eve party.  

Inarizushi
sushi rice (see recipe below)
aburage* (fried tofu pouch), available in Japanese groceries
tuna flakes
corn
cucumber
Japanese mayonnaise

*I bought the aburage in New Hatchin grocery in Makati. It came in a plain, clear plastic wrapper. Each pack contains 10 pieces.

Sushi rice
3 3/4 cups Japanese rice (or 5 rice cooker cups)
3 3/4 cups water (or 5 rice coojer cups)
1/2 cup rice vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt

In a large bowl, add rice and cover with lots of water. Stir rice in water with your hands, then pour off most of the water, and agitate 10 to 15 times by quickly moving your hand back and forth, swishing rice against side of bowl. Rinse the rice several more times, until the water that drains off of the rice is almost clear. Transfer the rice to a colander and let drain for 1 hour, undisturbed. Transfer the rice to a rice cooker, add the water, cover, and cook. While the rice is cooking, bring rice vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan, and then remove from the heat. Add sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool to room temperature.

When rice is done, allow cooked rice to remain in rice cooker for 10 minutes. Transfer rice to a large shallow mixing bowl so that rice forms a mound in the center of the bowl. Using a diagonal slicing motion, gently cut into rice with a wooden paddle, and pour cooled vinegar mixture over top of rice. Cut rice several times to evenly distribute vinegar mixture, then allow to cool. Gently turn rice over from time to time with paddle so that rice cools evenly. You might want to consider using a fan if time is of the essence. When rice has cooled to body temperature, it is ready to use for sushi rolls. Rice can be kept at the proper temperature by placing it in an insulated container such as a small ice chest, covered with a damp kitchen towel. Yield: enough rice for at least 7 large rolls

Inarizushi
Method
1. Prepare the sushi rice. (see recipe above)

2. In a bowl mix flaked tuna (drained of any liquid), whole corn kernel, chopped cucumber and Japanese mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

3. Squeeze out the excess liquid from the aburage by pressing it gently between your fingers.

4. Open the aburage pocket and fill up to 1/3 with the cooled sushi rice.

5. Top the rice with the tuna filling. Do not over stuff the aburage.

6. Fold one side of the aburage over the top.

7. Fold the other side to seal the aburage.

8. Place the inarizushi on a serving platter seam side down.

Enjoy this easy to make sushi.