Not so Fun fact: I used to only eat Inari sushi because I didn’t like seaweed. Now I can tolerate it a bit more, but I still only eat sushi with fully cooked ingredients. I don’t eat sashimi or any other uncooked meat or seafood, and I don’t eat smoked salmon either. I’m happy with just tamago (Japanese omelet) on my sushi.
My mom does not eat the classic sushi wrapped with seaweed as she can’t tolerate the taste and smell of seaweed. Despite my mom’s hatred of seaweed, she is a huge fan of Inari sushi. She is a small eater, with the appetite of a toddler, so I am often her “mother” and have to coax her into eating. However, she was able to eat 7 Inari sushi very happily, which speaks volumes.
Inari sushi (more commonly known to people who are not native to Japan), also known as inarizushi, is a Japanese dish consisting of sushi rice stuffed inside fried tofu pouches (aburaage). The tofu pouches are also sometimes referred to as inari age. They are cooked and seasoned with mirin, soy sauce, and sugar. The tofu pouches can be made at home, but they are also readily available in stores now, so I just bought mine!
Store-bought aburaage pouches usually come with a small amount of the liquid that the aburaage pouches were cooked in. You just need to squeeze the liquid out of the pouches before filling it with the sushi rice.
While Inari Sushi traditionally features seasoned sushi rice as its sole filling, however, as food and recipes evolve, it is now common to add toppings to Inari sushi. For this recipe, I’ve opted for a creamy tuna topping, complemented by a touch of roasted sesame seeds.”
This Easy Inari sushi is the perfect sushi for beginners. It is easy to make and allows you to experiment with different flavors and fillings. So, go and grab a packet of tofu pockets from the store and fill them with your desired ingredients, such as salmon, ebiko, shrimp, or even vegetables, and let your imagination run wild!
Note: I got my halal tofu pouches from Shopee, by the way!
- 15 Inari age/seasoned fried tofu pouch, drained and pat dry
- 1 cup uncooked Japanese short-grain white rice
- 1 cup water
- 3 tbsp rice vinegar + 2 tbsp white sugar + 1 tsp salt
- OR 3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar (skip the sugar and salt if using this)
- For the topping
- 2 cans tuna packed in water, drained
- ¼ to ⅓ cup mayonnaise (depending how creamy you like it)
- A few stalks spring onion, sliced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (you can also use furikake)
- In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients for the tuna topping and set aside. You can keep this in the fridge if you enjoy your sushi cold.
- Wash rice and drain well. Place rice and 1 cup of water in the rice cooker and cook as per normal.
- While the rice is cooking, combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Microwave it for 30–40 seconds and whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved. Set it aside and let it cool.
- If you are using seasoned rice vinegar, skip the above step.
- When the rice is cooked, transfer the hot cooked rice onto a platter and while the rice is still hot, drizzle the sushi vinegar all over the rice and give it a light mix. Cover the prepared sushi rice with a damp towel (or paper towel) at room temperature if you are not using it immediately.
- Gently form the sushi rice into an oblong ball shapes. Make 15 of these.
- Take an aburaage pouch, and open the pouch and place a rice ball inside the pouch. Push the rice gently to both sides and fill the corners of the pouch with the rice. Fill about ⅔ full.
- Top with a teaspoon of the creamy tuna filling and sprinkle with some sesame seeds.
- Enjoy!
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