It's sweet, slightly savory and deliciously juicy with each bite. It an essential ingredient for making Inari Sushi (Inarizushi), Soba Inari and for topping noodle soups like Kitsune Udon or Kitsune Soba. I even like to add it to miso based soups for some extra flavour and texture. Homemade vs. Store Bough Inari Age When the rice is cooked, use a rice paddle to gently fold it a few times. Transfer the rice to a large bowl and mix in 3 tablespoons rice vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Be gently when you fold the rice and don’t over mix it as it will get mushy!

Tofu and Inari– SushiSushi Tofu and Inari– SushiSushi

Blanch the aburaage in a boilin gwater to remove the (factory) oil for a cleaner taste. Drain well. In the meantime, use a rolling pin and roll it over the aburaage. This will help the pouch open easier later. The main difference in terms of ingredients, though, is that Osaka-style Inari sushi is mixed with other ingredients to bring a number of additional flavors and textures to the mix. There are no hard and fast rules for this, and sushi chefs will often simply add their favorite ingredients.

Sushi rice ( sumeshi 酢飯) is made with short-grain rice cooked in kombu-steeped water and then seasoned with sushi vinegar.

What is Inari, and what is it doing in my sushi? What is Inari, and what is it doing in my sushi?

I use an adjustable stainless steel otoshibuta, which can change the size of the drop lid based on different pot sizes. 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! In Japan, Inari sushi in the Tokyo area and the ones in the Osaka area are actually different in shape. In the Tokyo area, Inari sushi is shaped like a straw bag and the sushi rice is completely wrapped inside. That’s why I prefer to make inari at home for pennies, since my kids can eat 6 pieces in one sitting! What is inari sushi made of?Inari is definitely used and made all over the world today, but there’s an interesting little competition happening in Japan between Tokyo and Osaka. Because tofu and rice are such versatile ingredients, there have been a number of different recipes and methods of manufacture which have resulted in slight differences in the final product. Some recipes also call for sake but I've found mirin adds enough flavour where the sake does not make much of a difference in this amount. After the tofu is fried, it is soaked in a marinade typically made out of rice vinegar and sugar based mixture. Tokyo-style Inari sushi is generally shaped a little like a straw bag (which is to say rectangular, with a bulge for the filling). The sushi rice within the Inari sushi is completely surrounded by the tofu, meaning that it maintains its heat and flavor a little more. Leftover seasoning liquid: keeps in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months.