KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 – It’s springtime and the season for sakura (cherry blossoms) in Japan again.
This time of year I reflect fondly upon the times when I would join my Japanese friends for picnics in public parks in Tokyo. It is a communal activity; sitting below a mature cherry tree and indulging in hanami (flower viewing) while sharing a meal.
We’d spread our picnic mat out, weigh each corner with a basket or a bag. Then the childlike joy of discovering what each of us brought to the picnic.
First to warm us up, some bottles of hot green tea – either from the konbini (convenience stores) or the jido hanbaiki (vending machines) at the subway stations.
Some seasonal fruits such as mandarin oranges and strawberries are must-haves. Bentos packed with a variety of chilled and ready-to-eat foods such as sushi, tamagoyaki (Japanese rolled omelette) and even sakuramochi (pink-coloured glutinous rice cake wrapped in a salted cherry leaf).
One personal favourite is inarizushi or Japanese sushi rice stuffed into fried tofu pockets or inari-age. It’s a perfect mouthful, the sweet tofu pocket enveloping the vinegared rice within.
Sometimes there are morsels of mayo tuna. Sometimes a generous sprinkle of furikake – dried seaweed, sesame seeds, etc. – for a hit of umami.
This is a sorely missed taste and memory, for sure, but the good news is that this is one treat we can make at home too!
Short grain Japanese rice.
INARIZUSHI (SUSHI RICE IN TOFU POCKETS)
You can enjoy your inarizushi plain or make it more substantial with the addition of some protein. Tuna is a good choice, or you can use salmon flakes or minced chicken too. For a vegetarian option, sliced mushrooms will work well here.
I have used two types of furikake (Japanese seasoned sprinkles) to season the sushi rice. One is a type of wakame (seaweed) furikake with tiny dried whitebait fish. The other is a resplendent purplish-red akajiso furikake made from red shisho (perilla) leaves.
Use whichever furikake you prefer so have it handy. If you decide to use two types as I have, consider separating the sushi rice into two portions and use one type of furikake for each half.
Two types of furikake together might be too much and a bit confusing to the taste buds!
A nice touch is adding some Japanese pickles on top of the inarizushi before serving. Again I have used two types of pickles here – shibazuke (salty and sour pickled vegetables made with red shiso leaves) and gari (sweet pickled ginger).
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked short-grain rice
1 cup water
50ml rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 can of tuna, drained
2 teaspoons of furikake (Japanese seasoned sprinkles)
1 packet of inari-age (fried tofu pockets), about 10-12 pieces
Japanese pickles for garnishing
Stir the cooked rice with sushi vinegar.
Method
Wash the short-grain rice, rinsing several times to remove excess starch. Put the washed and drained rice into a rice cooker pot.
Add the water and turn on the rice cooker.
In the meantime, combine the rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pot and gently simmer over medium heat.
‘Wakame furikake’ (left) and ‘akajiso furikake’ (right).
Stir briskly until the sugar and salt have dissolved, then immediately remove from fire. Set aside and allow to cool. This will be your sushi vinegar.
‘Inari-age’ or fried tofu pockets.
Once the rice is cooked, transfer the rice into a large heat-safe mixing bowl. Stir the rice and add the sushi vinegar a little at a time, till well combined.
Stuff each tofu packet with some seasoned sushi rice.
Next add your drained tuna and furikake and gently stir to combine.
Once the sushi rice is seasoned, take one piece of inari-age and carefully open the pocket opening. Scoop some rice into the tofu pocket until almost full, then set aside.
Add some Japanese pickles on top as garnish.
Repeat with the rest of the inari-age until the rice or tofu pockets are used up. Garnish each inarizushi with some Japanese pickles and serve immediately.
Two flavours of ‘inarizushi’ with different ‘furikake’ and pickle toppings.
