Inari zushi or cone sushi, is one of those great grab-and-go foods, most often found in bento boxes or at your favorite okazuya. Sweet vinegared rice with vegetables, stuffed in deep fried tofu pouches called abura-age. My friend Arnold recently sent me a few okazuya recipes and renewed my interest in making this classic local favorite.  I changed the original recipe a somewhat, so this is my process:

Preparing the abura-age:

Cut the abura-age in half to create an opening for the pouch.

De-oil: Since the abura-age is deep fried, this helps remove the excess oil.
Set a pot of water to boil (enough water to cover the abura-age). When boiling, add the abura-age and boil for 2-3 minutes.  Drain.

Simmer:

• About 1-1/2 cups dashi or plain water with 1 tsp. of dashi granules
• 3 T. sugar
• 2 T. sake
• 2 T. mirin
• 4 T. shoyu

Combine ingredients in a pot and set to boiling. Once it reaches a boil, add the de-oiled abura-age and simmer for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, take off the heat and allow to cool in the liquid.  When cooled, drain and squeeze gently to remove excess liquid.

Prepare the pouch:
You will need to gently separate the white tofu insides from the outer “skin.” Waste not, want not… so don’t throw away the tofu – chop it into bits and add it to your rice!

Sushi Su for inari
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 cup sugar
1.5 T. salt

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir until dissolved well and mixture is clear.

Sushi Rice for inari
3-1/2 cups of cooked, warm rice
1/2 cup sushi su (see above)
1/2 cup minced simmered shiitake mushrooms
1/4 cup minced simmered carrots
1/4 cup minced simmered green beans

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Set aside to cool.

Stuff abura-age with enough rice to fill.  Serve at room temperature.

Stir frying is one of the simplest ways to whip up dinner in a flash.  As I was growing up, that’s basically what we subsisted on: various stir fry meals (okazu) and miso soup.  Another great thing about stir frying is that you can throw in almost any kind of vegetable leftover from other recipes laying around your fridge. I also had some extra abura-age from making inarizushi (cone sushi), so I cut those up and threw it into the skillet as well.

Here’s my stir fry recipe that uses a miso sauce, which is typically Okinawan.  Recipe is adapted from the one featured on the HECO Electric Kitchen show in 1999.

Ingredients:
2 T. Canola oil
1 onion, sliced
2 stalks of celery, chopped*
2 carrots, julienned*
2 long Asian eggplants, cut in 1/4″ diagonal slices
2 zucchinis, peeled, cut in half length-wise and sliced  (you may also use any other type of squash such as togan or nabera/hechima)
1 cup dashi (soup stock)
3 T. white miso
1/4 cup mirin
1 t. sesame oil
1 block firm tofu, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a skillet, heat oil. Saute onion and celery until tender. Add carrots, eggplant, and squash: cook for about 2 minutes.  Add dashi, miso, mirin, and sesame oil.  Cook until squash is slightly tender. Add tofu and cook until heated. Season with salt and pepper.

*Vegetables are interchangeable and optional. I threw these in because I had them in my refrigerator.  You may also garnish with green onions.