February (Cook) Book Club: Japanese Home Cooking · Blog

We're cooking from Sonoko Sakai's Japanese Home Cooking: Simple Meals, Authentic Flavors this month!

You might have seen a preview of this month's recipe on our Instagram, and we are excited to share the full recipe in today's blog post. Japanese cookbooks have had a renaissance in the last few years. Between the publication of Donabe by Naoko Takei Moore, The Gaijin Cookbook by Ivan Orkin, and Japan: The Cookbook by Nancy Singleton Hachisu, readers are extra hungry for Japanese cookbooks. Specifically, Japanese cookbooks focused on home cooking.

Before all these books were published (all within the last two years), Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji was really the only all inclusive book on Japanese cooking. Tsuji's book was published in 1980 and is still a well respected resource today. Think of it as the Joy of Cooking, a comprehensive cooking guide, but for Japanese food. Regardless which new Japanese cookbook you go with, make sure to reference Tsuji's book in tandem. His book provides extra insight on many classic Japanese recipes and ingredients.

On the lunch menu today? Inari Sushi! We have a real soft spot for tofu on this blog, but can you really blame us? We simmered and gently stuffed these puffy, fried tofu pouches with a mix of seasoned rice, shiso, and ginger. On top, more shiso and ikura! Inari Sushi is savory and so fun to eat.

These pouches are three bites each, and best paired with Passion Fruit Mille Crêpes (which is happily available for year round US Shipping). Boring office lunch? Not at our office :)

Inari Sushi, step by step recipe below. We adjusted a few of the ingredients to make it even more simple to prepare at home (refer to page 131 of Sakai's book for her exact version). The recipe makes for 10 sushi "pouches," but feel free to double or even triple this recipe. Inari Sushi is typically enjoyed at room temperature and can be prepared in advance which makes it great for big groups, potlucks, and parties!

Ingredients
For the seasoned tofu pouches:
10 abura-age (deep-fried tofu pouches)
1 1/2 cups dashi
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon cane sugar

For the sushi vinegar:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons cane sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt

For the rice filling:
1 1/2 cups cooked sushi rice
1 tablespoon sake
2 ounces ginger, peeled and minced
20 shiso leaves, minced
1/2 cup toasted white sesame seeds

For the garnishes:
3 tablespoons ikura
5 shiso leaves

Method
For the seasoned tofu pouches:

Blanch the abura-age in a pot of boiling water a minute (to remove excess oil). Drain.
Combine the abura-age, dashi, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat to low and simmer 8 minutes. Flip the pouches over and cook another 8 minutes. You want most of the liquid absorbed. Remove from heat and let cool

For the sushi vinegar:

Mix the rice vinegar, cane sugar, and sea salt in a small bowl. Set aside.

For the rice filling:

Transfer the cooked rice to a big bowl. Add the sushi vinegar and use a rice paddle to gently toss. Add the ginger, shiso and white sesame seeds, and toss until evenly mixed.

To assemble:

Carefully cut a slit in each tofu pouch and stuff/fill each pouch with the rice mixture. Top with shiso leaves and a spoonful of ikura each. Enjoy, enjoy!

Till next time,
Lady M