Inari sushi (or cone sushi) is seasoned cooked rice stuffed into a small pouch of flavorful fried tofu. It can be a wonderful dish to take to a family gathering or to drop off to a friend who needs some cheer. Just prepare rice in a cooker, or on the stove if you prefer, and add instant sugar-vinegar power sushi seasoning to the hot rice. It becomes sushi rice.
Stuff it into the tasty little bean curd receptacles sold in a can already prepared. Serve them as it, or top them with store-bought spicy ahi, salmon eggs, flying fish eggs (tobiko) or flaked salmon. The rice is tasty from the seasoning.
Another version includes bits of carrot, green beans or burdock (gobo) cooked with the rice. Some even like the texture of sesame seeds mixed in.
Make your own simple sushi and be satisfied.
Fast Cone Sushi
Ingredients:
• 2 1/2 rice cooker cups (or 1 1/2 standard measuring cups) raw, short- or medium-grain rice
• 1/2 (2.64-ounce) packet instant sushi seasoning
• 1 (10-ounce) can seasoned fried bean curd
• Spicy tuna poke, salmon flakes or salmon eggs (ikura) as topping (optional)
Directions:
Cook rice. When done, sprinkle packet of seasoning and mix, being careful not to break the rice grains. Fan to cool. Gently stuff the rice in the seasoned bean curd packets. Fold ends over and place on bottom of sushi, or keep on top and add toppings.
Variations include grated carrots, chopped green beans or grated burdock root (gobo) in the rice before cooking, or mix in toasted sesame seeds in the cooked rice.
Makes 15-17 cone sushi.
Lynette Lo Tom is the author of cookbooks A Chinese Kitchen and Back in the Day. She wants to hear about your cooking shortcuts. Reach her at lynette@brightlightcookery.com or @brightlightcookery on Instagram.
