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Japanese Hand Pockets filled w/ Rice, Shitakes and Sesame

by:
March  3, 2012
0
0 Ratings
  • Makes 18
Author Notes

I can eat these any time and they make perfect travel food- no utensils needed. Chewy rice with the tang of rice wine vinegar and a touch of sugar, smoky slivered shiitakes,minced crunchy vegetables and nutty sesame seeds. This is also a great dish to make with little kids. Their small hands are ideally suited for stuffing the small pockets, and they are perfect lunch box treats- to show their schoolmates.

—LeBec Fin

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Ingredients
  • 1 can or package (16)Aburage (tofu skin pockets),rinsed thoroughly and squeezed
  • 3 cups Cooked sushi rice or short grain brown or white rice, tossed with rice wine vinegar and sugar ( like sushi rice)and cooled
  • 1/2 cup dried shiitakes, poached til tender, sliced thin and minced, OR 1-2 cups fresh shiitakes, sauteed and minced*
  • 1/4 cup black sesame seeds
  • 7/8 package pickled gobo(burdock root)*, sliced crosswise into 1/4 inch pieces OR 1/2 cup sliced carrots, steamed til pierceable, cooled and minced
  • 1 package or can of pickled Kampyo(gourd ribbons), finely chopped
  • 1/4- 1/2 cup smoked trout or cooked salmon, chopped, OR tobiko(flying fish roe)
Directions
  1. Thoroughly combine rice through seafood.. Taste and add seasoning if needed.Gently open tofu skin pockets and gently stuff with rice mixture, leaving 1/2" unfilled. Fold over top if packing for travel.
  2. Note: If rice has been prepared in advance, refrigerated and hardened, sprinkle with a little water and microwave for 30-60 seconds til room temp and chewy.
  3. Notes: All these ingredients can be found in a Japanese store, but you can also choose to use more readily available ingredients(zucchini, beets, celery, sugar snap peas, drained cucumber etc.) No rules!
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My eating passions are Japanese, Indian, Mexican; with Italian and French following close behind. Turkish/Arabic/Mediterranean cuisines are my latest culinary fascination. My desert island ABCs are actually 4 Cs: citrus, cumin, cilantro, cardamom, and GARLIC! I am so excited by the level of sophistication that I see on Food52 and hope to contribute recipes that will inspire you like yours do me. I would like to ask a favor of all who do try a recipe of mine > Would you plse review it and tell me truthfully how it worked for you and/or how you think it would be better? I know many times we feel that we don't want to hurt someone's feelings, but. i really do want your honest feedback because it can only help me improve the recipe.Thanks so much.

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6 Reviews

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BoulderGalinTokyo March 30, 2012
And the name, sorry, but is tofu skin pockets the English name? We need a better nameAburage-no one understands? Inari is known from sushi, right? If they can learn 'tsunami', I guess they can learn 'aburage'.
LeBec F. March 30, 2012
hmmmm, why did tofu skin/foreskin just come into my mind? this is very unfortunate.....
Yes, new name please.(Tofu Skin Pockets was what i made up.) I get the feeling that many 52ers are tofu averse, which I bet goes hand in hand with feeling unsure about cooking Japanese food . So Tofu Pocket is better but still doesn't convey the sweet nature of the Inari. (I must say, i have a priority to change the photo of this dish- need one in natural light and maybe in a kid's hands? cuz this photo stinks major; does nothing to entice.)

Yes, inari is known from sushi and take-out sushi in grocery stores around here. But sooo boring though, usually nothing but rice inside!
BoulderGalinTokyo March 30, 2012
LOL How about Exciting Inari Pockets
Flavorful Stuffed Aburage

But I'm really bad at the naming part too.
The picture is not so bad, remember we don't have to submit. But to get the click count up a picture draws people in.

I agree, tofu seems to be a no no. Although we so many vegan and vegetarians you'd think....
BoulderGalinTokyo March 30, 2012
I really like the aka shiso as a plant too. It really complements my cut roses. My husband turned his nose up when I asked him what to use in. It has a different flavor but I've used it in different things and it turns out OK, not bitter or anything, Sorbet sounds wonderful. Try in a fry with some of your appetizers--the firecrackers, etc! Kakiage,

when you say no pickles--did you have a bad experience??

Try the kimpira gobo recipe at food52. I didn't make it but it looked pretty accurate. And you must be a better cook than you were back then. I love gobo in so many things...
LeBec F. March 30, 2012
yes, gobo wa DAIseki des!!!!! now if i could just get it to come out like i want it. (WOOD was the more accurate description when i tried cooking it once, many years ago)And yes, both pickled/mirin etc cooked kampyo and dried. btw, if you ever come across a use for aka shiso, AKA that is (and no, i don't want to pickle)plse let me know. We grow it heavily throughout our mini arboretum here. (Such great value as a deep purple leaf plant that comes up early and makes a shrub-like presence.) I guess it should inspire me to try some things with it. Using it to flavor and color a sorbet maybe?.......
BoulderGalinTokyo March 16, 2012
Wow this sounds delicious. Can you find kanpyo in America? Great! Pickled gobo-nice! The other chef was calling it burdock-somehow that name makes my teeth grate, Keep it up!