INARI SUSHI	RECIPE

Hub-UK first came into existence back in May 2000. Seems a long time ago now!

Back then the internet was a very different place with much more of an amateur feel to it. In a lot of ways it was a pleasanter and more friendly place to hang out. For those of us interested in food and cooking it was a great opportunity to chat and share ideas with people living in other parts of the world.

It was also a time when everyone involved in cooking, whether they were just a keen amateur, a busy mum, a grandmother with a lifetime of kitchen experience or a professional chef just starting a career in the kitchen or one who was an old hand working at the stove, was happy to share recipes so others could enjoy them.

One of teh prolific contributors was Mrs Susie and this is one of her recipes. If you want to find out more about her have a look at her biography page which she wrote herself. Mrs Susie specialised in Oriental cooking and an important first step in Oriental cooking is featured at the end of each recipe.

To find out the basic requirements for making Sushi have a look at 'A few things you need to make Sushi'.

"The name translates literally from Japanese to mean golden rice pouches. Fried, seasoned tofu pockets are stuffed with sushi-meshi (sushi rice). This is a very delightful treat and not at all difficult to make."

Ingredients

2 cups prepared sushi rice
3 Tbs. Mirin
3 Tbs. Sugar
4 Tbs. Soy sauce
1-1/4 cup Dashi (fish stock)
1/4 cup Shredded par-boiled carrot
Salt
4 Deep-fried tofu cakes (aburage)*

or

8 Canned tofu pouches

*Aburage can be bought canned or frozen at many Asian food markets. The canned variety are already seasoned and sliced; if using these, plan on three or four pouches per person.

Method

• Bring the prepared sushi rice to room temperature.

• (If using canned aburage, skip this next step) Pour boiling water over the deep-fried tofu cakes to remove oil. Cool, then slice each tofu cake in half lengthwise to make eight tofu pouches.

• In a small saucepan, combine the mirin, sugar, soy sauce and dashi together. Simmer over low heat until hot. Drain gourd strips, then add the gourd strips and tofu pouches into the stock. Heat to boil. Cover, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Squeeze the tofu pouches and gourd strips dry. Set aside.

• Mix the shredded carrot with the sushi rice.

• Moisten hands, then pick up enough rice to make a small, oval-shaped ball. Open a tofu pouch; gently slide the rice ball into the pouch. Fold the sides in and top flap over the rice to close pouch. Repeat with remaining rice and tofu pouches.

Serves 4

Enjoy!
Mrs Susie

"I have studied oriental cooking quite a bit and the one thing that makes it different from other styles of cooking is: it is 90% preparation and 10% cooking. It is very important to have everything in the recipe already prepared for cooking before you start cooking.

I take a plate and cut up my ingredients as called for in the recipe and place them on different parts of the plate. Only then do I think about cooking. I will put my oil in the pan and, as the things are called for in the recipe, I will sweep them into whatever pan I am cooking with, cook for as long as called for, then add the next ingredient.

Oriental cooking happens so fast. To stop and cut up the garlic (for example) if I had the ginger cooking in the pan would result in burnt ginger before the garlic is finished.

When I am cooking a ten or fifteen course dinner you should see my kitchen. I have plates all over and all my sauces mixed in bowls and everything is ready to cook before I start cooking. This is the right way to do it and necessary to have a well-timed dinner.

Another thing, get yourself a good cleaver that will not rust. You will be surprised how much you will use this for all your cooking, not just oriental cooking. Do yourself a favor and get a good one. I think I paid $20 for mine but again that was 20 years ago".

Email Hub-UK : info@hub-uk.com