Inarizushi・いなり寿司
- Eiten
- Mar 13
- 3 min read
Inarizushi is one of Japan's most recognized foods — seasoned tofu pouches stuffed with vinegared rice, balancing sweet, savory, and tangy in a single bite. There are many inari sushi recipes available, each reflecting the regional traditions and individual preferences of the cook who made it. The version I am sharing here draws on the countryside sushi traditions of Kochi Prefecture, where yuzu citrus is folded into the rice alongside the traditional seasonings. It is a subtle addition, but a precise one — and it changes everything.
The Sacred Origins of Inarizushi: Japan's Most Beloved Sushi
Inarizushi traces its roots to the Edo period, roughly 300 years ago. Affordable, portable, and satisfying, it was sold by street vendors from baskets and wooden boxes — fast food long before the term existed. Its exact birthplace remains debated, with Nagoya, Edo, and Toyokawa in Aichi Prefecture each laying claim to its origins.
The most commonly held version of the origin story of inarizushi suggests, however, that Edo may have the strongest claim to being the true birthplace. According to that story, it spread as a result of the sankin-kōtai (参勤交代), which required daimyo (feudal lords) and their samurai to divide their time equally between their local domains and the capital city of Edo. When the daimyo and their warriors returned home from the capital, they brought inarizushi with them.
What is not debated is the source of its name. Inarizushi takes its name from Inari Ōkami, the Shinto deity of agriculture, rice, and prosperity. In Japanese folklore, white foxes serve as Inari's sacred messengers and are said to have a particular fondness for deep-fried tofu. Worshippers left aburaage as offerings at shrine grounds — and at some point, someone filled one with rice. A dish was born from an act of devotion.
The shape of the pouch varies by region and carries its own meaning. In the Kanto region, the pouches are rectangular or barrel-shaped, representing bags of rice. In Kansai, they are triangular — an echo of fox ears, or the silhouette of Mount Inari itself.
Yuzu and the Kochi Prefecture Inakazushi Connection
Standard inarizushi across eastern Japan keeps the filling simple: plain vinegared rice, nothing more. Western regions take a different approach, often mixing additional ingredients into the rice — a style known as gomoku inari. Kochi Prefecture carries this inventive spirit further than most. Its inakazushi (countryside sushi) tradition encompasses a range of regional variations, including a rare version that replaces the tofu pouch entirely with konjac.
The tradition of inakazushi from Kochi was my inspiration for the yuzu in this recipe. Yuzu is a highly aromatic Japanese citrus, its zest floral and complex in a way that no other citrus quite replicates. When preparing inakazushi it is common to season the rice with a yuzu either in place of or in addition to the typical sushi vinegar.
Folding both the juice and the minced peel into the sushi rice lifts the sweetness of the poaching liquid and adds a layer of fragrance that makes this inari sushi recipe distinctly its own. The result is a version I return to every winter, when yuzu is in season here in Sapporo.
NOTE: Here is a link to a video I posted on my YouTube channel with a step-by-step demonstration on how to make a drop lid: How to Make A Paper Lid You can use this when cooking the pouches in the recipe below if you don't have an actual drop lid on hand.
1
The Delicate Flavor of Yuzu
The flavor and fragrance of yuzu is delicate and diminishes fairly quickly. Eat these within 1-2 hours of making them.
2
Storing the Pouches
Inarizushi is best when eaten right away. To cut down on the amount of time it takes to make them you can cook a large batch of pouches and freeze them. Just pull them out of the freezer and set them in the refrigerator the night before you plan on making inarizushi.
3
Using the Rice Washing Water
The Japanese word mottainai means something along the lines of a "shameful waste." It applies anytime we fail to recognize the potential in something. Like the water that we use to wash rice before cooking it. There are countless uses for it. My favorite is to store it in the fridge and use it when I cook vegetables, or as a substitute for stock when I am making a thick pureed soup. Some people even use it as part of their skincare regimen. Do a little research and find a practical way to use it that suits your lifestyle.
Notes
1
COOKING THE RICE. Wash the rice several times to remove any impurities left over from the polishing process. Put the rice in a bowl, cover with cold water, and gently agitate the grains with your hand. You can simply stir the rice with your fingers or — as I like to do — take a handle full of the grains in your palm and rub them together gently. Pour off the water and repeat this process 2-3 times more. In the spirit of ichibutsu zentai (wasting nothing), I like to save the water from washing the rice rather than discard it. See the notes below for some suggestions on how to use it.
After the rice has been washed and set it aside to rehydrate for 30-45 min (increase this to 60-90 min during colder weather). When the time is up cook the rice in a suihanki (Japanese rice cooker) set to quick mode. I covered this in detail in another blog post which there is a link to at the end of this post.
2
PREPARING THE FRIED TOFU. The tofu has a small amount of residual oil clinging to the surface which needs to be removed by scalding it with hot water. Bring a small pot of water to a boil (500 g of water is enough). Remove the tofu from the packaging, set it in a strainer in the sink, and pour the hot water over it to wash away the oil. When the tofu is cool enough to handle, pat it dry with a kitchen towel and cut each piece diagonally into two triangles, creating a total of six triangles. Working slowly, use the tip of a knife to make an incision horizontally along the cut side of one of the triangles. Draw the knife towards you as you do this, gradually moving the further and further toward the center of the tofu to create as deep of a pocket as you can without cutting through. You want to keep about 1/4" of tofu uncut along the edges of the pocket so that it the pouches don't burst open when you fill them. Do this for the remaining pieces.
3
POACHING THE POUCHES. Combine the water, soy sauce, sake, molasses, and sea salt in pot. Add the tofu pouches and place a drop lid (otoshibuta) on top to keep the tofu submerged. If you don't have a drop lid you can make one out of parchment paper. Click on the link above to watch a quick demonstration on how to make one. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking for 15-20 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat, and allow the pouches to cool completely in the liquid before filling them. The rice should be done cooking at this point, so you can season it while the pouches are cooling.
4
SEASONING THE RICE. Remove the insert from the rice cooker, and transfer the rice to a cedar oke (rice bucket) or a stainless steel bowl. The wooden bowl helps absorb moisture from the rice as it lets off steam, but it is not necessary to go out and buy one just for this.
Moisten a spatula with a small amount of water to prevent the grains from sticking to it, and fluff the rice by using a cutting motion: pull the thin edge of the spatula through the rice towards you as you gently press it down into the rice and turn the container in a circular motion, flipping the rice over towards the center as you go. This will help cool the rice and release steam. Add in the sushi vinegar, yuzu juice, and zest. Continue cutting the rice until the seasonings have been fully incorporated. The rice should be shiny when done, and the container should be dry. Place a clean kitchen towel over the rice to prevent it from drying out while you fill the pouches.
5
MAKING THE INARIZUSHI. Holding a pouch in one hand, wet your other hand with a small amount of water to prevent the rice from sticking to your fingers. With your wet hand take some rice and gently press it into the pouch. You only want to fill the pouches about 80% of the way so that you can seal them without causing the tofu to burst at the seams. 45 g of rice is enough to fill a pouch. When the pouch is full fold each side in towards the center to seal the pouch. Flip the sealed pouch over in your hand so that the folded side is in your palm and gently squeeze it as you press down your index and middle finger of the wet hand. This is similar to how you make nigiri sushi, which is what the pouches should resemble by now. When all of the pouches are done, arrange 2-3 of them per serving onto small plates without any additional garnish. Other recipes suggest sushi gari (pickled ginger) or shiso leaves, but these will detract from the fragrance and subtle taste of the yuzu, so I don't recommend that for this particular variation.
Instructions
300 g Japansese short-grain rice
405 g water
Sushi Rice
3 ea Usuage (thinly sliced fried tofu)
400 g water (+ 500 g for scalding the tofu)
30 g soy sauce
30 g sake
25 g molasses
5 g sea salt
Tofu Pouches
45 g sushi vinegar (recipe link below)
5 g yuzu juice
zest from 1 ea yuzu
Rice Seasoning
Inarizushi・いなり寿司
Eiten
There are many recipes and variations available for inarizushi. The one I am sharing with you here adds a subtle, distinguishing twist: yuzu citrus. The floral fragrance of the fresh zest lifts the rice in a way that nothing else can replicate, setting it apart from all others.
Servings :
6 pieces (2-3 pieces per serving)
Calories:
Prep Time
30 min
Active Cook Time
30 min
Passive Cook Time
30 min
Total Time
1 hr 30 min
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