Inarizushi: A Golden Pouch Around Sesame-Flecked Rice
Thin abura-age pouches simmered in dashi, sugar, mirin and two Japanese soy sauces, filled with sushi rice that has roasted sesame folded through it. Ten pieces, shaped into closed oblongs.
Inarizushi starts as two separate preparations that only meet at the very end. One is a pot of thin fried tofu (abura-age), first boiled in hot water to remove oil, then simmered gently in dashi until it turns a glossy golden brown and takes on a sweet, savory flavor. The other is warm rice cooked with a square of kombu, seasoned with sushi vinegar and flecked with roasted sesame. Once the pouches are cool enough to handle, the rice goes inside, and each piece is folded closed.
The recipe here follows one complete 10-piece example published by Murayama Zousu, the Kyoto vinegar maker behind Chidorisu (千鳥酢), which calls for its own vinegar by name. It is one household-style version among many, not a claim to a single national or regional standard. The oblong (tawara) shape is the form chosen for this article from the range of shapes found across Japan.
Sekai Gohan has not kitchen-tested this recipe.
The method rests on four things: open thin abura-age into pouches without tearing them, remove the oil so the pouches can take in the simmering liquid, let the rice rest before the vinegar goes in, and keep the order in which the seasonings join the pot.
Ingredients for 10 Pieces
Equipment
- Rice cooker
- Small saucepan, for warming the sushi vinegar
- Pot of boiling water, for removing oil from the abura-age
- Tongs
- Colander
- Rolling pin
- Knife and cutting board
- Saucepan, for simmering the pouches
- Wide mixing tub or bowl, for the sushi rice
- Rice paddle (shamoji)
- Spoon and measuring spoons
Choosing and Substituting
Abura-age. Look for thin abura-age sold for sushi, which is easier to open into a pouch. If you can only find large ordinary abura-age, you can halve it and open it the same way, but the thickness and how easily it tears are different, so treat it as a different ingredient rather than the same one.
Vinegar. This recipe uses Chidorisu. Another rice vinegar or grain vinegar will still make sushi rice, but the aroma and sourness change, so treat it as an alternative rather than an equal swap. A premixed sushi-vinegar product is a different approach altogether and is not used here.
Dashi. A common bonito-and-kombu dashi works. For a plant-based version, kombu dashi can stand in, though the savory depth will be different.
Soy sauces. Replacing all the usukuchi with koikuchi changes the color and saltiness. If you have no usukuchi, add koikuchi a little at a time and taste, rather than swapping it in at the same amount.
Sesame. No color of sesame is fixed; use roasted sesame you like.
Inarizushi here is meant to be eaten freshly made. Don't leave the sushi rice or the simmered pouches sitting out at room temperature for a long time. No storage period is given for this recipe.
When Things Go Wrong
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The pouch tears as you open it | Pulled too fast, or thick abura-age | Open slowly from the cut edge with fingertips. Thin abura-age for sushi is easier to open |
| The abura-age is too hot to work with | Handled straight from the pot | Let it rest until it is safe to touch before rolling or filling |
| The liquid is running low and the pan is starting to catch | Heat too high during simmering | Lower the heat and keep watching; don't let the pouches scorch |
| The sushi rice is pasty | Stirred or pressed too hard | Cut and fold with the paddle rather than mashing |
| Sugar is still gritty in the sushi vinegar | Not warmed long enough | Keep warming gently and stirring until it dissolves |
| The sesame isn't evenly spread | Added in one clump | Scatter it over the rice and fold through in several passes |
Shapes and Variations Across Japan
Inarizushi is not one fixed shape. Kikkoman describes shapes running from oblong to triangular depending on the region, and fillings that add things such as sesame or sweet-vinegared lotus root to the rice. The oblong form in this recipe is one choice from that range.
Kikkoman also notes that ready-seasoned commercial inari pouches can be used. That shortcut skips the oil removal and simmering, and the result tastes of whatever seasoning the product uses, so it is a different path from the recipe above.
The most distinct regional form described in these sources comes from Tsugaru in Aomori Prefecture. Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) records a Tsugaru inarizushi made mainly with glutinous rice, mixed with red ginger that turns it pink, and very sweet. It is its own regional dish; its ingredients are not mixed into the recipe here.
Background: A Pouch of Fried Tofu Around Rice
MAFF explains inarizushi in general terms as abura-age simmered sweet and savory and filled with vinegared rice or glutinous rice, and notes that recipes differ by region and household. Kikkoman describes it as thin abura-age pouches filled with sushi rice. Within that shared outline, the shape, the rice, the sweetness and the mix-ins all vary.
The recipe on this page comes from a vinegar maker, which is why it names its own Chidorisu vinegar and lists sesame alongside the sushi-vinegar seasonings. In its method, the sesame is mixed in after the rice has been seasoned, so here only the vinegar, sugar and salt are warmed, and the sesame is folded in afterward. The same recipe offers sake as an optional note without an amount, so it is left out here.
You will often hear the name explained through stories about foxes. The sources behind this recipe don't establish that origin, so it is left aside. For more dishes from the same country, see Japanese recipes on Sekai Gohan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why two kinds of soy sauce?
The recipe calls for both Japanese usukuchi and koikuchi soy sauce, added one after the other after the sugar and mirin. They are different seasonings, and using only koikuchi changes the color and saltiness. If you have only koikuchi, add it a little at a time and taste rather than using the combined amount.
How long should I simmer the pouches?
No simmering time or heat level is given for this recipe. The only timings given are about 10 minutes for resting the rice and about 5 minutes for boiling the abura-age. For the simmering, watch the pot: keep the heat gentle, don't let it scorch, and stop when the pouches have taken on the golden color and flavor.
Can I use premixed sushi vinegar or another vinegar?
Murayama Zousu's recipe uses its Chidorisu vinegar with sugar and salt. Another rice or grain vinegar changes the aroma and sourness, and a premixed sushi-vinegar product is a separate approach with its own seasoning balance. Either can make inarizushi, but neither is the same recipe as the one here.
Is this the standard inarizushi of Kanto or of all Japan?
No such claim is made. This is one producer's 10-piece recipe with sesame sushi rice, shaped into oblongs. Kikkoman and MAFF both describe differences in shape, rice and sweetness by region and household.
Why are the openings folded underneath?
Folding the open edge over the rice and resting each piece on that fold is the handling chosen for the oblong shape in this article. Other shapes and ways of closing exist across Japan.
Can I make these ahead?
This recipe is meant to be eaten freshly made, and no storage period is given. Don't leave the sushi rice or the simmered pouches at room temperature for a long time.
Sources
- Murayama Zousu Co., Ltd. (Chidorisu), "いなり寿司（10個）" (Inarizushi, 10 pieces). The complete ingredient list and method used here: rice, water and kombu; Chidorisu vinegar, sugar, salt and roasted sesame for the sushi rice; sushi abura-age with dashi, sugar, mirin, usukuchi and koikuchi soy sauce; the rice rest and the oil-removal guide; filling 10 pieces. https://www.chidorisu.co.jp/suteki/osushi/suteki-163.html
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan, "Inarizushi | Our Regional Cuisines (Aomori/Tsugaru)." The general description of inarizushi as simmered abura-age filled with vinegared or glutinous rice, the Tsugaru form with red ginger, glutinous rice and a very sweet taste, and variation by region and household. https://www.maff.go.jp/e/policies/market/k_ryouri/search_menu/5977/index.html
- Kikkoman Corporation, "Inari-zushi." Inarizushi as thin abura-age pouches filled with sushi rice, regional shapes from oblong to triangular, additions such as sesame or sweet-vinegared lotus root, and the use of ready-seasoned commercial pouches. https://www.kikkoman.com/en/culture/foodforum/recipe/traditional-34-1.html
