Simmered in sweet and savory dashi-based broth, Inari Age is seasoned deep-fried tofu pockets used for making Inari Sushi and Kitsune Udon Noodle Soup.
Were you able to guess today’s recipe based on the picture? If you were, then I would say you are an expert in Japanese food!
They are called Inariage (稲荷揚げ) or Sushiage (寿司揚げ) and “Age” here is not pronounced like “age” as in “your age”, more like Ah-geh. Let’s talk about what they are, how to use them, and of course, how to make them.
The ingredient itself is deep-fried tofu pockets or called Abura Age (油揚げ). When you read “deep-fried tofu”, most people would recall thick square deep-fried tofu used in Asian dishes. Those are called Atsu Age (厚揚げ) in Japan. However, these deep-fried tofu pouches are flat and come in a package similar to the picture below.
Abura Age are made from soybeans and is made by cutting tofu into thin slices and deep-fried two times, once at a lower temperature first and then at high temperature last. The tofu skin becomes so thin that it creates hollow space inside the skin (similar to pita bread), which allows you to stuff different ingredients in these tofu pockets.
When Abura Age is cooked in dashi stock seasoned with sugar and soy sauce, we call them Inari Age or Sushi Age.
I usually make a lot and freeze them so that I can save time when I make Inari Sushi or Kitsune Udon.
Various Recipes Using Inari Age
These tofu pouches absorb sweet and salty umami flavors into the tofu during the simmering process and when you bite into Inari Sushi, you get to enjoy the amazing harmony between rice, tofu skin, and the sweet and salty flavor.
You can also use Inari Age as a topping for the udon noodle soup. Usually, store-bought Inari Age is too sweet for my liking so I like to make my own Inari Age. It only takes 15 minutes to cook and it is a very simple process.
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Simmered in sweet and savory dashi-based broth, Inari Age is seasoned deep-fried tofu pockets used for making Inari Sushi and Kitsune Udon Noodle Soup.
- 6 aburaage (deep-fried tofu pouch)
- 1 cup dashi (use Kombu Dashi for vegetarian/vegan)
- 5 Tbsp sugar
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
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Gather all the ingredients. Use Kombu Dashi for a vegan/vegetarian version.
- Cover the Abura Age with plastic wrap and roll the rolling pin (I used a pestle) over the Abura Age. This step helps to open the pouch easier.
- Cut the Abura Age in half.
- Add the Abura Age in boiling water and cover with Otoshibuta (drop lid). Boiling for 3 minutes should be enough to reduce the smell and oil from Abura Age's deep-fried oil before cooking in dashi soy sauce.
- Discard the water and quickly rinse Abura Age under cold water. Squeeze the excess water out.
- In a large pot, combine dashi stock, sugar, and soy sauce and bring to a boil.
- Add the Abura Age in the pot and place Otoshibuta.
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Cook the Abura Age on medium-low heat for 15 minutes until the liquid is 90% evaporated and absorbed into the Abura Age. Remove from the heat and let it cool down.
- Gently squeeze out the liquid (but not completely) and save the liquid in a separate bowl. You use this liquid to make Inari Sushi. If you don’t make Inari Sushi now, pack liquid and Inari Age in a separate airtight container. You can store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and the freezer for up to 2-3 weeks.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
