Sweet, soy-seasoned fried tofu pouches, 8 by 6 cm, ready to open and fill with sushi rice.
QING Soy Bean Curd Seasoned Inari are fried tofu pouches already seasoned in a sweet soy liquid and packed in it. The label names them Seasoned inari, gives each pouch as 8 by 6 cm, and lists soybean curd, water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, starch and salt. The Arabic panel states that they are made in the People's Republic of China. As general background, abura-age is a Japanese food made from thin slices of tofu that are deep-fried and can then be split open to form pouches. It is the classic wrapper for inarizushi, and it is also added to miso soup and to kitsune udon, a dish named after the legend that foxes like fried tofu. Because these pouches are pre-seasoned, the kitchen only needs to open and fill them. Gently squeeze out the excess liquid, ease each pouch open with a thumb, and pack it loosely with seasoned sushi rice. Rice mixed with sesame seeds, chopped gari or edamame adds texture, and open-topped pouches can be finished with salmon, crab salad or tamago.
