These sweet little tofu pillows stuffed with sushi rice are a favourite with kids and adults alike.
You can buy aburaage already made, at any Oriental food store. Sometimes, they come in a liquid, which you discard. They are deep fried tofu pockets, brown from being deep fried.
If they are whole, you can cut each in half so rice can be stuffed into them. But wait! You have to stew them first in a pot with the following:
2/3 cup dashi
5 tbsp sugar
4 tbsp soy sauce
combine all and heat. Place 10 empty pouches into the mixture and simmer for 20 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Cool.
You can also add the following:
Kampyo strips (dried gourd) cooked for 20 minutes in a combination of
1/4 cup dashi
3 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp soy sauce
After cooking, drain and chop into small pieces.
AND
shiitake, soaked first in water if they are dried. This will take over an hour. Then remove the stem and chop finely.
AND
finely chopped cucumber and minced carrot.
Method
Mix the sushi rice with the kampyo, shiitake, cucumber and carrot if desired, then spoon the tofu pouches with the mixture carefully. They tear easily, so be careful not to stuff them too roughly. There should be a bit of space left empty at the mouth of the pouch.