Updated: The recipe and photographs updated in February, 2013.
A typical Inari Sushi (稲荷寿司, いなり寿司) is made of sushi rice wrapped inside the seasoned deep-fried tofu pockets called “Inari Age” (pronounce it like E-nari-Ah-geh). Both my mother and grandmother made that way and that’s how I used to make.
Last year I discovered another way to make Inari Sushi. Since I love shiso (perilla) as an ingredient, I wrapped sushi rice with shiso leaf and seasoned nori (seaweed) before putting into inari-age. It was really, really good! Since then, my go-to Inari Sushi always includes shiso leaf and seasoned nori.
If you want to make your Inari Sushi prettier, flip upside down and show the rice. Tuck in the edge of inari-age inside the bag, so it will have round smooth edge. You can decorate the top with Kinshi Tamago (shredded egg crepe garnish) or any toppings you like.
I hope you try adding shiso and nori next time when you prepare Inari Sushi. I usually make sushi rice from scratch, but keeping a bottle of Sushi Seasoning in the refrigerator can be very convenient when you just need a small amount of sushi rice. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 3 cup cooked Japanese rice (1 cup for approx 4 Inari Sushi)
- 1 Tbsp. roasted white sesame seeds
- 12 Inari-Age (seasoned deep-fried tofu pockets) - Homemade recipe coming soon!
- The cooking liquid from Inari Age
- 12 shiso leaves
- 12 seasoned nori seaweed
- Sushi ginger (gari) for garnish
Instructions:
- Prepare sushi rice.
- Add sesame seeds and mix together.
- Open the Inari-Age pocket so you can put rice all the way in.
- Moisten hands with the liquid from Inari-Age. Take a small handful of rice and make a small rice ball. Do not make it too big otherwise it won't fit in Inari-Age.
- Wrap each rice ball with shiso and a piece of nori and stuff the rice ball into the Inari-Age. Close the Inari-Age and place open-end down on a plate
- Another method is to keep the bag open on top. Wrap each rice ball with a piece of nori and stuff the rice ball into the Inari-Age. Then place shiso on top.
- Tuck in the edge of Inari-Age inside the pocket so you will have nice smooth round edge. You can decorate the top as you like.
- Serve with sushi ginger.
Itadakimasu!
Hi, I'm Nami. Thanks for stopping by Just One Cookbook. You can read little bit more about me 
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this with egg mayo and surimi mayo where else my hubby prefers the plain ones..
Hi Lyn! Egg mayo and Surimi mayo? Mayo as in Mayonnaise? Are those in the Inarizushi?? Interesting! I have never seen or heard about it. Now you got me very curious… I’ve put Chirashizushi in there, but not egg or surimi WITH mayo…. very interesting!
Hi Nami, yes and yes… mayonnaise and all those are in Inarizushi. They’re sold at the sushi counters and reasturants here in SG. I think maybe these are created to suit our likings here..
Maybe you can try them some days, they are very nice!
Is Chirashizushi mixed ingredients sushi? I only know how to eat and a few types of sushi names… LOL
It’s fun to know how Inarizushi being adapted to different countries and become a popular meal in that country.
Yes, Chirashizushi is the mixed one (not necessarily use raw fish, so kids can eat).
I love those skins! I’ve always been a fan of those. Mmmm
Thanks Sook! This is cheating version as I didn’t make the Inari skin pouch from scratch. =P Me too, I love Inari skins!
I’ve never tried to make this, it sounds wonderful.
I love the added shiso. Inarizushi was the first food my Japanese oka-san taught me to make way back in 1983 when I first went to Japan. Later we made chirashizushi together. I was so thankful when she invited me onto the other side of the kitchen table and let me help with the cooking and cleaning up. I knew I was no longer a guest but a member of the family! And now my family here in Southern California is so thankful for your website because we are eating Japanese food again almost every night!
Hi Nami,
I just made this.
The flavour is soooo amazing with shisho leaves and seaweed. It really took one of my favourite comfort foods to the next level!
Hi Vivi! So happy to hear you liked it. The combination of shiso and nori is pretty amazing, isn’t it?
Hi;
I was going to ask you if you had any tsukemono recipes, but after
making this, is this basically takuwan. I got another day to wait to
taste. Tks
Yes, takuan is a kind of tsukemono and made from daikon. Thank you for trying Pickled Daikon recipe!
Sorry wrong dish, i thought i was in the pickled daikon recipe.
No problem, my answer is above.
Hi Nami, I was wondering what do you put first the nori then the shiso or the other way
around. Your instructions shows it both ways. We made it using your first recipe,
but I can not remember. It was delicious…….Thanks…..Twobacas
Hi Twobacas! Are you referring to step #5 and #6? When you show the bottom of Inari Sushi (step #6 method), it looks prettier with shiso showing rather than black nori showing… that’s why I switched the two.
You can do the same way for regular Inari Sushi, but I find it easier to wrap shiso then nori over the rice when you need to squeeze it into Inari Age pocket… It doesn’t matter either way as it tastes the same. 
Thank you for writing! I’m glad to hear you liked it!
I don’t know how I missed these photos of you filling these.
Hey Nami! I love these! So in San Francisco, where would you recommend for us to go shopping for great Japanese groceries? And maybe get these skins. Because it’s one of my favorites! I used to eat them in Korea all the time!
Hi Sook! Go to Japantown, and there is a supermarket there called Nijiya. They have premade skins as well as tofu pouches that you can make from scratch. How to make Inari Age is here:
http://justonecookbook.com/blog/recipes/inari-age/
Hope that helps!
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