Meat and Tofu stuffed Aburaage (Meat and Tofu Inari "sushi")

 

As a kid I loved Inari Sushi, I think because the tofu pockets (aburage) were sweet and salty and goes extremely well with vinegared sushi rice. As I grew up I learned to appreciate raw fish and other sushi, so inari sushi was demoted (and forgotten), but if you put a plate of inari sushi in front of me I will still gobble them up. Since trying to monitor my carbs intake, rice has become a scarecity, and I have been thinking about experimenting with quinoa sushi as well (will update). The other day I came across a blog posting on a Chinese website about stuffing the tofu pockets with meat. What a clever idea! Here is my adaptation.

Aburage (I found this in the refrigerator section of Korean market. They also sell them in cans as well) and organic firm tofu (from costco).

Open the Aburage package and soak them in water for 10-15 minutes (This helps to get rid of excess salt, since we are flavoring the meat as well. Omit this step if you like your food on the saltier end)

Drain tofu (100g) by placing a heavy object on top. Leave for 10-15 minutes. This removes excess water from the tofu so that our meat mixture stuffing isn't too wet.

Upper Left: 200g ground chicken breast (can substitute with ground pork or beef)

Upper Right: 2T diced ginger

Lower Left: Aburage 

Lower Right: 100g firm tofu (you can also omit the tofu and use 300g of ground meat)

Add chicken breast, firm tofu, and ginger to mixing bowl.

Mix in the same direction (clockwise) for 30-50 strokes. This repeated mixing action helps the meat to adhere together

Add the meat marinade: 1T low sodium soy sauce, 1 T sesame oil and 1T cooking wine to the chicken and tofu mixture. Mix until meat and sauce are evenly coated.

Start stuffing each aburage with the meat tofu mix (about 2-3T worth)

Aburage all stuffed and ready to go!

Heat 1-2T grapeseed oil on frying pan on medium heat.

Once the oil gets hot, start adding each of the stuffed aburage with meat side facing down.

Pan fry until the meat mixture turns golden. About 3-5 minutes depending on the heat of the frying pan.

Add the sauce consisting of 1T low sodium soy sauce, 1T cooking wine, 1T sesame oil, 3T low sodium chicken broth and 1 tsp of sugar. (adjust to taste).

Cover with lid and steam for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes (or when all the meat is thoroughly cooked through. You can check by opening one of the stuffed aburage), remove all the Tofu pockets to a plate and continue cooking the sauce until there is about 2-3T left.

Drizzle the sauce over the meat stuffed tofu pockets.

Garnish with black sesame seeds and enjoy!

Chicken and Tofu Inari "Sushi" (Meat Stuffed Tofu Pockets)  

Ingredients:

• Aburaage (The pack I got had 14 pieces)
• 100g Organic Firm tofu
• 200g ground chicken breast (can use other types of ground meat as well, or omit tofu and use 300g total of ground meat)
• 2 Tablespoons of minced ginger
• 1-2 Tablespoons of cooking oil (I used grapeseed)
• 2 Tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons of sesame oil
• 2 Tablespoons of cooking wine
• 3 Tablespoons of low sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp sugar
• black sesame seeds (optional, for garnish)

1. Soak the aburaage in water for 30 - 40 minutes. This helps to decrease the saltiness of the aburaage. You can also rinse the aburaage under hot water as this will help to remove excess oil (I only soaked in water).
2. While waiting for the Aburaage to soak, mix the ground chicken, tofu, and ginger together in one direction for 30-50 strokes until the meat mixture starts to adhere together (you will notice that the meat becomes more paste-like as you mix)
3. Combine 1T low sodium soy sauce, 1 T sesame oil and 1T cooking wine in a different bowl and pour into the meat tofu mixture.  Mix well.
4. Stuff each Aburaage with about 2-3 heaping Tablespoons of the meat-tofu mixture. Please adjust the amount depending on the number of Aburaage you have.
5. Preheat cooking pan with 1-2T of cooking oil on medium heat.
6. Once the oil is hot (you can tell by placing your hand over the pan to feel if the pan is heated), start placing each stuffed Aburaage with the meat side facing down.
7. Pan fry until the meat turns golden brown (meanwhile, mix 1T low sodium soy sauce, 1T sesame oil, 1T cooking wine, 3T low sodium chicken broth, and 1tsp sugar together in another bowl).
8. Pour the sauce you just mixed in step 7 to the pan and cover with a lid. Allow to steam for 5 minutes or until the meat is completely cooked.
9. Once the meat is completely done, remove all the Stuffed Aburaage to a plate and continue cooking the sauce until only 2-3T of liquid remains.
10. Drizzle the sauce over the stuffed aburaage.
11. Garnish with black sesame seeds and serve!

Nutritional Facts:
(1 Serving = 1 Stuffed Aburaage)
Calories: 71
Total Fat: 3.7g*
Cholesterol: 15.4mg
Sodium: 214.8mg*
Carb: 3.5g | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugars: 1.6g
Protein: 6.7g

*Note: The nutritional facts are based on using ground chicken breast that is 97% lean. 
** Sodium calculation is based on using the original packaging of the Aburaage. If you presoak (as I did), the sodium will be much less, however, I'm not sure how to account for that in the calculation.

Adapted from: http://caroleasylife.blogspot.com/2009/07/blog-post_14.html