Inari Sushi Pockets and Cute Panda Bento

Inari sushi is a Japanese dish made of seasoned sushi rice tucked inside deep-fried tofu pockets. These make the perfect lunchbox item.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

The other day I was making a list of back-to-school lunch ideas with the kids. I asked them for ideas on what I should be packing for their school lunch. The kids gave me the usual suggestions of, LCM Bars, Le Snak, biscuits etc, but high up on their list was sushi.

I do make sushi from time to time but I couldn't imagine myself making it on a busy school morning. Then I thought about tofu pocket! Tofu pockets are easy to make and keep well in the fridge for up to five days. These would make an ideal lunch food.

What are Tofu Pockets

Tofu pockets are available from all Asian Grocery stores and some supermarkets.

They are deep-fried tofu pockets that have been pre-soaked in sweet syrup. My children used to call them sushi dessert pockets because we used to have them after the savoury sushi.

When you buy Inari it usually just contains seasoned rice, sprinkled with a few black sesame seeds. Happily, the recipe doesn't have to be set in stone, there are plenty of possible variations.

Inari Pocket Variations

Even though Inari sushi is semi-sweet, it can still have a surprise filling. I usually keep the fillings fairly neutral tasting so that they don't clash with the sweetness. For these Inari pockets, I've used a fried egg and black sesame seeds as the filling. Other variations I have made are:

• Furikake in the flavour of your choice (savoury sprinkles)
• Pickled ginger and black sesame seeds
• Rice topped with pickled daikon radish
• Rice topped with Wakame (see below)

Furikake is a rice "sprinkle" seasoning that comes in a variety of tasty flavours. In Japan, Furikake is used when making Onigiri or rice balls to give the dish extra flavour. Rice balls a quite often made using rice leftover from the evening meal.

Inari Bentos

Our family has visited Japan on a few occasions. Each time the children loved the cute bento which is available in supermarkets and train stations. Everyone in Japan makes the most beautiful sushi! On one visit to Japan, we stayed with a Japanese family. We had hosted their daughter Kaori in our home for twelve months whilst she studied English. Kaori and her family showed me how to make these Inari pockets.

Given that it's time to go back to school I thought I should give these pockets a trial run before the big day. Just for laughs, I thought I would make them look like cute little pandas and fish although I doubt that I will go to the trouble on a school morning.

How to Make the Panda

The Inari pocket was filled with rice and pressed into shape so it looked like a face. Panda's ears were formed by molding the Inari sushi pocket and crimping the ears. The fried egg yolk was used to add character to the ears.

The panda face on the Inari Sushi is made using a fried egg and a sheet of nori. The panda's nose is made from a fried egg white. I pressed a circle out of the egg white with a thick metal straw. A nori strip for the nose markings. Use a hole punch to punch holes in a nori sheet for the Panda's eyes.

The process of making panda was really quite easy, but it wouldn't look the same by lunchtime in my kid's bags!!

Making the Inari Fish Pockets was even more simple. I made the fish scales from a slice of cheese and some slices of carrot. The pattern in the scales was made using a fluted biscuit cutter. The fish eye was made using the same method as the panda's eye.

If you have any scraps of carrot, egg, and cheese left over from making the sushi animals you can place these inside the tofu pocket with the seasoned rice.

So that's my suggestion for an interesting school lunch idea. Make sure you bookmark the page or pin the picture for the days when you are stuck for ideas.

Inari Pockets FAQ

The biscuits my kids ask for the most are these Milo Cookies. Happily, we usually have all the ingredients on hand so they are quick to make. No shopping trip is required!

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