Instant Inari

You'll need:

• 2 cups of short-grain rice
• 1/2 bag of sushi rice seasoning powder
• 1 package of inari (tofu skin envelopes)

This is a favorite snack food for children in Japan. It's really simple and so good. The sushi rice seasoning powder and the inari are available in Asian grocery stores or on-line.

1. Put the cooked rice in a medium sized bowl.
2. Pour 1/2 a bag of sushi rice seasoning and mix it well. Sushi rice seasoning is vinegar and sugar. If you can't find the seasoning mix in the store, you can look at our sushi salad for the right mix of vinegar and sugar.
3. Next, open the package of inari. Inari is packed in a sweet sauce so be careful when you open it.
4. The inari envelopes are open on one edge. You will see this edge is a little rougher than the other three edges. Gently slide your fingertip into this edge until you can find the opening. Peel the layers open slowly because you don't want to rip the bottom and wind up with a tofu tube instead of a tofu envelope.
5. Take a large spoonful or a handful of sushi rice and put it into the tofu skin. Gently pack the inari until it looks like a little pillow.