Inari pockets are true to their name little pillows of deliciousness. On their own the right balance of savory and sweet, and so never overbearing. This makes them pair really well with a lot of other flavors. In our case we are going to be filling them with rice and shrimp, but you don’t have to stop there! Salmon or smoked salmon mixed in a similar away can be delicious! A little seaweed salad on top or some fresh tuna poke(Which I have a recipe on my blog for right here) would also work!
Where Can I Find it?
All the ingredients, save for one, should be simple to find and the Inari itself isn’t that hard either! I usually buy some from my local Asian market, but it does also come canned and you can order straight from Amazon or plenty of other online retailers. You could also make it yourself if you bought some fried tofu pouches and then marinated them. It’s a bit of an ordeal, but it can be done!
Other Uses for Inari
I primarily buy Inari for this recipe, but while traveling in Japan I found they used it frequently in a number of different dishes. It’s a popular add in to a cold or hot soba noodle soup. You could find them filled with just rice as a filling appetizer. I even had them once filled with fish roe and nothing else which was delicious!
Tips for Packing the Pockets
The store bought pockets can be a little fragile so be careful not to overfill them. I find it helps to pull apart the top just a bit and the wiggle it back and forth a bit so that it opens up on it’s own. Wetting your fingers with a little water also makes it easier to handle the rice. Don’t forget to leave a little room for whatever topping that you are planning to put on it!
