aburage

[torakris]

Aburage, or thin pockets of deep fried tofu, are really a wonderful food that can be used in a variety of ways.

You can't make inari-zushi (a type of sushi where the pocket is filled with sushi rice) or kitsune udon (udon noodles topped with slightly sweetened aburage) without them.

then the are the

fukuro-ni and the fukuro-yaki

fukuro means bag and is referring to the pockets being stuffed with some kind of filling, then they are either simmered (ni) or grilled (yaki), they are also common additions to nabes (hotpots) especially oden.

The filling can be anything from natto to meats to tofu to eggs to vegetables.

Here is a picture of the grilled one:

http://cook.orangepage.net/cgi-bin/zview.c...i?KEY=1994ha013

and the simmered one:

http://www.isedelica.co.jp/recipe/nihon/hukuro.htm

what are some of your favorite fillings?

and what other things do you do with aburage?

Edited July 18, 2003 by torakris (log)

[gus_tatory]

as you mentioned, Kristin, a part of kitsune udon:

kitsune udon recipe

[margaret]

Fill with mochi and add to oden.

Stuff with hijiki-gohan.

Hmm. Never thought about doing much else. I like that egg idea.

[Jinmyo]

I often use a pork/shrimp/shitake stuffing and braise them, serve with the braising liquid as a seperate soup.

[torakris]

I often use a pork/shrimp/shitake stuffing and braise them, serve with the braising liquid as a seperate soup.

I like that two dishes out of one!

Do you embellish the soup in any way?

I love it stuffed with mochi in oden and my kids love it stuffed with ground pork or chicken and scallions then grilled and served with ponzu and grated daikon.

[Jinmyo]

Do you embellish the soup in any way?

It's passed through a tammis (fine strainer), tasted, seasoned, then something like daikon sprouts or fine watercress is added.

edit:

I should add that the braising liquid is usually dashi with perhaps some other component such as fish bones and herbs wrapped in cheesecloth.

Edited July 19, 2003 by Jinmyo (log)

[smallworld]

I don't stuff abura-age with anything, except mochi for oden. But I've been inspired to try!

Usually it gets sliced into strips and added to miso soup, or simmered with spinach, komatsuna or green beans. I love the texture!

Now I have a HUGE craving for inari-zushi...

[torakris]

Although it isn't exactly stuffing it, I grilled some aburage a little a while ago that had been spread first with a negi-miso mixture, it was quite good.

I love aburage slices in braised dishes, they soak up so much flavor. One of my favorites is aburage, hakusai (Chines or napa cabbage) and lots of ginger simmered in a dashi-soy broth.

[torakris]

for those who have never made it before her is a recipe for fukuro-ni:

http://www.fira.jp/english/yokoso_e/yokoso...yokoso24_e7.htm

since it doesn't have any pictures, here is a a site (in Japanese) with nice pictures:

http://www.joi.co.jp/thai/recipis/recipi/b...befun/fukuroni/

Edited July 21, 2003 by torakris (log)

[Kiem Hwa]

fukuro-ni  and the fukuro-yaki

fukuro means bag and is referring to the pockets being stuffed with some kind of filling, then they are either simmered (ni) or grilled (yaki), they are also common additions to nabes (hotpots) especially oden.

The filling can be anything from natto to meats to tofu to eggs to vegetables.

the simmered one:

http://www.isedelica.co.jp/recipe/nihon/hukuro.htm

←

Kristin, Thanks for leading me to this thread... I saw your post and was inspired...

My first attempt at Fukuro-ni:

The filling consisted of ground chicken, shrimp, gobo, shiitake, carrots, hijiki, shirataki (yam noodles), and Kudzu noodles (the fat clear noodles - fabulous!)

I simmered the fukuro in konbu-dashi-shoyu-sake-mirin-sugar broth.

And the left-over filling we used to make "Japanese-style" Lumpia.

[torakris]

gorgeous!!

[helenjp]

That first-attempt fukuro-ni looks incredibly good!

I'm also a fan of simmered aburage, but think I might try making surprise egg pouches for the kids...drop an egg into an aburage pouch, close with a toothpick or whatever, and drop into broth to cook. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to drop a little miso or kochujang into the pouch before the egg goes in...

[Salli Vates]

Hello, I was wondering if you like to use abura age for dishes other than inari-zushi and kitsune udon? I was looking in a cookbook and saw an interesting recipe for an abura-age "pizza" stuffed with mozzarella and tomato sauce.

I just made this at home and it was delicious! The fried tofu grew crispy, the cheese melted and it seemed like a perfect snack food to serve to guests.

How do you use your abura age?

Edited March 14, 2006 by Salli Vates (log)

[torakris]

MANAGER'S NOTE:

I MERGED THE TWO ABURAGE THREADS

I have often seen recipes for using aburage like that and I have never tried it, it just sounded weird. Maybe I will give it a try...

I always have aburage at home, I buy whenever I see it really cheap and then freeze it.

[Hiroyuki]

Hmm... No. I can't think of a single interesing use for aburaage.

In one battle of Senjo no Restaurant, one of the teams finely chopped aburaage and used it instead of panko.

[helenjp]

I use aburage in cooking bento - I open out a thin slice of pork or butterfly some chicken thinly, lay aburage on top, add some veg, roll up and pin or tie, brown in a pan then simmer, cool a little, and slice.

It seems like an uninteresting variation on all the rolled meat items possible, but the aburage absorbs some of the cooking liquid and seems to make the resulting rolls moister, wiht a more complex flavor, and less chewy and fatty.

[Salli Vates]

Hello Kristin, I know that sounded weird... but it was so tasty!

(I really love when people mix Western and Japanese ingredients. (One of my favorite restaurants in NY is the Italian-Japanese Basta Pasta, which makes a great uni pasta.))

Edited March 14, 2006 by Salli Vates (log)

[danjou]

Hi and warm greetings to Kristin, Hiroyuki and all....

When I make savoury rice dishes like sansai okuwa, or kamameshi style rice with assorted vegetables ( bamboo shoots, shimeji mushrooms, shitake strips, carrot shreds, etc. etc), I slice freshly made aburage into thin strips ( the aburage could also be pre simmered in usukuchi shoyou and mirin, then drained before slicing) and add them to the rice when it is just cooked and steaming, together with the simmered and drained mushrooms, meat and vegetables and etc. and then gently folded into the flavored rice.

Fan the rice a bit, then serve

oiishi desu...

Ed Chung, alias Danjou

Edited March 17, 2006 by danjou (log)

[sk_ward]

I really love oinari-san and am always happy to pick some up when they go on sale in the evenings. Here is a particularly fancy pack that I picked up at Isetan. I loved the variety and they were all delicious!

[torakris]

last week I picked up this wonderful flavored aburage, Ooba miso-zuke aburage. (2nd one down) The whole family loved it but at 2 pieces for 258yen it is a little expensive. I have never thought marinating aburage in miso before, has anyone ever tried it?

I did find this recipe created by a woman who ate the same product.