Dispite what I call them, these inari sushi are all plant based. I’m not a massive fan of fusion food, however in this case I think pumping up the flavours of Inari is a good idea because they can be a bit bland. I call them burger van inari (low brow meets high brow) because I make them with slow cooked caramelised onions that resemble the ones that I could smell wafting around hot dog stands and burger vans and always made me drool. I love onions and I love it when any recipe starts with them. These are great served as snackettes with drinks or with a tray of sashimi, sushi and one of my Japanese salads or sides (check the recipes out in the list of recipes)

Recipe

makes about 8

1 packet of Inari sushi pockets ( I get mine from my local Asian supermarket, but you can also get them online)

2 large onions very thinly sliced

mild coconut oil (or mild olive)

2 tablespoons of dried arame seaweed soaked for 10-15 minutes and drained thoroughly

250g sushi rice

2 tablespoons of sushi seasoning (available from Asian supermarkets or online) or two tablespoons of white vinegar mixed with a teaspoon of maple syrup

black sesame seeds

my pink pickled onions (recipe in my list of recipes or type pink pickled onions into the search bar ) (optional)

How

Firstly make the pink pickled onions, if using, the day before, however slivers of any pickled vegetable that you have already in the fridge will work (pickled cucumber for instance)

Next on a very low heat fry the onions in a few tablespoons of the oil until caramelised, this should take about an hour, stirring every now and then until caramelised and then leave to cool.

Now make the sushi rice according to the instructions on the packet. Add the sushi seasoning while it’s resting after cooking and still hot, and leave to cool till it’s room temperature.

Gently open the inari up to form a pocket, this is a delicate operation as they can tear. With a dessert spoon, spoon the sushi rice into the inari till about 3/4 full. Then top with the caramelised onions, the pink pickled onions and then a pinch of the arami seaweed. Serve sprinkled with the sesame seeds with a side order of tamari and a squadge of wasabi and some sushi ginger.