Inari-zushi

This is inari-zushi. It's a kind of sushi dish. It's rice packed inside little pockets of fried tofu called inari, or abura-age. (g as in gorilla). You buy the little pockets at the store. The kids and I filled them with rice, First you have to squeeze the rice in your hand to form it. The inari are really sweet and has a good taste. The kids and I love it. Traditionally it's made by adding vinegar to the rice like in sushi, but we just use regular rice at my house. Inari is another title for the fox which is a prominent figure in Japanese folklore and religion. There are often stone foxes at shrines in Japan called inari. It's said that foxes love the fried tofu and is sometimes brought to shrines as an offering. Another famous dish with fried tofu is inari udon, udon noodles served in soup with a big piece of fried tofu on top.