【Reading】ごもくいなりずし

【English Name】Gomoku Inari-zushi (Mixed Ingredient Stuffed Tofu Pouch Sushi)

Gomoku inarizushi is a sushi in which sweet-and-savory simmered fried tofu pouches (aburaage) are stuffed with vinegared rice combined with several ingredients. Unlike ordinary inarizushi, which simply uses plain white vinegared rice, it is characterized by mixing ingredients such as shiitake mushroom, carrot, kanpyo (dried gourd strips) and sesame into the vinegared rice beforehand.

It is especially familiar in the Kansai region, where it is also known as "gomoku inari." In this area, inarizushi with plain vinegared rice is rarely seen; rather, the style of finishing it with ingredients added is the norm. Another distinctly Kansai feature is that the fried tofu pouch is cut diagonally in two to form a triangular shape when arranged.

At home, a convenient method using commercial "chirashizushi no moto" (chirashi sushi mix) has also taken hold. Such products, which began appearing on store shelves in the late 1970s, contain pre-cooked shiitake, kanpyo, fried tofu, carrot and the like steeped in seasoning liquid; simply adding them to warm rice and stirring once produces the filling for gomoku inari.

It has long been loved as a household taste across a wide range of occasions, from outing lunch boxes to celebratory gatherings. The combination of ingredients varies by region and household, and many variations adding lotus root, bamboo shoot, koya-dofu (freeze-dried tofu) and the like are also seen.