Homemade Seasoned Tofu Pouches for Sushi
A homemade sushi ingredient made by blanching raw fried bean curd in boiling water to remove excess oil, then braising it in a sweet and savory sauce.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
Frozen raw fried bean curd is blanched in boiling water to thoroughly remove excess oil, then gently simmered in a soy sauce-based braising liquid. Flavored with kelp broth instead of store-bought seasoned pouches, it is perfect for making sushi for picnic lunch boxes.
- Servings
- about 2 servings
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Spiciness
- Not spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Fried bean curd10 sheets
- Kelp broth1/2 cup
Braising sauce
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang)2 tbsp
- Sugar1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)1 tbsp
- Portion uncooked raw fried bean curd into single-serving amounts, freeze them, and thaw at room temperature whenever needed for cooking.
- Combine 1/2 cup of water with a 5 cm square piece of dried kelp (dasima) and steep for 30 minutes.
Steps
This fried bean curd is uncooked raw fried bean curd. You can find it in the freezer section of large supermarkets. Portion it into single-serving amounts, freeze, and thaw at room temperature whenever needed for cooking.
Along with the braising sauce for the sushi tofu pouches, you will need kelp broth. Combine 1/2 cup of water with a 5 cm square piece of dried kelp (dasima) and steep for 30 minutes.
Fried bean curd is quite oily, so it is best to blanch it in boiling water. Once the water boils, add the fried bean curd, press it down as it floats up, blanch vigorously for about 1 minute, and then rinse in cold water.
Press firmly between both palms to squeeze out any remaining oil and moisture. If you place them inside a dry dish towel or paper towels and roll over them with a rolling pin, you can thoroughly remove the oil and moisture. If you trim just the tips of the prepared fried bean curd with scissors at this stage and stuff them, you can make fried tofu hot pot (jeongol) or fried tofu dumplings.
Pour in 1/2 cup of kelp broth, then add the braising ingredients: 2 tbsp regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang), 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tbsp mirin (cooking rice wine). Once it starts to boil...
Add the fried bean curd and simmer gently so the flavors soak in. After cooling, press lightly between both palms to squeeze out excess liquid before using. Cut in half into your desired shape, either triangles or rectangles, and use. Buy raw fried bean curd to make sushi like this, or use it in a variety of dishes such as fried tofu udon, fried tofu noodles, or doenjang jjigae.
Ppunwife's tips
- Fried bean curd is quite oily, so it is best to blanch it in boiling water.
- Placing them inside a dry dish towel or paper towels and rolling over them with a rolling pin thoroughly removes the oil and moisture.
FAQ
Why blanch the fried bean curd in boiling water before braising?
Because fried bean curd is deep-fried, it contains a lot of oil. Blanching it in boiling water for about 1 minute and rinsing it in cold water cleanly removes unnecessary excess grease.
Is there a way to squeeze moisture and oil out of blanched fried bean curd more cleanly?
Placing the fried bean curd between a dry dish towel or paper towels and rolling over it with a rolling pin thoroughly removes any remaining moisture and oil.
How should leftover frozen raw fried bean curd be stored?
Divide it into single-serving portions, store in the freezer, and thaw at room temperature whenever needed for cooking.
What shape should the braised fried bean curd be cut into?
Cut them in half into triangles or rectangles depending on your preference, and then stuff them with sushi rice.
