Bulgogi inari sushi pockets
Seasoned tofu pockets filled with lightly vinegared rice and sweet-savoury cooked beef. A Korean-Japanese fusion lunch using ready-to-eat inari pockets.
Ingredients
2 servings
Everyday kitchen measurements
For 2 servings. Use a small 180 ml paper cup, a level eating spoon (about 15 ml) and a small teaspoon (about 5 ml).
How to fill the cup and spoons
Use the same cup and spoons throughout. Their sizes vary, so these amounts are approximate. Spoon flour in loosely and level the top without pressing. Measure vegetables after chopping, without packing them down. The amounts in g/ml are the original reference quantities. For part of a pack, use the specified pack weight and divide the contents evenly.
King Arthur Baking-
Essential
Needed for this version; use the listed amount at the stated step.
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Essential
Needed for this version; use the listed amount at the stated step.
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Substitute available
If Ground beef is unavailable
- Use instead
- Ground chicken
- Substitute quantity
- ½ of a 300 g pack (150 g)Reference quantity: 150 g
Replace the beef with the same amount. Cook to 74°C throughout, adding cooking time as needed; colour alone is not a safety test.
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Essential
Needed for this version; use the listed amount at the stated step.
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Essential
Needed for this version; use the listed amount at the stated step.
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Essential
Needed for this version; use the listed amount at the stated step.
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Substitute available
If Soy sauce is unavailable
- Use instead
- Tamari
- Substitute quantity
- 1 small teaspoon (5 ml)Reference quantity: 5 ml
Replace the soy sauce with this amount, not both. Check the label for wheat.
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Essential
Needed for this version; use the listed amount at the stated step.
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Essential
Needed for this version; use the listed amount at the stated step.
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Optional
May be omitted without changing the other quantities.
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Optional
May be omitted without changing the other quantities.
Tap each ingredient as you prepare it. Check product labels for egg, soy, sesame, wheat, fish or shellfish where relevant.
Step-by-step cooking
Check off a completed step to move to the next one. After the last step, you will move to the finished dish.
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Step 1
Peel and finely dice ¼ onion into 3–4 mm pieces; mince 1 garlic clove. Keep the 150 g raw ground beef on a separate clean tray. Wash hands and utensils after handling raw meat; do not rinse the beef.
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Step 2
Heat 1 teaspoon neutral oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 2–3 minutes, then the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the beef, break into small crumbs and cook for about 4–5 minutes, continuing until it reaches 72°C throughout. Add 1 teaspoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon sugar for the final minute. Turn off the heat and add the optional ½ teaspoon sesame oil. The filling should be crumbly and moist, with no raw meat; colour alone cannot confirm safe cooking.
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Step 3
Heat the 200 g cooked-rice pack according to its label until steaming hot. Separately stir 1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar with the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar, then gently fold into the rice. Let it cool for only a few minutes until comfortable to handle; do not leave cooked rice sitting out for hours.
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Step 4
Use 8 commercially seasoned inari pockets whose label says fully cooked and ready to eat. Drain the packing liquid and gently press out excess without tearing the tofu. Open each pocket with clean fingers; do not cut through it. If the product label requires heating, follow that instruction before filling.
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Step 5
Divide the rice among the 8 pockets, about 1 heaped tablespoon (25 g) each; leave room at the top. Add about 1 tablespoon cooked beef to each pocket and sprinkle with the optional 1 teaspoon sesame seeds shared across all 8. Arrange upright and serve promptly. This makes 2 light meals.
Finished dish
Small paper cup = 180 ml; level tablespoon = 15 ml; small teaspoon = 5 ml. Check tofu-pocket and sauce labels for soy, wheat and sesame. Refrigerate promptly, within 1 hour, at 4°C or colder; eat within 24 hours or sooner if the packaging requires. Ground chicken substitution must reach 74°C.
Related recipes
Enjoy every bite
How to enjoy it
Serve 4 pockets per person with a cool cucumber soup or a tangy seaweed side. Keep the pockets upright so the beef stays on the rice.
Serve it with
Sweet-and-sour seaweed salad (miyeok-cho-muchim)
A mild traditional Korean side of tender wakame, crisp cucumber and a sweet vinegar dressing. This is a drained salad, with no soup broth.
Chilled Korean cucumber soup (oi-naengguk)
Thin cucumber strips in a cool, sweet-sour broth with a little garlic and sesame. A traditional Korean cold side soup with straightforward home measures.