Processed foods

Abstract

To make vegetable pouches (fried tofu pouches filled with vegetables) easier to eat. [Solution] Bite-sized pieces of vegetables are preferably heated and then coated with a powder made mainly of starch, such as glutinous rice flour, which is preferably mixed with liquid. The bite-sized vegetables coated with the powder are then placed inside a pouch-shaped piece of fried tofu and heated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a processed food in which deep - fried food is opened into a bag shape and food is enclosed inside.

Background Art

[0002] Deep - fried tofu food made by thinly slicing drained tofu and frying it in oil is called tempura or thin - fried tempura (hereinafter referred to as "tempura" in this specification), and it is known that this can be made into a bag shape and filled with ingredients inside. As foods in which tempura is made into a bag shape and filled with ingredients inside, inarizushi in which sushi rice is wrapped in tempura and mochizukin that contains mochi inside bag - shaped tempura have been known and eaten for a long time.

[0003] Inside the tempura opened into a bag shape, various ingredients can be filled. In Patent Document 1, a processed food of bag - shaped tempura filled with a mixture of okara, finely chopped vegetables, minced meat, etc. has been proposed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] The processed food of bag - shaped tempura disclosed in Patent Document 1 contains a variety of foods such as vegetables and minced meat. Therefore, when used as ingredients for a pot dish or simmered dish, the types of foods that can be ingested can be increased, and the enjoyment of meals can be enhanced. On the other hand, fine ingredients such as chopped vegetables and minced meat tend to spill out of the bag when the bag - shaped tempura is eaten and broken.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The inventors have developed a processed food that is a pouch-shaped fried tofu filled with vegetables, in which the vegetables and fried tofu are integrated, making it easy to handle and eat. Specifically, this invention provides the following:

[0007] (1) A processed food made from vegetables and fried tofu, in which vegetables coated with a starch-based powder are wrapped in fried tofu to form a pouch. (2) The processed food according to (1), wherein the vegetables and the powdered substance are heated in a bag-like state with fried tofu, causing the powdered substance to become liquid and adhere to the inside of the fried tofu. (3) The processed food according to (1) or (2), wherein the powdered substance is glutinous rice flour, which is mainly composed of starch derived from glutinous rice.

[0008] The present invention provides a processed food in which vegetables coated with an edible powder mainly composed of edible starch are stuffed into a pouch-shaped fried tofu. Preferably, the edible powder is an edible powder mainly composed of starch (hereinafter referred to as "starch powder"), and examples include shiratamako (rice flour made mainly from glutinous rice), joshinko (rice flour made mainly from non-glutinous rice), katakuriko (potato starch made mainly from dogtooth violet or potato), warabi mochi flour (or sweet potato flour, tapioca flour) made mainly from bracken, sweet potato, or tapioca, kudzu flour made mainly from kudzu starch, cornstarch made mainly from corn starch, and mung bean starch made mainly from mung beans. The starch powder is prepared in powder or granular form, and a liquid such as water or broth is added to it, and the mixture is sprinkled on vegetables that are sized to fit into a pouch-shaped fried tofu. In this specification, the term "powdered material" includes not only powder but also granules.

[0009] Vegetables can be softened by heating after being coated with starch and stuffed into the fried tofu pouches, but it is preferable to soften them beforehand by heating, mixing them with starch and liquid to coat them with starch, and then stuffing them into the fried tofu pouches. Vegetables to be stuffed into the fried tofu pouches can be coated with starch by placing them in a container, adding starch and liquid, and mixing them together, or the vegetables can be mixed with a paste made by kneading starch with liquid in a container so that the surface is coated with starch.

[0010] The deep-fried tofu pouch, in which vegetables coated on the surface with starch powder are stuffed inside, is preferably kept closed so that the contents do not spill out. Hereinafter, the deep-fried tofu pouch containing starch powder-coated vegetables and with a closed opening will be referred to as a "vegetable pouch." The vegetable pouch is preferably heated under conditions in which the starch powder absorbs liquid and swells into a fluid. This is because the fluidized starch powder, which has swelled and become fluid after being heated and absorbing liquid, acts as an adhesive to integrate the vegetables inside the deep-fried tofu with the inside of the deep-fried tofu (as in the embodiment of invention (2) of this application).

[0011] If starch powder made primarily from glutinous rice (shiratamako) is used as the starch powder, a sticky, thick, mochi-like liquid will fill the gaps between the vegetables and the fried tofu, resulting in a processed food with a good texture and easy handling (Aspect of Invention (3) of this application).

[0012] While there are no restrictions on the vegetables that can be stuffed inside the pouch-shaped fried tofu, vegetables that soften when they absorb the cooking liquid, such as potatoes, pumpkins, and eggplants, are suitable. The shape and size of the vegetables are also not limited, but they should be large enough to fit a bite-sized piece inside the pouch-shaped fried tofu (1-4 cm in diameter or on each side, especially around 2-3 cm), and there is no need to chop them finely to less than 1 cm in diameter or on each side. This is because even if the vegetables are cut into somewhat large pieces, the starch powder sprinkled on the surface of the vegetables will fill the gaps between the vegetables and the fried tofu, causing them to become one.

[0013] It is preferable to use only one type of vegetable when stuffing the inside of the fried tofu, but multiple types of vegetables may be used. Furthermore, stuffing vegetables and other foods inside the fried tofu, especially processed foods made by finely chopping one or more types of vegetables or meat and coating them with a starch-based powder, are not excluded from the present invention.

[0014] The vegetables stuffed inside the fried tofu pouches and the starch powder sprinkled on the surface of the vegetables should be determined according to the type of vegetables and how the vegetable pouches will be used. For example, if you want a crunchy texture, you can use rice flour as the starch powder, or if you are using vegetables that tend to become mushy and liquid, such as tomatoes, you can use a starch powder that thickens easily, such as potato starch.

[0015] The starch-based powder is preferably present in an amount of 5-20% by weight, and particularly preferably 10-15% by weight, relative to the vegetables. The pouch-shaped fried tofu may also contain foods other than vegetables (such as meat or seafood), and in this case as well, the powder should be present in an amount of 5-20% by weight relative to the ingredients containing both vegetables and other foods. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to this invention, by integrating the vegetables (ingredients) stuffed inside the pouch-shaped fried tofu with the fried tofu itself, it is possible to provide a processed food that is easy to eat and handle. In particular, by using one type of vegetable as the ingredient, cut into bite-sized pieces (each piece being about 1-3 cm in size), the individuality and flavor of the vegetable can be brought out. Furthermore, by using one type of vegetable cut into bite-sized pieces and putting it inside the fried tofu, it becomes easier to season and cook it in various ways depending on the type of vegetable used. Moreover, by using one type of vegetable cut into bite-sized pieces as the ingredient, it is possible to create a lineup of vegetable pouches for each type of vegetable, such as "eggplant pouch," "pumpkin pouch," and "taro pouch." This allows consumers to avoid vegetable pouches with vegetables they dislike and choose vegetable pouches with vegetables they like. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0017] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments of the present invention. <Example 1> Cooked taro, which has been boiled and is skinless and ready to eat, in bite-sized pieces about 2-3 cm on each side, was placed in a bowl with glutinous rice flour and water was added and kneaded. The amount of glutinous rice flour was about 15% of the weight of the taro, and the amount of water was enough to cover the surface of the taro pieces almost evenly (about 80% of the surface) when the glutinous rice flour was saturated with water.

[0018] Taro pieces, coated with glutinous rice flour mixed with water, were placed one piece at a time into each pouch made from opened fried tofu. The openings of the pouches were then tied with dried gourd strips to prevent the contents from spilling out, creating a pouch-like vegetable pouch. This vegetable pouch was then heated in dashi broth to obtain a dashi-flavored vegetable pouch. In the dashi-flavored vegetable pouch, the mixture of glutinous rice flour and water surrounding the taro pieces inside the pouch was heated and transformed into a mochi-like fluid, causing the fried tofu and taro pieces to adhere to each other with the mochi, thus integrating the fried tofu and vegetables.

[0019] When I ate this dashi-flavored vegetable pouch, the contents of the pouch did not fall out, and I was able to eat it without any problems. In addition, the taro, fried tofu, and mochi-like liquid each absorbed the dashi broth, and it could be eaten as a side dish as is. In this dashi-flavored vegetable pouch, if the total volume is considered as 100, the fried tofu accounted for about 30-40 volume%, the mochi-like liquid for 20-30 volume%, and the vegetables (taro in this embodiment) that were the contents of the pouch for about 30-40 volume. In other words, the contents of the pouch (mochi-like material and vegetables) accounted for more than half the volume of the fried tofu, and the proportion of the mochi-like material was equal to or less than that of the vegetables, which reduced both the dryness of the fried tofu and the difficulty of swallowing the mochi-like material, making it easy to eat.

[0020] The above embodiments can be modified within the scope of the present invention. For example, taro may be preheated in broth and seasoned before being mixed with the powder. Alternatively, instead of adding water to the powder and kneading it, the taro may be coated with a powder that has been pre-mixed with water.

Claims

1. A processed food made from vegetables and fried tofu, consisting of vegetables coated with a starch-based powder and then wrapped in fried tofu to form a pouch.

2. The processed food according to claim 1, wherein the vegetables and the powdered substance are heated while wrapped in fried tofu in a bag-like manner, causing the powdered substance to become liquid and adhere to the inside of the fried tofu.

3. The processed food according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the powdered substance is glutinous rice flour, which is mainly composed of starch derived from glutinous rice.