By Request Betty Shimabukuro

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Tuna and tofu mix well in cone wrap

A COUPLE OF months ago, Georgiane Senda wrote in for suggestions for Asian-style dishes that she could prepare for her brother, who has diabetes.

She was especially interested in a low-carb, low-sugar version of cone sushi, with some other substance standing in for the rice.

It was an interesting query, and Melanie Okazaki came through with suggestions based on her own experiments on stuffed aburage.

Now, stuffed aburage and cone sushi are different animals, although related in that the wrappers are both soy bean-based.

Aburage is a puffy, fried cube that needs to be boiled. It can be cut up and eaten as is, or slit and stuffed -- one common filling being ground pork.

The inarizushi -- cone sushi -- wrapper is a thin rectangle or triangle that comes ready to use in packets or cans. All you have to do is squeeze out the liquid it's packed in.

Okazaki sent several very intriguing ideas for aburage -- we'll revisit those in the near future. But for now, to deal most directly with Senda's request, I took one of Okazaki's recipes and adapted it into a cone sushi-like creation.

Our nutritionist, Joannie Dobbs, says she'd actually add some carbs in the form of a cup of brown rice for added texture, and it would still be suited to a diabetic diet.

It would make a good picnic or potluck food -- easy to eat and good warm, room temperature or even cold.

Inari Tuna-Tofu

16 inarizushi (cone sushi) wrappers

» Filling:

1 20-ounce block firm tofu
1 6-ounce can tuna, well drained
1/4 cup minced green onion
3 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked, drained and minced
4 dried shrimp, soaked, drained and minced
1 egg
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup brown rice, optional

To make filling: Remove water from tofu by wringing in cheesecloth. Place in a mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients; mix well. Divide into 16 patties that will fit in sushi wrapper. (If using rice you will get more than 16).

Spray a skillet with cooking oil spray and sauté over medium heat until each side is brown. Cool slightly.

Squeeze sushi wrappers to remove all liquid. Place a patty inside each one.

Approximate nutritional analysis, cone (not including salt to taste or rice): 115 calories, 7 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, 0.5 g fiber, no sugar, 12 g protein.

Approximate nutritional analysis, per cone (using rice): 130 calories, 7 g total fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 15 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, less than 1 g fiber, no sugar, 12 g protein.