California Egg Rolls

  

first, to cook your Japanese rice:

put the rice into your rice cooker or saucepan.  cover the rice with cold water.  stir using your fingers until the water becomes cloudy, then throw the water away.  repeat this step 2 or 3 times until the water is nearly clear.

now pour in cold water up to the 1 cup line in your rice cooker. if you are using a saucepan, then pour in 185ml / 6.25 fl oz of water per 160ml / 5.5 fl oz of rice.

to make your sweet Japanese egg roll:

put the eggs, sugar, mirin, & a little of salt into a jug or a bowl. whisk everything together well.

next, get your frying pan nice and hot.  add the vegetable oil and swirl it around in the pan to cover the whole surface. pour back any excess oil to a small bowl (yo will need it later.)

pour 1/4 of the egg mix into the frying pan. wait until the egg skin just forms on the bottom - you;ll know when this is happening as the egg will become opaque. now, carefully fold the egg over to the one side of the frying pan using chopsticks and/or a spatula.

now pour in another  1/4 of the egg mixture into the pan. use the chopsticks/spatula to gently raise the egg roll, so that some of the egg mixture slides underneath.  wait once more for the egg skin to form, then roll the egg roll to the other side of the frying pan again using your chopsticks and/or a spatula.

if the pan now seems dry, add a little more oil.  add the egg mix two more times following the steps above. you should now have a thick, sweet egg roll in your pan. turn off the heat and 

flip the egg roll onto a plate.

next, take the two sheets of nori. one side of the nori is slightly longer than the other.  fold down the long side of the nori and cut in half.

now, lay your sushi mat on a sheet of cling film. use sufficient cling film to so that you cn fold it over the mat and seal it. this will prevent the rice from sticking to the mat and spoiling your inside out rolls.

slice the egg roll into 4 strips lengthways, then slice each strip in half lengthways. last, cut each strip in half and trim off the ends so you have two pieces of egg roll that will be the same width as the nori sheet.  

if you are using oba leaves, then cut them in half down the middle of the stem.

next make your sushi rice:

put the cooked rice in a large bowl, sprinkle over the sushi vinegar and mix gently

taking care not to mash or squash the rice grains.

to make your first inside out sushi roll:

place a sheet of nori onto your sushi mat, spread 1/4 of the rice over the nori sheet so that you get a thin, uniform layer of rice with no gaps.  

next, sprinkle some sesame seeds over the rice. carefully turn the nori sheet over and lay it back on the mat so that the bottom edge of the nori is sitting on the bottom edge of the sushi mat. 

place 3 1/2 shiso leaves in a line in the middle of the nori.  then place four pieces of egg roll over the oba leaves in two lines. 

now for the rolling. support the mat with your thumbs and then roll it over the rice. use gentle pressure with your fingers to begin to form the roll.  

now, raise the sushi mat a little and roll again so that your first roll is now complete. use gentle pressure once more to form the roll shape. now simply unroll the mat and your first inside roll will be revealed!

wet a sharp knife and cut the roll in half.  then put the 2 halves side by side and cut into 3 equal  pieces per roll. 

repeat for your next three rolls and your batch of Inside Out Egg Sushi Rolls will be complete. Serve with small dishes of soy sauce for a delicious lunch or dinner.