Bacon and Egg Maki Sushi - Bacon and Eggs Project

2.23.11

It's such a joy to participate in Natasha's and Lazaro's February project- Bacon and Eggs. When I first accepted the invitation and found out it was bacon and eggs, I was thrilled. But one of the rules is anything but breakfast, umm...that sounds interesting.

hosted by 5 Star Foodie & Lazaro Cooks!

I thought for a few days on what to make and not embarrass myself among other talented foodies. Since Asian cuisine would represent me well, this route would probably take me along a happy journey. Japanese cuisine is my favorite and pops up in my head. Sweet egg or Tamago is commonly served on sushi rice. Adding bacon and something else into it sounds appealing to me. The idea had been set.

I was glad I had Monday off.  My schedule was completely free. I had all the time I needed for myself. The food and me (and Bella around) was a relaxing happy day. I made these maki rolls yesterday. It took time to prepare and execute. Good thing was I spread out the tasks each day. I had already baked bacon and kept it in the fridge. On the day of, I just cooked rice. While waiting for the rice to be cooked, I cooked sweet eggs.

My version of sushi maki isn't an original and authentic version. I took a sushi class once and we had to cut 1/4 off the seaweed sheet. I don't see the point of doing that and It doesn't matter to me. I used up the whole sheet. If you find a way you like better, please feel free to adapt or take it.

Bacon and Egg Maki Sushi Rolls
Yield: 10 rolls

Ingredients:
10 bacon slices (any kind of bacon you like. I used thin cut bacon)
4 eggs
1 tbs Mirin
1 tbs sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp dashi powder
1/4 tsp white pepper
2 tbs canola or vegetable oil
3 cups cooked sushi rice
1/4 cup sushi vinegar, and 3 tbs extra. Please don't substitute with rice vinegar.
2 avocados, peeled, thinly sliced
Toasted white sesame seeds
Black pepper
8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 package Nori (Seaweed sheet)

Bamboo sushi sheet
Pastry brush
A small bowl with water
Zip lock bag

Directions:

Bacon:

• Preheat oven to 400 F. Line paper towel on a prepared dish.
• Line foil on a baking sheet. Place bacon slice on a sheet. Sprinkle black pepper on each slice. Bake for 10 mins or until the bacon are getting crispy. Remove them to a prepared dish. If you make them ahead, you can wrap them with paper towel and put in a Zip lock and leave in a fridge.

Eggs:

• Making tamago sweet eggs by adding eggs, mirin, sugar, soy sauce, dashi, and white pepper. Whisk until mixed.
• Heat a skillet on a medium heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add egg mixture; swirl to make it even. When eggs start to cook, turn the heat down to medium low.
• Scratch off the edge of the egg if necessary so that it won't stick to the pan.
• When the egg is about to cook through, gently fold egg in half and slide off the pan.
• Cut length-wise into about 1/4" strips

Rice:

• If you make rice on the day of, let the cooked rice cool a bit before adding vinegar. If you cook it ahead of time, make sure to heat it up.
• Add vinegar to rice, mixing well with rice paddle. You cut it 45 degree angle and fold to mix. Make sure you use a non-metallic bowl because vinegar is acidity.
• At this point if you see the rice is too wet, don't get panicked. Rice will absorb all the liquid. 

Assemble:

• Use scissors to cut a tip off the Zip Lock. Put cream cheese inside. We will squeeze it out through a cut tip.
• Get your sushi space ready. Make sure you have all ingredients - rice, bacon, egg, avocado, cream cheese, sesame seeds, and Nori
• Line up all the ingredients and make sure you have a small bowl with water to damp your hands.
• Line the bamboo sheet. Lay down Nori sheet on a bamboo - Shiny side down. Brush Nori with rice vinegar slightly.
• Spread rice thin layer to about 1/2 of the Nori sheet. Start at the very end bottom. Make sure the rice layer is thin otherwise you will end up eating a lot of rice.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. Place bacon at the bottom of the rice, then avocado, and egg. Squeeze cream cheese on the side.
• Start rolling with a bamboo sheet -  with an end. Use a bamboo sheet to help you roll, adjust, and tighten it.
• If you serve right away, use a sharp knife to slice the maki into a bite size. Clean knife with damp towel every now and then while cutting it.
• Serve with soy sauce and wasabi paste.

Thanks for inviting me to participate in this project, Natasha and Lazaro!