Sushi Rice

Wash and rinse rice in cool water; cover with cold fresh water and soak 45 minutes.  Drain rice in strainer.  Transfer to large heavy-bottomed covered saucepan; add the 3 cups water, cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cook 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to stand, covered, 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, dissolve the 7 tablespoons of sugar and salt in vinegar in a small pan then add ginger to pan.  Cook over medium-low for 5 minutes; remove and discard ginger.  Transfer 2 tablespoons of mixture to small bowl and add 6 tablespoons of cold water to bowl; refrigerate until ready to assemble

rolls.  Cover remaining mixture and keep warm while spreading cooked rice onto large plastic serving platter or dish.  Drizzle sugar-vinegar mixture over the rice and mix well with a fork; divide off into four equal-sized piles on platter.  Set aside while preparing filling

Filling

Combine soaked mushrooms with the 2 tbsp. sugar and soy sauce in small pot; bring to a boil over high heat then reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced to 2-3 tablespoons.  Allow to cool then remove mushrooms, trim off and discard stems then cut caps into julienne strips; set aside.

Place dried gourd shreds in small pot and cover with cold water; soak for 1 hour. 

Add 1 tbsp. sugar and 1/2 tsp. salt to pan, place pot over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced to 1-2 tablespoons; set aside.

Beat eggs well; add remaining _ teaspoon of salt.  Spray small non-stick fry pan with cooking spray then heat over medium-high; pour in eggs, tilting pan to spread evenly in pan.  Cook until eggs are just set, then slide onto bamboo sushi mat.  Using fingertips, immediately roll egg into a tight roll, then shift roll to end of sushi mat and roll egg up into mat, squeezing to produce tight tube of fried egg.  Allow to sit, rolled up in mat, for 10-15 minutes; unroll from mat and cut into quarters lengthwise; set aside. 

Assembly

Preheat oven broiler; place nori or laver sheets on baking pan and put under broiler for 5-6 seconds, watching carefully and heating just long enough for the sheets to begin to discolour.  Transfer one sheet to bamboo sushi mat; wet fingers with refrigerated vinegar-sugar-water mixture to prevent rice sticking to hands, and begin spreading sushi rice over nori or laver sheet, leaving a 2" strip alone one edge uncovered (this edge to be parallel to the bamboo strips in sushi mat). NB: do  not place the entire 1/4 sheet of rice on sheet at once:  rice should be in a layer so thin that you can see a slightly greyish colour showing through from the underlying seaweed wrapper; if it is any thicker the rice layer will be overly thick and will give an unpleasant result.  Place 1/4 of kanpyo strips, one of the egg strips, 1/4 of the mushroom julienne, 1 of the carrot strips and  1/4 of the avocado strips along a strip at the middle of the length of the sushi rice, again running this strip of ingredients parallel to the bamboo strips in sushi mat and pressing the pile of filling components gently into the rice.  Starting at rice-covered end of nori or laver, begin rolling up sushi roll using mat to firm up roll as you

proceed and lap bare edge of nori or laver over roll.  Allow to rest in sushi mat 5-10 minutes, then unroll and slice into 11/2" slices.  Arrange on platter and serve with a dip made of wasabi paste and soy sauce, prepared to taste.