Dragon Roll Recipes

DRAGON ROLLS

Steps:

• Gather all the ingredients.
• Cut the cucumber lengthwise into quarters. Remove the seeds and then again cut in half lengthwise into thin strips. You will have 8 strips.
• Cut an avocado in half lengthwise around the pit and twist the two halves until they separate. Use a spoon to remove the pit. Alternatively, you can remove the pit with your knife, but you must take great care not to use too much force or you could cut your hand. First, hold the avocado half in your palm; it's best to hold it with a folded kitchen towel to protect your hand. Next, very gently tap the heel of your knife into the pit with just enough pressure that the knife embeds in the pit. Then, twist the knife and the pit will come out smoothly. Repeat with the remaining avocado.
• Remove the skin and thinly slice the avocado halves crosswise.
• Gently press the avocado slices with your fingers so the individual slices begin to slide and separate. Keep pressing gently and evenly with the side of the knife until the length of the sliced avocado half is about the length of a sushi roll (or a sheet of nori seaweed.) If you don't serve the sushi roll right away, I recommend squeezing lemon over the avocado to prevent discoloration. Repeat with the other avocado halves.
• Line the bamboo mat with plastic wrap and place half of the nori sheet on top, shiny side down. Dip your hands in the tezu (vinegar water) and spread ½ cup sushi rice over the nori sheet.
• Flip over the nori sheet with the rice on it. Place two pieces of the shrimp tempura, two cucumber strips, and some tobiko at the bottom end of the nori sheet closest to you.
• From the bottom end, start rolling the nori sheet over the filling tightly and firmly with the bamboo mat until the bottom edge reaches the nori sheet. Lift the bamboo mat and roll over the remaining nori.
• Place the bamboo mat over the top and tightly squeeze the roll.
• Remove the bamboo mat and plastic wrap from the sushi roll. Using the side of the knife, lift the avocado slices from one half and place them on top of the roll. If you'd like to use unagi, alternate avocado and unagi slices and layer them to cover the top and sides of the roll.
• Replace the plastic wrap over the roll and put the bamboo mat over the top. Tightly squeeze the roll through the bamboo mat until the avocado slices wrap around the roll. Be gentle so you don't break the avocado slices. Remove the mat.
• Cut the roll through the plastic wrap into 8 pieces with the knife. Clean your knife with a wet towel after each cut. If the roll gets messy while cutting, tightly squeeze the sushi roll again with the bamboo mat. Remove the plastic wrap on top of the sushi and transfer the sushi pieces to a serving plate. Repeat to make the remaining rolls.
• Put some tobiko on each piece of sushi and drizzle spicy mayo and sprinkle black sesame seeds on top. If you'd like, place some unagi sauce on the plate so you can dip the sushi. Enjoy!

DRAGON ROLL

Steps:

• Rinse the sushi rice in the rice cooker bowl three or four times until the water is nearly clear. Fill the rice with water until there is a layer of water that rests a fourth of an inch above the rice.
• You can either sprinkle the top of the rice with salt and then add the vinegar or mix the two together in a small bowl before pouring it on top of the rice. Some people add a touch of sugar or mirin. Be sure to experiment to suit your tastes.
• While the rice is cooking, make sure to cook the shrimp and eel. I buy eel at the local Japanese store. You can sometimes find eel in Chinatown. If you don't have a store that sells eel in the area, there are places that will ship frozen eel to your home. Bake and broil the eel at 350 degrees until it is warm. Make sure to coat the baking tray or pan with spray so that it is easy to remove once you're ready to roll.
• In regards to cooking the shrimp, I always use a pan. If you prefer to not add tempura bits or cannot find any in stores, you can also prepare shrimp tempura separately. This is sometimes what I do when I am in the mood. Here is a link for the shrimp tempura recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/shrimp-tempura-169444.
• When the rice is finished cooking, fan the rice, and allow it to cool for five minutes. Unravel your rice mat until it is flat, and set one nori sheet on the mat. Use a wooden spoon to spread three fourths of the sheet thinly with rice. You do not want to spread the entire sheet, as the roll would be too thick and would not have a closing end. Make sure that the end of the sheet that is closest to your stomach is also very thinly spread with rice, as you will be piling ingredients horizontally across an imaginary row. Some people even leave a small row closest to the stomach entirely empty.
• I always wait to cut the avocado, as it browns quickly. You can dab the avocado with lemon juice to slow down the process. Cut on the long side of the avocado so you have a thin slice. I often begin by starting with a very thin slice, so I do not waste the avocado and expose too much of it. You can get a fair amount of pieces from one thin layer. Use a spoon to cut pieces depending on how large you want them.
• Use a small bowl of water to dip your fingers in, and glide them across the exposed nori sheet that does not have any rice on it. This will allow it to stick upon completion of rolling. You are now ready to begin the process. For the first layer, imagine four separate sections as you look from left to right. It is also helpful to have a mat with grooves/lines that will help form those sections. For each section, add a small piece of avocado, shrimp with tempura bits/shrimp tempura and a small piece of cream cheese. Repeat this three more times. You can leave a space or choose not to, but be aware of the sections until you're ready to cut.
• For the second layer, you might have to slice along the broiled eel to create two thin strips. It depends on how much unagi you prefer. Be careful not to overload, as this makes it difficult to roll. When you are satisfied, gently place the eel on top of the first layer. Envision the head, so make sure that there is a piece of the roll that extends from outside of the mat. You may also have to add a bit more unagi to create your layer, depending on how long your strip is. What you should see down below are the two stacked layers closest to your stomach, a bed of rice just north of it and an exposed row of wet nori to the north of the rice.
• To maintain stability, you might want to hold the two layers in place as you roll. Continue to roll and press as you move along. If you do have ridges on your mat, press against them to make it easier for cutting. Make sure you do not jam down too hard, as I have pancaked my maki a few times this way. You should be able to seal the roll thanks to the watery end.
• Expose your roll that has the little unagi head sticking out. It's not the end of the world if it doesn't appear perfectly roll-like. You can use your mat to shape it a bit. Cut four pieces to make the four imaginary sections suddenly come to life. Sprinkle the top of the roll with roe. You can use pickled ginger to create a tongue or shrimp tempura to create a lovely tail. Feel free to experiment to create eyes and other parts.
• Place 1/2 teaspoon of wasabi in a bowl and mix it with soy sauce. This can be used as your dipping sauce for each piece. Enjoy the dragon!

FIRE BREATHING DRAGON ROLL

Steps:

• Mix the tuna with 3 tablespoons Ghost Pepper Sauce and the mayonnaise. In a separate bowl, mix the crabmeat with the remaining 3 tablespoons Ghost Pepper Sauce, habanero powder and sliced habanero peppers.
• Wet your hands with water, and then press the Sushi Rice onto the seaweed paper evenly, about 1/4-inch thick. Sprinkle the sesame seeds and some habanero powder over the rice. Flip over so the seaweed paper is facing up. Add the tuna mixture and shrimp tempura down the center of the seaweed. Place the seaweed paper onto a bamboo sushi mat and roll the seaweed paper tightly. Remove the mat and add the crab mixture on top of the roll. Place a piece of plastic film over the roll and, with the sushi mat, press it over the plastic film and roll to make certain the crab is pressed onto the roll. Remove the mat and gently remove the plastic film. Cut the roll into 8 pieces.
• To serve, place the sushi roll onto a serving plate and drizzle Ghost Pepper Sauce over and around the roll. Top the roll with the micro cilantro and sprinkle the pop rock candy around the roll.
• In a medium bowl, mix the habanero and ghost peppers with both the hot sauces, Sriracha, chili paste, chili sauce, chili powder, ichimi, lemon pepper seasoning, lime juice, sesame oil and shallots to create the ghost pepper sauce. Let stand for 1 hour. Then blend for 30 seconds. WARNING! Please keep in mind that these are some of the hottest chiles in the world. So handle carefully with latex gloves.
• Mix the rice vinegar in a bowl with the sugar and salt.
• In a steamer, cook the sushi rice with 1 cup water for 45 minutes. After your rice is done cooking, add the sushi vinegar and mix together with a wooden spoon. Let the rice cool for 10 minutes.