Learn how to make your all-time favorite Dragon Roll at home! In this recipe, we will talk about the key ingredients and tips & tricks to make the perfect sushi roll.
Many of you asked me what is my favorite sushi roll, and my answer is always Dragon Roll. I really love the crunchy texture of shrimp tempura inside the dragon roll. Since raw sashimi-grade fish is not required for this recipe, small children and pregnant women can enjoy this sushi roll at home!
Watch How To Make Dragon Roll ドラゴンロールの作り方
What is Dragon Roll?
The dragon roll is an inside-out sushi roll, which means nori wraps around the ingredients inside and the sushi rice is on the outside. Typically, there is shrimp tempura and cucumber inside the roll, and thinly sliced avocado is placed on top of the roll resembling the scales of a dragon. There are a few versions of this roll, for example some restaurants put grilled eel (unagi) inside the roll instead of shrimp tempura.
Key Ingredients and Tips to Make Perfect Dragon Roll
Shrimp Tempura
These days shrimp tempura is pretty popular and many American grocery stores (Trader Joe’s, Costco, etc) carry frozen shrimp tempura. The frozen shrimp tempura tends to be extra crunchy and it’s quite of bit of work to make it like that at home. Instead all you need to do is put the frozen tempura in an oven (or toaster oven) for 20 minutes or so. While the shrimp tempura is in the oven, you can do most of the prep work.
Of course, you can make shrimp tempura from scratch, and here’s my Shrimp Tempura recipe. Remember that you’ll need 2 shrimp tempuras for each roll you plan to make.
Avocado
It’s funny to say this, but I feel like the most difficult part of the dragon roll recipe is to find the perfectly ripe avocado. I was very lucky to meet a store staff who selected perfect avocados that will be ready the next day for me, and they truly were!
To choose the perfect avocado for immediate use, look for avocados which skin is darker in color. Then gently squeeze the fruit in the palm of your hand. If the avocado yields to firm gentle pressure, it’s ready-to-eat.
If the avocado does not yield to gentle pressure, it is considered still “firm” and will be ripe in a couple of days. If the avocado feels mushy or very soft to the touch it may be very ripe to overripe.
Cucumber
I use Japanese cucumbers which are long and slender. They have few seeds so it’s perfect for sushi rolls. Persian cucumbers are quite similar so they are a great substitute. If you use typical American cucumber, make sure to remove the seeds as it yields too much water inside the rolls.
Sushi Rice
The word “sushi rice” is sometimes used to refer to Japanese short grain rice outside of Japan, but in Japanese cooking, Sushi Rice (酢飯) means steamed rice that’s seasoned with sushi vinegar and only used for all types of sushi recipes.
Perfectly prepared sushi rice is very important in sushi making. You’ll need Japanese short grain rice (I use Koshihikari), cook properly (according to my recipe), and make sure to season the rice with sushi vinegar.
Another important part that I can’t stress enough is… please do NOT mash the sushi rice when you put it on nori sheet. When you see sushi roll, you should be able to see individual rice kernel, not mushy rice.
Also many sushi rolls have WAY too much rice compared to the fillings. Balance of rice and fillings is very important. My quick tip is to use a ½-cup measuring cup to fill the sushi rice (don’t mash the rice!) before you put on a nori sheet. That should be enough for half sheet of nori. With the consistent amount of sushi rice for each roll, all of your sushi rolls will be even size!
Nori (Seaweed)
I use half sheet of nori for this recipe. If you make a few rolls and feels that it’s too short for you to roll, you can increase the nori size to 2/3 sheet. But with 2/3 nori sheet, you will required to put more rice, and your sushi roll will be bigger (fatter). Just practice a few rolls and you should be able to make sushi roll with half sheet of nori.
Spicy Mayo
All you need is two ingredients for this amazing sauce! Please use Japanese mayonnaise for this recipe (you can buy from Amazon). I believe it makes a difference for the final flavor. And with the leftover Japanese mayo, you can make Japanese Potato Salad, Sesame Dressing, Mentaiko Pasta, Okonomiyaki, Casesar Salad (Japanese mayo is the key ingredient!), and more!
Unagi Sauce
Although we only need a few tablespoon of unagi sauce, it is nice to serve with this dish. If you can’t find a bottle of unagi (eel) sauce in a local Japanese grocery store, try my Homemade Unagi Sauce recipe. It is delicious and it’s worth making from scratch, especially if you love making Unadon (Unagi Donburi) or Yaki Onigiri. It’s a good condiment to have in your fridge all the time!
I hope I’ve inspired you to start making sushi rolls at home. It’s fun to prepare and eat sushi with your friends and family. If you are still not comfortable rolling your own sushi, remember there is a non-roll sushi called Temaki Sushi (Hand Roll)!
If you try this Dragron Roll recipe, don’t forget to share your picture on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter with #JustOneCookbook. Thank you so much for reading, and till next time!
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Other Sushi Recipes:
- California Roll
- Spicy Tuna Roll
- Yellowtail Roll (Negihama Maki)
- Futomaki (Fat Sushi Roll)
- Hosomaki (Thin Sushi Roll)
- Hand Roll
- Temari Sushi
- Inari Sushi
- Cucumber Wrapped Sushi
- Sushi Ginger (gari)
- 1 Persian/Japanese cucumbers
- 2 avocados
- 1/2 lemon (optional)
- 2 sheets nori (seaweed) (cut in half crosswise)
- 2 cups sushi rice (Recipe) (each roll needs 1/2 cup sushi rice)
- 8 pieces shrimp tempura (Recipe)
- 2 Tbsp Tobiko (frying fish roe) (2 Tbsp = 20g)
- unagi (eel) (optional)
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
-
Gather all the ingredients.
- Cut cucumber lengthwise into quarter. Remove the seeds and then cut in half lengthwise.
- Cut the avocado in half lengthwise around the seed and twist the two halves until they separate. Hack the knife edge into the pit. Hold the skin of the avocado with the other hand and twist in counter directions. The pit will come out smoothly.
- Remove the skin and slice the avocado widthwise.
- Gently press the avocado slices with your fingers and then keep pressing gently and evenly with the side of knife until the length of avocado is about the length of sushi roll (length of nori seaweed). If you don't serve the sushi roll right away, I recommend squeezing lemon over the avocado to prevent from changing color.
- Wrap the bamboo mat with plastic wrap and place half of the nori sheet, shiny side down. Dip your hands in tezu (vinegar water) and spread 1/2 cup sushi rice over the nori sheet.
- Turn it over and put the shrimp tempura, cucumber strips, and tobiko at the bottom end of the nori sheet. If you like to put unagi, place inside here as well.
- From the bottom end, start rolling nori sheet over the filling tightly and firmly with bamboo mat until the bottom end reaches the nori sheet. Lift the bamboo mat and roll over.
- Place the bamboo mat over the roll and tightly squeeze the roll.
- Using the side of knife, place the avocado on top of the roll.
- Place plastic wrap over the roll and then put bamboo mat over. Tightly squeeze the roll until the avocado slices wrap around the sushi. Be gentle so you won’t break the avocado slices.
- Cut the roll into 8 pieces with knife. Clean knife with wet towel after each cut. If the roll got messy while cutting, tightly squeeze the sushi roll again with the bamboo mat. Remove the plastic wrap on top of the sushi and transfer to a serving plate.
- Put tobiko on each piece of sushi and drizzle spicy mayo and sprinkle black sesame seeds on top. If you like, put some unagi sauce on the plate so you can dip the sushi. Enjoy!
Equipment you will need:
- Bamboo sushi mat
- Plastic wrap
- Sharp knife
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Editor’s Note: Original post was published in June 2013. The post is updated with new content and video in April 2016.
Wow!!!! That is some seriously gorgeous sushi! Looks amazing! 🙂
As always, I love the detailed instructions! You make it sound so easy! And this is such a gorgeous looking dish, I really should try it. 😉 Excellent post – thanks so much.
I couldn’t wait for this post…I love the recipe and simple to follow instructions, and if I could eat it off the screen I would–it’s so delicious looking! Gorgeous pictures!!!!
I love Dragon rolls though I don’t usually see the tobiko and other granishes on top.
Coincidentally, I bought some sushi grade ahi (yellow fin) tuna a few days ago and made maki, nigiri, gunkan and temaki sushi with it today. It has been quite a while since I tried to make nigiri but I’m working on it. 🙂
Oh my, Nami! Your Dragon Roll looks fabulous. It looks better than some of the rolls that I’ve seen in restaurants. This really makes me want to make my own. Pinned and sharing this on my Facebook page. Have a wonderful evening!
When I first saw these sushi rolls I was astounded by the photos. They look gorgeous Nami. your instructions are truly inspiring me to make them at home too… I love sushi and avocado!!!Thnks:)
Oh yummy, It’s one of my favorite too, love the crunch of the shrimp tempura in it. Saved to try. Thanks Nami.
Amazing!!! Wonder I able do that? Hehe….
Oh that looks like a great dragon roll!
Any ideas for substituting nori? Will it roll without it? Maybe rice paper? I’m allergic to everything from the water that doesn’t have a fin on it. I thought I’d try making this with a tempura fish, but I’ve never rolled sushi before. Please advise!
Hi MIchelle! I have been thinking about what can be a good substitute but I think rice paper is actually a great idea. It sticks the rice and thin like nori. Hope it will work out! 🙂
I’ll let you know if I ever get around to trying it! 🙂
I’m now following you on Instagram and will look forward to viewing Japan in the summer through your eyes. What a colourful sushi. It’s so pretty Nami, it’s stunning xx
G’day Nami! That looks like heaps yum and fun, true!
Might have to put this on my list to do and always enjoy seeing your step by step photos too!
Cheers! Joanne
You should open your own little Japanese cafe. You’d do so well in Malaysia for real. Love how delicious and aesthetically pleasing this roll is! I really should invest in a sushi mat, right? I’ve tried making sushi several times without the mat. They hold together OK but I feel they could be tighter and more compact.
Nami I love the Dragon Roll. My family always orders them and although I teach sushi I’ve never taught this one before. Now I just might. I love how you demonstrate the way to wrap the avocado. I haven’t done that before but will definitely try this now – great technique. Great post. Thank you for sharing.
Your dragon roll looks absolutely perfect, Nami! I’m a big fan of it as well!
Have a safe and wonderful time in Japan this summer – wow! It sounds amazing and I can’t wait to hear and see all about it! : )
Woahh Nami, that looks perfect. I don’t make sushi at home, but enjoy it outside a lot. You’ve inspired me to make one soon. Great instructions,
Wow, I am mouth watering looking at your dragon roll picture, the steps sound easy to make, must find one day to make this roll. Have a wonderful vacation back home, Nami!
Beautiful! Although it’s funny, every place I’ve been to here in Southern California would call this a caterpillar roll, and a dragon roll would be a uramaki roll (usually california roll) topped with unagi.
I googled “dragon roll” and saw that it seems about 50/50, whether it is unagi or avocado on top, sometimes both! Isn’t funny what regional differences there are, even in something as simple as a dragon roll? For the record, the dragon roll is also my favorite roll, although I guess it means something different here 😀
Whoops what a dork! I meant to reply to the post in general, not your comment. >.<
Nami, this is one of my favorites, though I figured it was unauthentic — but I feel better knowing you eat it too! lol The tempura-only one is my favorite too. Your presentation is always so beautiful. Have fun in Japan!
OMG Nami, that looks absolutely amazing! I LOVE dragon roll sushi and the step-by-step method of this post. Your photos are stunning too! Have a great week. 🙂
Thanks for the pictorial my friend, wonderfully made 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Oh wow! That is a lovely treat indeed! I just love shrimps tempura! I can just imagine the taste, crispy tempura shrimps blending with smooth avocado and crunchy cucumber! yum!
This is gorgeous! Even prettier than the dragon rolls I get at the trendy sushi place here. 🙂
Your dragon roll looks like an absolute work of art! 🙂
This looks so beautiful and I don’t eat shrimp (prawn). I’ll find a substitute as I am looking forward to attempting to compile this. Thanks for sharing.
WOW!! You should be teaching the sushi chefs at most places how to make rolls! They’re stunning and totally perfect! I am beyond impressed! I would love a personal lesson 🙂
PERFECTION! This is the most perfect combination of flavours and textures and deliciousness Nami – wish I lived closer to you to come and test a few…
Have a lovely week ahead.
🙂 Mandy xo
I make a lot of sushi at home but I’ve never tried a dragon roll but you’ve definitely inspired me to Nami! 😀
Just beautiful! And your step by step pictures are so helpful. I love your site and recipes Nami!
I am now craving sushi at 1 in the morning!
Ohhh my look at that sushi, you are so teasing me 🙂
hello Nami, I caan see why that is your favourite! delicious!!
Nami, it’s one of the most beautiful maki sushi I have ever seen! It does look a bit like a dragon indeed 😉 It contains all my beloved ingredients, so I’m bookmarking it, though there is little chance I will manage it… It looks quite delicate for someone as clumsy as me. Actually I have never seen such a roll in Europe. The only roll they prepare here is also “reversed” (seaweed inside) but with ebi fry inside, mayonnaise and sprinkled with sesame seeds. I love it.
Have a wonderful trip and bring us back many delicious ideas and photos!
Oh wow, I love these avocado dragon rolls..
This looks SOOO good, Nami!! Dragon rolls are my favourite too :). I am glad that you didn’t use unagi, because I am just not into eels – they remind me too much of snakes ;). Anyway, great post as usual, so sorry if I haven’t been commenting regularly lately, life just has been quite crazy over here…!
This is so professional looking!!
This sounds great, really useful step by step pictures too.
We love love love sushi and this dragon roll is one of our favorites. I don’t make it, though because I think the Chefs at restaurants do a better job. YOu just made me more brave to try. Thanks for sharing, Nami!
Hi Nami, thank you very much for sharing this lovely dragon roll. Looks very pretty and delicious! Definitely love to try this at home.
OMG Nami, I cant thank you enough, this post is precious with the dragon rolls and all the links to other sushi recipes, Super pinned!
I hope you are well and that you;re having fun.
Hugs and Kisses
Cant tell you how much i adore sushi and the art of making it…Thanks for the step by step pictures. This looks amazing. Wish I could have this for lunch today 🙂
Wow, these rolls look perfect Nami! Love dragon rolls and yours look flawless. Just amazing!
Can you give me a recipe to make a spicy vegas roll? That is my very favorite!
Hi Carlee! What’s inside the spicy vegas roll? It seems like it’s a local sushi roll. 🙂
This looks so tasty, thank you very much 🙂
Thank you!
Oh wow, this is stunning, Nami! I’m so impressed. Your detailed instructions are incredible, too. 🙂
Too good Nami! Now I wish that you live closer to me-))
I have spotted suchi rice (not easy to find in Mumbai, except gourmet and online stores) in a supermarket in Mumbai, and from there itself, I bought some nori sheets too! I have most of the ingredients with me as well. So I can make this.
And, this tempura-stuffed sushi is really looking special…wonderful clicks, Nami. A lovely post!
Beautiful colors and presentation! Gorgeous rolls.
Cheers,
Rosa
I think I had this before – not sure if it went by this name, but it’s so delicious. I have to admit though… I’m really not a fan of tobiko. The consistency always seems so weird to me, but all the rest of the ingredients I love! Spicy mayo too… mmm!
Hi,
This looks amazingly good! I think this is my favorite sushi roll too… I tasted it at a JApanese restaurant when living in Singapore… I remember the crunchy shrimp tempura in the middle is divine! As soon as I can eat sushi again I will try making this at home. Thanks for this recipe and have a nice vacation in Japan. We are also flyign to Italy soon for our summer vacation… I am looking forward to it.
Ciao
It been a while since we have done sushi…. Would love to try this… =)
Gorgeous roll! You’ve got me itching to make my own sushi.
What a stunning dragon roll, Nami! This is something I never realized could be made at home and you really knocked my socks off with this one! So lovely. Thanks for sharing!
Gorgeous and mouthwatering!!! I am sure that you’re having a great time in Japan.
This is an amazing presentation. Hope you have a great time in Japan. Looking forward to your updates.
なるほど。そういうふうに作るのかあ。まったくわかってなかったわ、私。なみちゃんのテクニックすごいですね。とてもきれいです。 めちゃおいしそう！Looks awesome!
Wow! You are just so clever!
This is the best looking Dragon Roll I have ever seen, I love the caviar.
YUM!
Beautiful roll Nami…I love the step-by-step pictures…
Enjoy your vacation in Japan my dear 😀
Nami, I tried a Dragon Roll for the first time when I visited my daughter last week. Scrumptious and so timely that you posted your recipe. I can see why it’s your favorite! Love this!
Wow…this looks fantastic!!! I am so going to Trader Joe’s to check out the shrimp tempura!! I love this sushi and you did such a beautiful job!
Ooooh I loooove this sushi, Nami! And look at that beauty…wow! Your photos are stunning.
I need a sushi kit! I would love to make sushi this summer 🙂
Beautiful! This puts restaurant rolls to shame.
That looks like a perfect combination of flavors and textures.
Nami, the rolls are more than perfect, congrats!
This dragon roll look amazing and I love how to show the pictures to make!!
I am going for sushi tomorrow for dinner, I will see if they have this roll because it looks delicious.
Wow..perfection personified! I still get cold feet when I think of rolling Sushi…
Nami, this looks fantastic! I wish I could get my Hubby to try sushi because I love it. Next time he’s out of town I’m so making this for myself! 😉
I wish I could make such a beautiful sushi Nami but I can’t, so I will just admire yours which is delicious! Have a wonderful time in your homeland and come back with many new and more delicious Japanese meals!
That looks awesome! I donno if I would really call it a dragon roll coz it is looking so pretty!
Nami-san, this is one beautiful roll. I find these types of rolls a bit more difficult than the standard sushi roll because it is like wearing your coat inside out. However you did a beautiful job of shaping your roll. Have a wonderful time back home in Yokohama. Don’t forget your “傘”!!!! Take care, BAM
One of the best sushi rolls I have seen till date! Definitely better than the restaurants. Yummy! Nami, I wish I lived closer to your place.
Your Dragon roll is gorgeous Nami, a favorite of mine too. Now I am craving sushi lol.
Love This!!!
I am loving the name DRAGON ROLL…. And ofcourse the recipe n the pics…
Enjoy your time in Japan dear.. looking forward to catching up with ur fun on instagram!
So glad I’m not the only one who was a bit shocked to see sushi with cream cheese. And like you, over the years I’ve come to accept and like non-traditional temakis…including the Dragon Roll. Thank you for sharing your recipe, Nami-san!
Dragon roll always seemd to be so difficult to make. I need to try it. Thank you Nami.
This is so beautiful and impressive! Love all of the pictures to show the process. Definitely needed for a sushi recipe of this magnitude!
Your photos of the finished product are beautiful! My absolute favourite sushi rolls are salmon rolls, but Dragon rolls are a close runner up. I might try to make this one day when I’m feeling ambitious.
You left me speachless. It’s amazing, Nami! Truly amazing, and I want to try it…
Amazing creation! Definitely did get me very stirred up to try making it as well! 🙂 😀
Thanks for the step-by-step instructions. Definitely very helpful! Can understand how painstaking it is to take the step-by-step pics! 🙂
Thanks for your recipe!
http://stephylicious.wordpress.com/2013/06/27/dragon-roll-recipe/
Stephanie, thanks so much for trying dragon roll and California roll recipes! Your sushi rolls are beautifully made!
This is awesome! I love dragon rolls and have been telling myself I’ll experiment with more sushi at home. So glad to have your recipe 🙂
Yummyyy! I love all kinds of sushi and sashimi, but when we go out we never fail to order dragon roll. I love your pics and how neat they are. Have fun in Japan!
I am COMPLETELY inspired. This is my summer project – learn how to make sushi from you. Seriously, this is great stuff. Thank you Nami for taking out your precious time to show how it is really done. I love the step by step pictures – it makes it look relatively easy. Bookmarking.
This looks so beautiful and tasty. I need to start making my own sushi. I admit I haven’t tried it yet but you keep inspiring me to give it a try… Thanks 🙂
You know I love sushi and I’m always so blown away by how beautiful you get yours to look. When we make it at home, it’s delicious, but doesn’t look nearly as pretty. The dragon roll is one of my favorites too. We ordered a dragon roll this week from a new sushi place and oh was I disappointed. We’ll be going back to our old place for sure! 🙂
Nami… This looks amazing!! I love dragon rolls. Excellent job and BEAUTIFUL photography!
<3 your friends at Favorite Family Recipes
I, too, love Dragon Roll. You’re so lucky to have Trader Joe’s there – and they sell frozen shrimp tempura? Awesome…! Your roll looks absolutely gorgeous. You make it look so easy, Nami!
I’ve never had this luxurious looking sushi rolls before 🙂 but I know I’ll love it! It has my fave ingredients – shrimp tempura! Looks absolutely scrumptious!
Wow, my mouth is salivating! Thank you for this post
So thrilled to see dragon roll recipe on your site, Nami! It is my favorite sushi too since it features both avocado & shrimp tempura (LOVE them!). The spicy mayo & unagi sauce toppings make your dragon rolls extra good looking. I can eat this everyday!
I love dragon rolls! I absolutely love shrimp tempura so a sushi roll with shrimp tempura in it will obviously be my favorite as well. I`m glad I have this recipe in my arsenal! 🙂 I think it`ll take me many tries before I can make them as pretty as yours!
such a confetti sushi log,bright colors, amazing flavors,thanks for sharing,would love to try them soon
view our blog
indiaandworldcuisine.blogspot.in
Your pictures as always AMAZING. Thank you for sharing!
The Dragon Roll is my favorite too! ^_^ Have fun in Japan!
I’ve had these in California and they’re positively scrumptious! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe so I can reproduce it at home!
~ marie, the EpicureanPiranha
it look good and I believed it taste good
thnks for that I love sushi and for presentation 101 look nice
Thank you Norma! 🙂
excellent photos and above average explanations!!!!!!!
Thank you Elvira! I’m so happy you liked this post. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I love your beautiful website with all these amazing food/pictures. I am so glad to find out about your website by accident. I am going to find time to try out your food recipe when I get the chance. I see you make a lot of salad dressing, I wonder if you make sauces for roll sushi besides the unagi sauce, spicy mayo, and ponzu sauce. Any suggestions would be helpful, thank you
Texas mom
Tracy
Hi Tracy! Thank you so much for your kind compliment. 🙂 I’m so glad you found my site!
What kind of sauces have you tasted before and what kind of rolls? Sorry I usually eat more traditional nigiri sushi and don’t eat too many rolls, so I’m not too familiar with the kind of sauces for rolls (we don’t have this in Japan). Hope I can help you.
This recipe is exactly what I have been looking for. I am glad I found it on your blog. Your dragon rolls look so beautiful. Thanks, Nami!
The roll is tempting and nice.
Thank you so much for your advice and great tips for cooking. Can’ t wait to get started!! Have a wondeful New year:)))
Thank you so much Corrie! Happy New Year to you too! 🙂
Would you know where to find real unagi filets? Or would using frozen ones come out the same?
Do you have suggestions on how to prepare it so that it comes out yummy?
Hi PandaMamma! I’m not sure where you’re located, but in SF, there are Japanese unagi (grilled already) shipped from Japan. They are like close to 3 times more expensive (and small.. but so delicious!).
Most of the time I rely on frozen unagi too (but good one among them). Follow this instruction for how to cook it. 🙂
https://www.justonecookbook.com/recipes/unagi-don-unadon/
Hope this helps!
I live in Tokyo and was surprised to see that “Dragon Roll” “Philly Roll” “Rainbow Roll” did not exist in Japan! It was after some thought that I realized that these creations were uniquely American, that is, fusion sushi. Now there are fusion sushi found everywhere, but not in Japan (except for California Roll)!
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I can get all the ingredients fresh here in Tokyo. I looooooved this Dragon Roll, it was perfect!!
Hi Joanne! For me it was an opposite experience – I was so surprised that Americans think of sushi as more of sushi rolls rather than nigiri. 😀 I love dragon roll mainly because of crispy shrimp tempura in it. I hope one day Japan will get these “American” sushi rolls.
But I think a lot of people like to eat at more traditional sushi place and if they serve “American” style, maybe customers feel they are not authentic enough? Maybe good quality sashimi being eaten with other ingredients (with lots of sauces) is sort of against the concept of simplicity, quality of ingredients, and all the virtue of Japanese cuisine (washoku). Well, California roll made it! 🙂 Thank you for your feedback!
Looks amazing! I want some. I have to try my hand in making sushi.
Ohhh yummmm….this looks legit (of course), and so good! My favorite rolls are the ones with crazy explosive flavors, meaning that they have to have spice in them. Or just plain rainbow roll because it’s so unbelievably fresh. 🙂
Hello, I LOVE your recipes and I would be most grateful if you have any videos on making sushi rolls!?
Hi Tiffany! Thank you so much for reading my posts and for your request. 🙂 I’ve been thinking of sushi tutorials and hope to start working on them soon. 🙂
I love your blog. The pictures and recipes are easy to follow. Best of all, the results are yummy! Please keep on blogging.
Hi Ann! Thank you so much for your kind words and for reading my blog! 🙂
I love this roll and tried making it for the first time last night. It turned out great but my spicy mayo was a little thin, I used the Kewpie and Sriracha sauce. For flavor, it worked great, but made the presentation look like I put pink gravy on it. Do you have a suggestion for thickening the sauce?
Hi Patrick! First of all, thank you so much for trying this recipe! I am not 100% sure as I wasn’t there, but it looks like your sriracha portion was more as sriracha is more watery than the QP mayo. Mine holds a little bit rather than too watery (as you see in the photo). But then you lose some of the spiciness if you cut down on sriracha and not sure that’s what you prefer… I’ve never tried or heard to thicken the sauce without damaging the flavor, but do you think corn starch/potato starch would work to make it thick…?! I am not too sure… I’d just reduce the amount of sriracha and decorate, but keep it out for extra spicy option. Hope that helps. 🙂
That answers my question, Thank you. I did put a little more sriracha sauce and knew that was my main problem, but the color looked right and the spiciness was good for me. I imagine slowly adding cornstarch might do it, I would be afraid of clumps. I will try it and see how it works.
Tonight I am trying your Spicy Tuna recipe
Thanks!:-)
If you will try with corn starch, make sure to mix a small portion of water and corn starch in a bowl first (make corn starch completely dissolved) before adding to mayo/sriracha mix. Hope you enjoy the spicy tuna roll! 🙂
Hi there
Is there a way to make this vegetarian and rather than wrapping it putting the ingredients into a bowl? I am not coordinated enough to make sushi just yet but have had this before in a restaurant with mango and loved it
Hi Nina! Dragon Roll includes Shrimp Tempura, but you can omit shrimp tempura and add other veggies you like. You can make it into rice bowl dish (deconstructed version of roll). 🙂
The pictures you took of this Dragon Sushi roll are just amazing! Job very well done Nami 🙂
Hello Chef Devaux! Thank you so much for your kind compliment. My dragon rolls are nothing like yours! I just saw your video and really love the “dragon” on the sushi roll you made! How wonderful that you are sharing your amazing sushi making skills with the world! 🙂
Hey could you tell me how many calories are in this whole dish please?:) it looks awesome!!!!
Hi Bri! Thank you so much for your kind words! As I am not a registered dietitian, I am not comfortable sharing nutritional information for any of my recipes. Please use online calorie counters to obtain the information. So sorry!
You have done a fantastic job not only on the presentation but also the easy explanations of each recipe..thank you…all is very precious..
Michael
Thank you so much for your kind words, Michael! 🙂
good
Thanks! 🙂
hey there- we are making these tonite. my question is actually about your sushi rice directions. I was wondering how specific to a rice maker the directions are – for example, i never soak my sushi rice after soaking & b4 cooking in a pan – would you do if you weren’t using your rice maker? actually, i have a rice maker (http://www.brevilleusa.com/gourmet-rice-cooker.html) and i stopped using it – i couldn’t seem to get it right…
Mare
Hi Mari! I just got back from my trip and I apologize for my late response. It does not matter what device you use (Japanese rice cooker or other rice cooker or regular pot), but as long as you use Japanese short grain rice, it’s recommended to soak the rice first before cooking. However when I don’t have time I totally skip soaking… but when I don’t soak, I usually add a bit more water when I cook the rice. Also, the brand of rice matters as well. For some rice brand I have to put just a little bit more water than usual. So I’d suggest to experiment the amount of water. If you don’t use a rice cooker, it helps if you record the amount of rice and water so it will be perfect every time. Hope this helps…
update: made these last nite – they were **wonderful!** Thank you! i think they came out a little big though b/c we used a whole sheet of nori???
up next: takoyaki, following your instruxns, of course (after i hunt down the octopus – have all the other ingreds!) 🙂
Hi Mari! Glad to hear your dragon roll came out well! Yes, whole sheet of nori would make a big sushi roll. 🙂
FYI, my online sashimi store Fish for Sushi sells a whole octopus (http://fishforsushi.com/products/octopus-sashimi). It’s quite a lot though. 🙂
I rarely leave comments, but your simple, solid approach to show and tell in a cuisine that is very leftfield for many was perfect. We had an amazing first effort and are now inspired (though the wife will do the rolling!).
Just FYI for those out there, the unagi sauce recipe ROCKS and you can use smoked eel if that’s all you can find (just take the skin off and cook gently in the sauce).
Also the tempura recipe, if you want it gluten free, works perfectly well with an equal ratio substitution of corn flour, rice flour, tapioca flour and glutinous rice flour. Doesn’t quite colour as well as the wheat flour probably, but I’m working on this (and boy is it a tasty job!)
Hi Alex! Thank you so much for taking your time to write your kind feedback. I’m really happy to hear you enjoy my recipes. 🙂 Thank you for sharing GF option for the tempura recipe so that others can give it a try! Thank you for your support and love! 🙂
Sincere condolences to you and your family, Nami. I imagine your grandmother would have been so proud of all you are as a human being and all you have achieved. Not to mention her gorgeous great grand children (and handsome and accomplished grandson-in-law, Mr JOC ) ☺️ I’m glad you had some good times in nature, unplugged.
Hi Sally! Thank you so much for your sweet words. My kids were sad too, but they will remember the time they spent with her. Haha, thanks about Mr. JOC too. It was really nice to be away, but happy to be back and connect with my wonderful readers like you. Thank you for writing! 🙂
What beautiful Dragon Rolls! I will make some when my sister visits this month. We’ll also enjoy Futomaki. It’s the sushi I fell in love with at age 7 when our “baby sitter’s” mom made it for us in Honolulu! Thanks so very much.
I’m sorry to hear of your Grandmother’s passing and understand how much you miss her. I’m sure she was sooooo proud of you — just for being you, and also for lovingly passing on your wonderful heritage foods and stories.
Hi Judy! Thank you! Futomaki is delicious – all the traditional ingredients always make me nostalgic. And I did make it with my grandma so good memories. 🙂 It’s wonderful to know you also have a good memory with Futomaki!
Thank you for your kind words. I definitely got her “eating is hobby” gene. 🙂
Nami-san, I have a question about selecting the best nori for sushi. My husband and I have made sushi at home and sometimes the nori is too chewy, not crisp like we get in the restaurants. Is there a brand or some specific type that we should try to buy? We do have a good Japanese grocery store nearby. And thank you for this recipe and the shrimp tempura trick! Dragon roll is our favorite too!
Hi Laurie! You know, living in the US, I don’t get to choose a good nori. That’s one thing I miss. I try to bring back good dried kombu and shiitake mushrooms, etc, but haven’t did that for nori. I don’t really have a good advice, but I “try” to get one of most expensive nori possible. It makes a little difference. It looks like higher price = better quality from my experience (although higher price is not always better quality in a lot of things). Hope you enjoy making this recipe! 🙂
Now I really want sushi. This looks amazing. Dragon Rolls are one of my favorites – minus the spicy mayo.
*drool*
Thank you Rachael! This is my favorite sushi roll! 🙂
I like the video, you make it very easy to follow.
Dragon rolls are great! Never even thought of making them at home, though. This is a pretty straightforward recipe, though. Great tip on frozen shrimp tempura — didn’t know that. Thanks!
Hello Nami! This recipe looks amazing! Is there another substitute for the shrimp tempura though, besides eel, because I have a shellfish allergy and don’t care for he flavor of eel that much. Thanks
Hi Anna! Hmm, to create the same “crispy” filling, I still recommend putting the tempura dish. It can be white fish tempura (you have to make it though) or asparagus tempura.. what do you like? Shrimp tempura is convenient as we could buy, but I guess you will have to make tempura from scratch. Eel is also pre grilled, so you can save time if you use it.
Thanks for replying Nami!! I will try to make it with white fish instead! I am sorry to hear about your grandma too.
Good luck, and hope you enjoy! Thank you for your kind words about my grandma. 🙂
I just wanted to let you know that I am sad to hear about your grandmother passing. I send my thoughts and prayers to you and your family. I wish you could have seen her one more time too. (((HUGS)))
Hi Jennifer! Thank you so much for your kind words for me and my family. xoxo
I would love every bite of this dragon roll!! Hope you are having a great spring… we are still having winter weather here. 🙁
Nami, I think you need to start a restaurant in your home or something! These dragon rolls look amazing, as good and better than any I’ve had! I love dragon rolls and I need to get some soon!
Haha thank you for your kind words, Monica! Hope you enjoy making this at home! 🙂
Absolutely gorgeous Nami!!! I’m not a big roll fan, but I do like a good dragon roll.
what can i use instead of rice vinager with sushi rice ?? can i only use sugar and salt with water only ? or a little bit of normal vinager ?? please help
Hi Reema! If you really want to make a good sushi rice, please consider buying rice vinegar. Sometimes you can substitute with something else, but this recipe, having a few ingredients, is not a good recipe you can swap ingredients. The flavor of sushi rice relies on rice vinegar, which is not strong like regular vinegar. Rice vinegar is mild so it’s perfect for this recipe. If you use regular vinegar, you may not want to eat the sushi rice. And if you skip the rice vinegar… it’s not sushi rice anymore.
A lot of people are confused with this “sushi rice” with regular steamed rice. You’re making sushi rice to make sushi right? We only use this for sushi recipes.
For regular steamed rice, you don’t need to season it. Just water and rice. 🙂
I just found your recipe and I for one can’t wait to try and make it. Looks wonderful!
Hi Debra! I hope you enjoy this recipe! 🙂
You have such a great blog! I love that you offer so many sushi recipes with step by step instructions. Great job!!!!
Hi Kristen! Thank you for your kind words. Thank you! Make sure to check my YouTube channel for video tutorials. I think I have 3 or 4 videos for my sushi recipes there. 🙂
20 OZ???? Can that be correct??
Hi Yolanda! Oh no! It is supposed to be 1/8 cup (2 Tbsp) = 20 grams (not oz!). I have edited the recipe. Thank you for letting me know.
With the avocado on top it sounds more like a catipiller roll
Hi Kota! Yeah, I can see that. Every restaurant has different looks for their rolls and uses different ingredients and there are no specific rules when it comes to its name and ingredients. The dragon roll that I love from the sushi restaurant I go only has avocado on top, and no unagi. If you google, you see all the different variations. 🙂
This is a really nice recipe, but it seems that it is a little hard to make. I never made something like this before, I think I should have a try this weekend. I would come back when I have any questions.
“gently squeeze the fruit in the palm of your hand”
Bless you! Most people think jamming their thumb into an avocado is the way to test for ripeness, leaving everything they touched covered in bruises. Your way, the way I learned, too, leaves the rejects unmarked and beautiful for when they finally soften satisfactorily. Thanks!
Hi Beejay! Do you mean most people press hard on the avocado? When my kids tried to touch peaches and avocados and were about to squeeze, I scolded them. I think they learned not to do that at early age. LOL. Gotta take gentle care of them… for myself and for others! 🙂
I used to teach cooking classes, and when I’d take my students to shop for ingredients, I told them I’d hit their knuckles with my ruler if I caught them doing that. /:) I’ve seen people keep pressing with their thumbs until they’ve made a dent, then shake their heads and put it back.
Peaches are easy, just sniff the stem end. If it doesn’t smell like ripe peach, it isn’t. 😉
Oh! And I never said, great video! Very helpful seeing it done, and it looks delicious.
Haha with your ruler! LOL! I don’t like finding out bruised fruits at home, so it bothers me that someone (like my children) creating bruises to someone else’s fruits. You were an excellent teacher. 🙂 Thank you for your kind words.
I am new to your website and very happy to find someone with the ethnic background to help me prepare and pursue Japanese cooking. I am 1/2 Japanese however, my mom has passed and I was not able to learn from her. Thank you for your knowledge and desire.
Hi Frances! I’m happy to hear you think my website is helpful. I hope you find your favorite mom’s food on my website and get to cook the dishes again in your kitchen! 🙂
初めまして。大宮亜季と申します。
現在日本に住んでいるのですが、ビザサポートをしていただけるかどうかお聞きしたくご連絡させていただきました。
今、日本の大学に通っていて来年卒業予定です。卒業後はハワイで仕事を探したいと思っております。
大学では経営学を専攻しております。
アルバイトで飲食店の経験があります。主にホールスタッフです。
よろしくお願いします。
亜季さん、コメントありがとうございます。
JOCで働くっていう事ですか？
興味を持って頂いてとても嬉しいのですが、
現在新しいポジションはありません。
就職活動頑張ってください！
Can you tell me if I could substitute something for the fried shrimp, I am severely allergic to all shellfish. I can eat fish.
I have a local restaurant that has a lot of different sushi that I can eat. Yummy.
Thanks
Hi Denise! Dragon roll filling is shrimp tempura but you can definitely use something else. Besides the tuna, salmon, and all the other fish option, you can use different vegetables too. It’s best to know what type of sushi rolls you like and what filling they use inside. 🙂
Thumbs up on the recipe/directions!
We didn’t have any shrimp on hand so we went with unagi (our freezer is full of unagi).
But I must say, I must of purchased the most uncooperative avocados EVER! Everything was fine up until fanning them across the roll; wasn’t happening without a great deal of “avocado motivation”. Certainly made me realize I may need some anger management counseling. lol
In any event, we ended up putting the avocado in the center and the unagi on top for the remaining rolls. 😉
They were excelent; Keep up the great tutorials!
– Neil
Hi Neil! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. Haha I love that your freezer is well stocked with unagi. 😀 You made me laugh at your anger management comment. I always get anxious when a recipe requires an avocado. We don’t know until I cut it in half to see if the avocado is a perfect condition or not. I still remember this avocado in this recipe was just perfect. You don’t see me, but I was screaming for joy when I cut the avocado in half in this video. 🙂
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I have made this for my boyfriend and he loves it and says that this is the restaurant level! I never cooked anything for him nor do I usually cook but this recipe was easier because everything is explained in details!
Hi Lidija! I’m so happy to hear that you two enjoyed this dish at home! Thank you for trying this recipe and for the kind feedback. 🙂
This was super good even if it was a lot of work.
Hi Bethy! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your kind feedback. xo
I made this today so so good!
Hi Hilda! Thank you for trying my recipe. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Amazing recipe! Didn’t have shrimps on hand so I made sticks of tofu tempura-style (we’re on lockdown, that’s the best alternative I could find…). Turned out better than expected! I highly recommend this substitution for whoever would like to make this dish vegetarian. So delish!
Hi Béatrice! Thank you for your kind words! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe and I LOVED your tofu tempura sub, what a clever idea! Thanks for sharing such a great sub with us!