Indulge in the delectable Dragon Roll with Shrimp Tempura, a culinary masterpiece that tantalizes the taste buds with its vibrant colors and harmonious flavors. This exquisite dish combines the crispy texture of shrimp tempura with the cool, refreshing crunch of cucumber and avocado, all enveloped in a layer of velvety smooth rice and adorned with vibrant tobiko roe. Experience the perfect balance of textures and flavors in every bite, as the sweet and tangy eel sauce and creamy avocado create a delightful contrast to the savory shrimp tempura and crisp cucumber. This comprehensive guide provides step-by-step instructions for crafting this visually stunning and delicious Dragon Roll, along with variations such as the Spicy Dragon Roll and the Vegetarian Dragon Roll. Learn the art of preparing homemade tempura batter, ensuring perfectly crispy shrimp every time, and discover the secrets of crafting sushi rice that is both flavorful and holds its shape beautifully. Whether you're a seasoned sushi enthusiast or a home cook looking to impress, this guide has everything you need to create this stunning and delicious dish.
Check out the recipes below so you can choose the best recipe for yourself!
DRAGON ROLLS
Learn how to make your all-time favorite Dragon Rolls at home! In this recipe, we will talk about the key ingredients and tips and tricks to make this popular sushi.
Provided by Namiko Chen
Categories Main Course
Time 1h
Number Of Ingredients 13
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!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 410 kcal, Carbohydrate 37 g, Protein 10 g, Fat 26 g, SaturatedFat 12 g, TransFat 2 g, Cholesterol 89 mg, Sodium 335 mg, Fiber 9 g, Sugar 3 g, UnsaturatedFat 15 g, ServingSize 1 serving
DRAGON ROLL
Steps:
- Rinse rice in a strainer until water runs clear.
- Combine rice and water in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until rice is tender and water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Combine rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over low heat; stir until sugar is dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour over rice; stir until rice cools and looks dry.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Arrange shrimp tempura on the baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden and crispy, about 6 minutes per side. Cut tails off 4 of the tempura shrimp.
- Cover a bamboo sushi rolling mat with plastic wrap. Lay 1 sheet of nori, shiny-side down, on the plastic wrap. Spread 1 cup rice on top using moistened fingers, leaving a 1/3-inch border. Flip nori so rice is facing the mat.
- Arrange imitation crabmeat and cucumber along the bottom edge of the nori sheet. Place 2 tail-off shrimp in the center of the nori sheet. Place 2 tail-on shrimp on the end so that the tails extend over the sides of the sheet. Lift the edge of the mat and roll up nori into a tight log around filling.
- Transfer sushi roll to a serving plate. Layer avocado and unagi slices on top to cover the top and sides of the roll. Slice roll into 8 pieces using a moistened knife. Repeat with remaining nori, rice, crabmeat, cucumber, avocado, and unagi to make a second roll.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 1095.3 calories, Carbohydrate 93.5 g, Cholesterol 431.7 mg, Fat 50.3 g, Fiber 9.4 g, Protein 66.6 g, SaturatedFat 8.9 g, Sodium 3340.7 mg, Sugar 11.1 g
SHRIMP TEMPURA
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- Heat oil to 375 degrees F.
- Roll shrimp in flour. Add sesame seeds to batter. Dip shrimp into batter and place in oil. Fry for 3 - 4 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. In small bowl combine soy sauce, sesame seeds and sesame oil. Serve sauce with shrimp
DRAGON ROLL
I've always liked dragon roll options at Japanese restaurants (in the US.) Here is a recipe that combines my favorite ingredients that are often used in maki rolls. The dragon is a huge hit at dinner parties. I always use a rice cooker, but feel free to look up a separate guide to preparing sushi rice without a rice cooker. Some of the ingredient amounts are estimates, so do not hesitate to experiment with the flavors.
Provided by jpatel02004
Categories Lunch/Snacks
Time 45m
Yield 4 rolls, 2-4 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 13
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!
Nutrition Facts : Calories 967.5, Fat 21.5, SaturatedFat 4.7, Cholesterol 176.9, Sodium 2444.9, Carbohydrate 162.6, Fiber 12.2, Sugar 1.6, Protein 29
Tips:
- Mise en place: Before you start cooking, make sure you have all the ingredients and tools you need. This will help you stay organized and prevent any scrambling.
- Use fresh ingredients: The fresher your ingredients, the better your dragon roll will taste. If possible, buy your ingredients from a local market or farm.
- Cook the shrimp tempura properly: The shrimp tempura should be cooked until it is golden brown and crispy. If it is undercooked, it will be chewy and unpleasant to eat.
- Roll the dragon roll tightly: When you are rolling the dragon roll, make sure you roll it tightly so that it holds its shape. If the roll is too loose, it will fall apart when you cut it.
- Slice the dragon roll carefully: When you are slicing the dragon roll, use a sharp knife and make sure you cut it evenly. This will help you get nice, clean slices.
Conclusion:
The dragon roll is a delicious and impressive dish that is perfect for a special occasion. With a little planning and effort, you can make this dish at home. Just be sure to follow the tips above and you will be sure to succeed.
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