How to Make a Dragon Roll — Tokyo-Trained Sushi Master Hiroshi Tanaka's Step-by-Step Masterclass

Overview

This video provides a masterclass on how to make a Dragon Roll, a popular Japanese-American fusion sushi. A Tokyo-trained sushi master shares detailed techniques, historical context, and precise ingredient measurements for creating this iconic inside-out roll from start to finish.

Ingredients

• 180 gram cooked Koshihikari sushi rice, seasoned with 30 milliliter rice vinegar, 12 gram sugar, 6 gram salt
• 1 full sheet nori, 19 by 21 centimeter
• 80 gram broiled unagi fillet, sliced 1 centimeter stick
• 40 gram Japanese cucumber, sliced 1 centimeter stick
• 1 just-ripe Hass avocado, peeled, halved, pitted, sliced 2 millimeter thin on bias (approx. 24 slices)
• Unagi Tare: 60 milliliter mirin, 60 milliliter Japanese soy sauce, 30 gram sugar
• 1 teaspoon toasted black and white sesame seeds, mixed
• 1 teaspoon orange tobiko or masago flying-fish roe
• Fresh wasabi paste (or green tube)
• Pink pickled ginger gari
• Tezu (hand-water): 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Instructions

1. Cook Koshihikari rice in a one-to-one ratio with water.
2. While rice is warm, season with 30 milliliters rice vinegar, 12 grams sugar, and 6 grams salt; fan to body temperature.
3. Prepare unagi tare: Combine 60 milliliters mirin, 60 milliliters Japanese soy sauce, and 30 grams sugar in a small saucepan. Simmer uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until glossy and syrupy (approx. 90 milliliters total). Let cool.
4. Slice 80 grams broiled unagi fillet into 1 centimeter sticks.
5. Slice 40 grams Japanese cucumber into 1 centimeter sticks.
6. Peel, halve, remove pit, and slice one just-ripe Hass avocado 2 millimeters thin on the bias to yield approximately 24 overlapping slices.
7. Wrap a bamboo makisu rolling mat completely in plastic wrap.
8. Place one full nori sheet, glossy-side down, on the wrapped mat.
9. Wet fingertips in tezu (hand-water).
10. Spread 180 grams seasoned rice evenly over the entire nori, leaving no border; press gently.
11. Sprinkle mixed black and white sesame seeds on top of the rice.
12. Flip the entire sheet so rice faces down on the mat and nori faces up.
13. Place unagi sticks and cucumber sticks along the center of the nori, about one-third from the bottom edge.
14. Lift the bottom edge of the mat, fold over filling, tuck tightly with fingertips, then continue rolling away, applying gentle pressure. End with the seam down.
15. Lay the 24 bias-sliced avocado slices in a single overlapping row on a cutting board, fanned out to be slightly longer than the roll.
16. Slide a wide flat spatula or knife side under the entire avocado row, lift as one sheet, and drape over the roll, pressing gently.
17. Place the bamboo mat back over the avocado-draped roll and press gently along its length to seat the slices into the rice.
18. Dip a sharp knife blade in tezu, slice the roll into eight equal pieces, wiping the blade clean between each cut.
19. Arrange the eight pieces in a curving line on a long black slate plate or wooden board.
20. Drizzle the cooled unagi tare generously across all eight pieces.
21. Sprinkle remaining sesame seeds.
22. Place a tiny dab of orange tobiko on the head piece for the dragon's eye, and two tiny scallion slivers for whiskers.
23. Serve beside the roll with a small mound of pink pickled ginger gari and a small dab of fresh wasabi.

In this video

• The Dragon Roll is an uramaki, an inside-out roll where rice is on the outside and nori is inside, a technique developed for American customers.
• Japanese chefs in California invented the inside-out roll in the 1980s to hide the black seaweed wrapper that American customers initially disliked.
• The Dragon Roll is a Japanese-American invention, evolving from the California Roll tradition in Los Angeles in the late 1980s.
• For the best sushi rice, use 180 grams of Koshihikari Japanese short-grain rice cooked in a one-to-one ratio with water.
• Season warm sushi rice with 30 milliliters rice vinegar, 12 grams sugar, and 6 grams salt, then fan it to body temperature.
• A homemade unagi tare (sweet eel sauce) is made by combining 60 milliliters mirin, 60 milliliters Japanese soy sauce, and 30 grams sugar, reduced for 8 minutes.
• To prevent rice from sticking during rolling, the bamboo makisu rolling mat must be wrapped entirely in plastic wrap.
• When spreading rice, use 180 grams evenly over the entire nori sheet, leaving no border, and press gently without mashing.
• To create the dragon's scales, arrange 24 paper-thin, bias-sliced avocado pieces in an overlapping, fanned-out row on a cutting board before draping them over the roll.
• A sharp knife dipped in tezu (hand-water) is essential for slicing the roll into eight equal pieces, with the blade wiped clean between each cut.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Dragon Roll?

The Dragon Roll is an inside-out sushi roll featuring broiled eel and cucumber inside, beautifully draped with thin avocado slices on top. It is a cherished Japanese-American fusion invention originating from Los Angeles.

Where did the Dragon Roll originate?

The Dragon Roll is a California cuisine invention, evolving from the California Roll tradition in the late 1980s at various Los Angeles sushi bars. Most food historians credit Katsuya Uechi at Sushi Katsu-ya in Studio City as an early popularizer.

What are the key ingredients in a Dragon Roll?

Key ingredients for one roll include 180 grams of seasoned Koshihikari sushi rice, one nori sheet, 80 grams broiled unagi fillet, 40 grams Japanese cucumber, and one just-ripe Hass avocado for the decorative 'scales'.

How do you make the unagi tare (eel sauce) for a Dragon Roll?

To prepare homemade unagi tare, combine 60 milliliters mirin, 60 milliliters Japanese soy sauce, and 30 grams sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and reduce uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes glossy and syrupy, yielding about 90 milliliters.

Why is the Dragon Roll an 'inside-out' sushi roll?

The 'inside-out' (uramaki) technique, with rice on the outside and nori on the inside, was developed by Japanese chefs in California in the 1980s. This innovation was a clever way to hide the black seaweed wrapper, which some American customers initially found unappealing.