Dragon Rolls

1. Gather all the ingredients. To learn how to cook and season rice for sushi, please see my tutorial How to Make Sushi Rice.
2. Cut 1 Japanese or Persian cucumber lengthwise into quarters. Remove the seeds and then again cut in half lengthwise into thin strips. You will have 8 strips.
3. Cut 2 avocados in half lengthwise around the pit and twist the 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. 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.
4. Remove the skin and thinly slice the avocado halves crosswise.
5. 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 roll the sushi right away, squeeze ½ lemon over the avocado to prevent discoloration. Repeat the process with the other avocado halves.

To Roll the Sushi

1. Make the tezu (vinegared water) by combining ¼ cup water and 2 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned) in a small bowl. Next, line a bamboo mat with plastic wrap. Place a half nori sheet on top, shiny side down. Then, dip your hands in the tezu and spread ¾ cup (110 g) sushi rice on the nori sheet.
2. Flip over the nori sheet with the rice on it. Place 2 pieces shrimp tempura across the bottom edge of the nori sheet closest to you (leave the tails sticking out on either end). Then, add 2 cucumber strips and ½ Tbsp tobiko (flying fish roe).
3. Starting from the bottom end, roll 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.
4. Place the bamboo mat over the top and tightly squeeze the roll.
5. Remove the bamboo mat and plastic wrap from the sushi roll. Using the side of the knife, lift the avocado slices from a half avocado and place them on top of the roll. If you‘d like to add unagi (freshwater eel) fillet, alternate avocado and unagi slices and layer them to cover the top and sides of the roll.
6. 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.
7. Cut the Dragon 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.

To Serve

1. Put some tobiko on each piece of sushi and drizzle Homemade Spicy Mayo and sprinkle toasted black sesame seeds on top. If you‘d like, place some unagi (eel) sauce on the plate so you can dip the sushi. Enjoy!

To Store

1. For leftover sushi rolls, keep them in a cool place for 8 hours. To refrigerate them overnight, cover them with a thick kitchen towel, so the rice will stay cool but not become cold. If you have leftover sushi rice, I recommend storing it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month. You can defrost it overnight in the fridge, and then microwave to room temperature (not hot). Rice gets hard and dry in the refrigerator, but if you really want to refrigerate it, cover the container with a thick kitchen towel so the rice will stay cool but not become cold.