Unadon (Unagi Don)
Unagi Don
Japan's prized freshwater eel (unagi) lacquered in a sweet-savoury kabayaki glaze — soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar reduced to a thick, glossy sauce — then grilled over charcoal and served over a bowl of steamed Japanese rice with pickled ginger and a sprinkling of sansho pepper.
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 2
- Level
- Medium
Prep 20 min · Cook 30 min
Ingredients
Method
Tare: combine soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a small saucepan. Simmer 5–8 minutes until slightly syrupy and thick enough to coat a spoon.
About 5 min
Heat a grill or griddle to medium-high. Brush the unagi fillets with tare. Grill 3–4 minutes on each side, brushing with more tare each time you flip, until caramelised, glossy and heated through. The skin side should be slightly crispy.
About 11 min
Divide warm rice between two lacquer bowls, mounding it generously.
About 11 min
Brush the rice surface with a little tare.
About 11 min
Lay the lacquered unagi fillet over the rice, skin side down. Drizzle generously with more tare glaze.
About 11 min
Sprinkle sansho pepper over the eel. Add pickled ginger on the side. Eat immediately — the combination of sticky sweet-savoury eel, warm rice and the aromatic sansho pepper is the point.
About 3 min
Nutrition per serving (estimate)
- Calories
- 580
- Protein
- 28 g
- Carbs
- 72 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
- Sugar
- 14 g
- Sodium
- 1200 mg
Contains: gluten, soy
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Recipe by Boon Tools.