📝 About This Recipe
Experience the ultimate Japanese comfort food with Unadon, a soul-warming dish featuring succulent grilled eel basted in a rich, sweet-savory tare sauce. Originating from the Edo period, this delicacy is prized for its 'umami' depth and its reputation as a stamina-boosting meal during the hot summer months. Every bite offers a harmonious balance of flaky, caramelized seafood and fluffy, vinegared short-grain rice.
🥗 Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 large fillet Unagi (Prepared BBQ Eel) (usually found frozen and pre-marinated in Asian markets)
- 1.5 cups Japanese Short-Grain Rice (dry measure; use high-quality Koshihikari if possible)
- 1.75 cups Water (for cooking the rice)
- 2 tablespoons Sake (for steaming the eel to make it tender)
Homemade Unagi Tare Sauce
- 1/2 cup Soy Sauce (standard Japanese dark soy sauce)
- 1/2 cup Mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)
- 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 cup Sake (to add depth to the sauce)
For Garnish and Serving
- 1/2 teaspoon Sansho Pepper (Japanese citrusy ground pepper; essential for authenticity)
- 2 stalks Green Onions (very thinly sliced)
- 1 teaspoon Toasted White Sesame Seeds (optional for texture)
- 2 tablespoons Pickled Ginger (Gari) (as a palate cleanser on the side)
- 1 sheet Nori Seaweed (shredded into fine strips)
👨🍳 Instructions
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1
Rinse the Japanese short-grain rice in a bowl under cold running water, swirling with your hand, until the water runs clear. Drain thoroughly and let it sit in a sieve for 15 minutes.
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2
Transfer the rice to a rice cooker or heavy-bottomed pot. Add the 1.75 cups of water and cook according to manufacturer instructions. Once cooked, let the rice steam undisturbed for 10 minutes before fluffing.
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3
Prepare the Tare sauce by combining the soy sauce, mirin, 1/4 cup sake, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.
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4
Bring the sauce to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until it reduces by about one-third and becomes slightly syrupy. Set aside.
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5
Preheat your oven broiler to high and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly grease the foil with a neutral oil.
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6
Take the prepared unagi fillet and cut it in half crosswise so it fits into your serving bowls. If there is excess sauce from the package, gently wipe it off with a paper towel.
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7
Place the eel fillets on the baking sheet, skin-side down. Drizzle the 2 tablespoons of sake over the flesh; this helps rehydrate the eel and makes it incredibly tender.
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8
Broil the eel for 5-7 minutes. Watch closely to ensure the edges don't burn; you want the fat to start bubbling and the surface to turn golden.
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9
Remove the tray from the oven and generously brush the top of the eel with your homemade tare sauce. Return to the broiler for another 1-2 minutes until the sauce is caramelized and tacky.
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10
Prepare the serving bowls by filling them with a generous portion of hot, fluffy rice.
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11
Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of the tare sauce directly over the rice in each bowl, allowing it to seep into the grains.
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12
Carefully place the glazed eel fillets on top of the rice. If desired, brush one final layer of sauce over the eel for a glossy finish.
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13
Sprinkle with a pinch of sansho pepper, which provides a refreshing citrus note that cuts through the richness of the eel.
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14
Garnish with shredded nori, sliced green onions, and sesame seeds. Serve immediately while piping hot.
💡 Chef's Tips
Always use Japanese short-grain rice; long-grain varieties like Basmati won't hold the sauce or provide the correct chewy texture. Don't skip the Sansho pepper; it is the traditional pairing for unagi and its numbing, citrusy profile is unique. If your store-bought eel is very dry, steaming it for 5 minutes before broiling will make it restaurant-quality tender. Watch the broiler carefully as the sugar in the tare sauce can go from caramelized to burnt in seconds. Leftover tare sauce can be stored in the fridge for weeks and used as a marinade for salmon or chicken.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve with a side of clear dashi-based soup (Osuimono) to cleanse the palate. Pair with a chilled glass of dry Junmai Ginjo sake to complement the sweet glaze. A side of lightly pickled cucumbers (Sunomono) provides a crisp, acidic contrast. Offer a cup of hot roasted green tea (Hojicha) at the end of the meal. Serve with a small side of Chawanmushi (savory egg custard) for a complete Japanese feast.