Unadon (Unagi Don)

Method12 steps · about 35 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Have the defrosted, pre-grilled unagi fillets and hot cooked rice ready. The following steps reheat and glaze the eel. Use the sauce quantities listed for this batch and reserve any unused sauce.

   Uses 2 pre-grilled unagi (freshwater eel) fillets, defrosted, about 160 g (5.6 oz) each · Hot cooked rice, ready for serving

2. 2

   Step 2: To a small saucepan, add ¼ cup mirin, 1½ Tbsp sake, and 2½ Tbsp sugar.

   Uses ¼ cup mirin (or substitute 3 parts sake or water + 1 part sugar) · 1½ Tbsp sake (or substitute Chinese rice wine or water) · 2½ Tbsp sugar

   
3. 3

   Step 3: Set the saucepan on the stove over medium heat and whisk the mixture together. Then, add ¼ cup soy sauce and bring the mixture to a boil.

   Uses Mirin, sake and sugar mixture · ¼ cup soy sauce (use GF soy sauce for gluten free)

   
4. 4

   Step 4: Once boiling, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer; you should see small bubbles around the edge of the pan. Continue simmering until the liquid is reduced to roughly one-third of the original amount, about 10-15 minutes. Tip: To check how much the sauce has reduced, dip the tip of a wooden chopstick into the liquid to mark the original amount; then, insert the chopstick again later to compare the sauce level against the original mark.

   Simmer Unagi Sauce · 15 minUses Unagi sauce mixture

   
5. 5

   Step 5: Toward the end of cooking, the sauce will thicken and you will see more bubbles. Use the chopstick to confirm that the thickened sauce is one-third of the original amount. Then, remove it from the heat. As it cools, the sauce will thicken more. Tip: If you feel you've reduced it too much, add a bit of water to loosen up the sauce; you also can simmer it again a bit more to get the right consistency.

   Uses Reduced unagi sauce · Water, only if needed to loosen the sauce

   
6. 6

   Step 6: Cut each of the two pre-grilled unagi fillets in half for four rice bowls, or into pieces that fit two larger serving boxes.

   Uses 2 pre-grilled unagi (freshwater eel) fillets, defrosted, about 160 g (5.6 oz) each

   
7. 7

   Step 7: Preheat the broiler* on High (550ºF/288ºC) for 5 minutes with a rack placed about 8 inches (20 cm) away from the top heating element (in the center of the oven). *The broiler settings are Low (450ºF/232ºC), Medium (500ºF/260ºC), and High (550ºF/288ºC). I usually broil on High (8 inches away) or Medium (6 inches away). When broiling, you don't control the temperature in the oven; instead, you control the distance between the broiler and the surface of the food. It's similar to using hotter and cooler zones on your grill.

   Preheat broiler · 5 min

8. 8

   Step 8: Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly brush or spray it with oil. Place the prepared unagi pieces skin side down. Broil for about 5–7 minutes, until hot through and the surface is lightly blistered; watch closely and do not flip.

   Broil pre-grilled eel until hot and blistered · 6 minUses Portioned pre-grilled eel · Oil or cooking spray, as needed for the foil

   
9. 9

   Step 9: Open the oven and brush the sauce on top of the unagi. Then, broil again for 30-60 seconds until you see the sauce bubbling on top.

   Broil glaze until bubbling · 1 minUses Hot broiled eel · Prepared unagi glaze

   
10. 10

    Step 10: For four donburi bowls, divide the hot cooked rice among four bowls and brush or spoon a little prepared unagi sauce over the rice. For the alternative two larger boxes, use the arrangement in step 12 instead.

    Uses Hot cooked rice for four bowls, unless using step 12 · A little prepared unagi sauce

11. 11

    Step 11: For the four-bowl arrangement, place half an original eel fillet on each rice bowl. Brush with more prepared unagi sauce and sprinkle with optional ground Japanese sansho pepper (to taste). Serve immediately.

    Uses Four rice bowls brushed with sauce · Hot glazed eel divided among four bowls · Additional prepared sauce, to taste · Ground Japanese sansho pepper, to taste (optional)

    
12. 12

    Step 12: Alternatively, serve in two larger jubako-style boxes: divide the hot rice between the boxes and brush with a little prepared sauce. Place one original eel fillet, cut to fit with the pieces overlapping, over the rice in each box. Brush with more sauce and serve immediately; this replaces the four-bowl arrangement.

    Uses Hot cooked rice for two boxes instead of four bowls · Hot glazed eel, one original fillet per box · Prepared sauce, to taste