Unagi Don Recipe

Prepare the unagi sauce. In a mixing bowl, combine the aji mirin, soy sauce, granulated sugar, dark brown sugar, cooking sake, onion powder, powdered ginger, honey, sesame oil and nanami togarashi. Whisk until well combined.

Pour the sauce into a small saucepan. Let the unagi sauce come to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened and smooth. Set aside to cool.

Prepare the sushi rice. Using a fine-meshed colander or your hand, rinse off the starch of the rice four to five times until the water runs clear.  

Place the rinsed rice in a pot. Add the water and the rice wine vinegar. Use a pastry brush to brush oil around the inside of the pan. Let the rice soak for 15 minutes. 

After soaking, place the pot on the stove and heat the pot to high. Cook for 10 minutes on high heat and decrease the heat to low and cook for another 15 minutes. Leave covered and let cool.

Prepare the unagi. Turn the oven to broil. Prepare a baking sheet topped with a wire rack brushed with oil or cooking spray. Place the unagi on the wire rack and broil for 5-10 minutes, until heated through and checking for doneness every 4 minutes. Remove the unagi from the oven and transfer it to a cutting board. Slice the unagi into four pieces. 

Assemble the unagi don. Scoop the prepared sushi rice into a bowl and top with the sliced toasted nori. 

Top the nori with pieces of the broiled unagi and brush the unagi sauce over the unagi. 

Garnish the unagi with sesame seeds, nanami or shichimi togarashi, sansho pepper and scallion. Repeat with a second bowl of rice. Itadakimasu! (See notes 2.)