Unagi Don Recipe

Rating 5.0
| 1
Unagi don, also known as unagi donburi, is a broiled sweet and savory freshwater Japanese eel on a bed of steamed rice and nori. Topped with a homemade unagi sauce, it’s a comforting and satisfying meal bursting with umami flavors.
Utensils Dinner
Globe Japanese
23
ingredients
9
steps
65
minutes
Chef Timothy is living his childhood dream as a personal chef and culinary instructor in Nashville. With past experience that includes teaching cooking classes for kids and working as a private chef, Chef Timothy is an engaging teacher for all ages and skill levels. He loves to cook international cuisine as well as classic southern fare, and his goal is to bring the life-giving joy of wonderful food to every guest.

Ingredients

Servings:
2
6 tsp
aji mirin
6 tsp
soy sauce
3 tbsp
granulated sugar
1 tbsp
dark brown sugar
2 tbsp
cooking sake
1 tsp
onion powder
1/4 tsp
powdered ginger
1/4 tsp
honey
1/4 tsp
sesame oil
1/8 tsp
nanami togarashi
1
batch of unagi sauce, see above
1 3/4 cup(s)
sushi rice, see notes 1
2 cup(s)
water
1 1/2 tbsp
rice wine vinegar
oil, for brushing
16 oz
frozen unagi, thawed
1
sheet of toasted nori, sliced
2 tbsp
unagi sauce
1/2 tsp
sesame seeds
1/2 tsp
nanami or shichimi togarashi
1/4 tsp
sansho pepper
1 tsp
finely sliced scallion
1 tbsp
rice wine vinegar

Directions 9 steps | 65 Minutes

Step 1

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.

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Step 2

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.

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Step 3

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.  

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Step 4

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. 

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Step 5

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.

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Step 6

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. 

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Step 7

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

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Step 8

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

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Step 9

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.)

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Notes:

  1. Use a high-quality sushi rice, such as Nishiki.
  2. To multitask effectively, prepare the garnishes, get the mixing bowl ready for the sauce, then rinse and soak the rice. Preheat the oven to broil and prepare the baking sheet and pre-lubricate the wire rack. Then as everything is cooking, just use your judgment on what to cook simultaneously.

Nutrition Per Serving
View All
CALORIES
878
FAT
9.3 g
PROTEIN
14.2 g
CARBS
173.5 g

FOOD FOR THOUGHT?

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1 Comments
1 Comments
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Christina P.

Christina

26 Sep 2022

This Unagi Don Recipe is a must try. Taste amazingly good, bursting with flavors. Easy to recreate with its video and step by step instructions.

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