Unagi Don (Broiled Eel Rice Bowl)

Name: Unagi Don (Broiled Eel Rice Bowl)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 32 min
Total time: 52 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 2 cups (400 g) Japanese short-grain (sushi) rice, rinsed until water runs nearly clear; 2 cups (480 ml) cold water, for cooking, plus extra for rinsing; 14 oz (400 g) pre-cooked kabayaki-style eel fillets, about 2 large fillets, thawed, patted dry, and cut crosswise into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces; ¼ cup (60 ml) Japanese soy sauce; ¼ cup (60 ml) mirin; ¼ cup (60 ml) sake; 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar; 1 tsp (2 g) ground sansho pepper, for sprinkling, or to taste; ¾ cup (100 g) Japanese pickles (such as takuan, or pickled cucumber), thinly sliced; 2 whole (30 g) scallion, green parts only, thinly sliced (optional); 1 sheet (3 g) nori sheet, cut into thin shreds with scissors (optional)

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

Fluffy short-grain rice topped with glossy, caramelized broiled eel, a quick homemade sweet-savory tare, crisp pickles, and a tingle of sansho pepper. It's a restaurant-style bowl you can make at home in about an hour and a half using ready-cooked eel.

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 32 min
Wait: 40 min
Total: 1 hr 32 min
Makes: 4 rice bowls

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Ingredients

4 servings

For the rice
2 cups (400 g) Japanese short-grain (sushi) rice, rinsed until water runs nearly clear
2 cups (480 ml) cold water, for cooking, plus extra for rinsing
For the eel
14 oz (400 g) pre-cooked kabayaki-style eel fillets, about 2 large fillets, thawed, patted dry, and cut crosswise into 2-inch (5 cm) pieces
For the tare sauce
¼ cup (60 ml) Japanese soy sauce
¼ cup (60 ml) mirin
¼ cup (60 ml) sake
2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar
To serve
1 tsp (2 g) ground sansho pepper, for sprinkling, or to taste
¾ cup (100 g) Japanese pickles (such as takuan, or pickled cucumber), thinly sliced
2 whole (30 g) scallion, green parts only, thinly sliced (optional)
1 sheet (3 g) nori sheet, cut into thin shreds with scissors (optional)

Equipment (8)

Medium saucepan with tight-fitting lid, 3-quart (3 L), for the rice (or a rice cooker)
Fine-mesh sieve or colander
Small saucepan, 1-quart (1 L), for the tare
Rimmed baking sheet, 13×18-inch (33×46 cm), lined with foil
Small wire rack that fits inside the baking sheet (optional but helpful)
Pastry brush
Sharp knife and cutting board
Instant-read thermometer

Steps

Before you start

Thaw frozen eel fillets overnight in the refrigerator (still in their package). Do not thaw at room temperature.
This recipe uses pre-cooked, kabayaki-style eel (the vacuum-packed, grilled-and-glazed kind sold frozen at Japanese and Asian grocers). It only needs reheating and glazing, not cooking from raw.
Rice needs a 30-minute soak, so start it first. The tare and eel prep fit into the rice's cooking and resting time.
Position an oven rack 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) below the broiler element, and make sure nothing is stored in the oven.

1
Rinse and soak rice
- Put the rice in a large bowl and cover with cold water.
- Swirl with your hand, then pour off the cloudy water through a fine-mesh sieve.
- Repeat 4–5 times, until the water is only faintly cloudy.
- Drain well, then transfer the rice to a 3-quart (3 L) saucepan with 2 cups (480 ml) fresh cold water.
- Let it soak for 30 minutes.
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Ready when: Grains look opaque white and the water is only slightly cloudy after rinsing
Tip: Don't skip the soak. Unsoaked rice cooks up uneven, with firm centers.
2
Cook the rice
- Set the covered saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil, about 3 minutes (you'll see steam escaping and hear bubbling).
- Reduce the heat to low and cook, still covered, for 12 minutes without lifting the lid.
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Ready when: Water is fully absorbed and small steam holes have formed on the surface of the rice
Tip: Lifting the lid lets out steam and can leave the rice undercooked. If using a rice cooker, cook with the same rice and water.
3
Rest and fluff rice
- Turn off the heat and leave the pan covered and undisturbed for 10 minutes.
- Then gently fluff the rice with a wet rice paddle or spoon, using a cutting and folding motion.
- Re-cover and keep warm.
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Ready when: Rice is tender, sticky, and glossy, with no hard center when a grain is bitten
Tip: Fluff gently so the grains don't mash into a paste.
4
Simmer the tare
- While the rice rests, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a 1-quart (1 L) saucepan.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Simmer for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about ½ cup (120 ml).
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Ready when: Sauce is glossy and lightly coats the back of a spoon; it will thicken further as it cools
Tip: Watch closely near the end. Over-reduced sugary sauce turns sticky and burns quickly. If it gets too thick, stir in 1 tablespoon of water.
5
Prep eel and toppings
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set the wire rack on top, if using.
- Pat the eel pieces dry with paper towels and arrange them skin-side down, 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.
- Thinly slice the pickles and scallion greens, and shred the nori, if using.
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Ready when: Eel pieces are dry on the surface and evenly spaced
Tip: Drying the eel helps the glaze cling and caramelize instead of steaming.
6
Preheat the broilerOven 500°F / 260°C
- Set the oven rack 4–6 inches (10–15 cm) from the broiler element.
- Turn the broiler to high (about 500°F / 260°C) and let it preheat for 5 minutes.
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Ready when: Element glows bright orange-red
Tip: Broilers vary a lot. Stay near the oven while the eel cooks.
7
Broil and glaze eelOven 500°F / 260°C
- Brush the top (flesh side) of each eel piece generously with tare.
- Broil for 3 minutes.
- Remove the pan, brush with more tare, and broil for 2–3 minutes more, until the glaze bubbles and the edges show small dark caramelized spots.
- Check the eel with an instant-read thermometer: it should reach 165°F (74°C).
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Ready when: Glaze is bubbling with lightly charred spots, and the eel reads 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part
Tip: Reserve about 3 tablespoons of tare for drizzling over the rice. Don't dip a brush that touched eel back into it. Pull the pan if the glaze starts to blacken.
8
Assemble the bowls
- Divide the warm rice among 4 wide bowls, about 1¼ cups (200 g) each.
- Drizzle each with a spoonful of the reserved tare (about 2 teaspoons), then lay the eel pieces over the rice, slightly overlapping.
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Ready when: Rice is evenly coated with glossy sauce and covered with eel
Tip: Serve right away so the eel stays warm and the glaze stays glossy.
9
Garnish and serve
- Sprinkle each bowl with about ¼ teaspoon sansho, then add scallion and nori, if using.
- Serve the pickles alongside or tucked at one side of the bowl.
- Pass extra sansho and any remaining tare at the table.
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Ready when: Bowls look glossy and are fragrant with citrusy sansho
Tip: Sansho is mildly numbing and strongly aromatic. Start light and add more to taste.

Good to know

Tips

Rinse the rice well. Surface starch makes the cooked rice gummy rather than separate and fluffy.
Always brush the tare on only the flesh side and keep the eel skin-side down; the skin protects the fish from drying and the glaze caramelizes where it counts.
Sugary glazes burn fast under the broiler. Glaze in two coats rather than one thick coat, and never walk away.
Check the ingredients on your eel package. Some come with their own sauce packet; if so, use it to supplement the homemade tare or skip some of the reduction.

Make ahead

The tare keeps in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks; warm it gently before brushing. Rice can be cooked up to 1 day ahead, refrigerated, and microwaved with a splash of water until steaming.

Storage & reheating

Best eaten immediately. Store leftover eel and rice separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat the eel in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 6–8 minutes until it reaches 165°F (74°C), and microwave the rice with a splash of water until steaming. Rice and cooked eel can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Don't leave cooked eel at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Substitutions

sake → Additional mirin plus 1 tablespoon water, or dry sherry. Use ¼ cup (60 ml) total. The tare will be a little sweeter.
ground sansho pepper → A pinch of finely grated lemon zest with a tiny pinch of black pepper. Doesn't replicate the numbing tingle, but gives a similar citrusy lift.
pre-cooked kabayaki-style eel fillets → Roasted or broiled salmon fillet or grilled mackerel. Use raw fillets cooked to 145°F (63°C), and glaze in the final 2 minutes of broiling.
Japanese pickles (such as takuan, or pickled cucumber) → Quick-pickled cucumber or pickled ginger (gari). Use about the same quantity. Rinse extra-salty pickles briefly before serving.