Unadon

Ingredients

• •4 unagi (eel) fillets, fresh or frozen pre-grilled kabayaki-style, about 5 oz each
• •1/4 cup soy sauce
• •1/4 cup mirin
• •2 tbsp sake
• •2 tbsp sugar
• •4 cups cooked short-grain rice
• •Sansho pepper, for serving
• •Nori strips, for garnish (optional)

Steps

1. 1.If starting from raw eel, butterfly and debone it, then skewer it flat to keep it from curling during grilling; frozen pre-grilled kabayaki-style eel, widely available outside Japan, is the practical option for most home cooks and just needs thawing.
2. 2.Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer, and reduce for 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened into a glossy tare.
3. 3.If working with raw eel, grill it skin-side up first without any sauce until lightly charred, then flip - in the Kanto style, steam the eel for about 10 minutes at this point to render its fat and turn it soft before returning it to the grill.
4. 4.Brush the eel generously with the tare and grill for 1-2 minutes per side, repeating the baste-and-grill sequence 2-3 times until deeply glazed and caramelized at the edges.
5. 5.Slice the eel into portions and lay it over bowls of hot rice, drizzling any extra tare over the rice.
6. 6.Sprinkle with sansho pepper and a few strips of nori, and serve immediately.