Eggplant Unagi Donburi
Eggplant Unagi Donburi blends tender, browned pieces of Japanese or Chinese eggplant with savory freshwater eel (unagi) cooked in a skillet with sake, water, and eel sauce. This Japanese rice bowl dish features a glossy, umami-rich sauce that coats the soft eggplant and eel chunks. The recipe includes soaking the eggplant to reduce bitterness, then browning it before quickly steaming the eel in the pan. Served over steamed Japanese short-grain rice, optionally garnished with shiso leaves and Japanese seven spice, it offers a satisfying combination of textures and traditional flavors.
Ingredients
- 1 Japanese eggplant 5 oz, 142 g, or Chinese eggplant
- 1 fillet freshwater eel unagi, fillet
- 1½ Tbsp neutral oil
- 2 Tbsp water
- 2 Tbsp sake (substitute with dry sherry, Chinese rice wine, or water)
- 3 Tbsp eel sauce add more, if you‘d like, unagi
To Serve
- 2 ervings Japanese short-grain rice typically 1⅔ cups (250 g) per donburi serving, cooked
- 5 shiso leaves optional; if you can get them locally, don‘t skip them, aka perilla, ooba
- Japanese seven spice optional, aka shichimi togarashi
- sansho pepper optional, Japanese
Instructions
- Before You Start: Gather all the ingredients. For the steamed rice, please note that 1½ cups (300 g, 2 rice cooker cups) of uncooked Japanese short-grain rice yield 4⅓ cups (660 g) of cooked rice, enough for 2 donburi servings (3⅓ cups, 500 g). See how to cook short-grain rice with a rice cooker, pot over the stove, Instant Pot, or donabe.
- Cut 1 Japanese or Chinese eggplant into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces widthwise.
- Then, cut each piece in half lengthwise. Finally cut the halves into 2–3 sticks. Soak in water to remove the bitterness.
- Roll up 5 shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) and cut them into chiffonade strips.
- Cut 1 fillet unagi (freshwater eel) fillet into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces.
- In a nonstick frying pan, heat 1½ Tbsp neutral oil on medium high and add the eggplant.
- Cook the eggplant pieces until they turn brown.
- Add the unagi to the pan. Then, add 2 Tbsp water and 2 Tbsp sake.
- Immediately cover with a lid and cook for 1 minute. Open the lid and let the remaining liquid evaporate.
- Add 3 Tbsp unagi (eel) sauce to the pan, pouring it directly onto the eggplant and unagi to coat.
- Using a spoon, coat the eggplant and unagi well with the sauce. Divide and add 2 servings cooked Japanese short-grain rice into individual donburi serving bowls and transfer the eggplant and unagi over the rice.
To Serve
- Garnish with the shiso leaves. If you‘d like to add a spicy kick, sprinkle with shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven spice) and Japanese sansho pepper. Serve immediately.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 2 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 470
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 470kcal | 24% |
| Carbohydrates | 42g | 14% |
| Protein | 30g | 60% |
| Fat | 23g | 35% |
| Saturated Fat | 11g | 55% |
| Cholesterol | 129mg | 43% |
| Sodium | 340mg | 14% |
| Potassium | 572mg | 12% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 11g | 22% |
| Vitamin A | 3573IU | 71% |
| Vitamin C | 4mg | 4% |
| Calcium | 42mg | 4% |
| Iron | 10mg | 56% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.