5 from 2 votes
Hitsumabushi (Nagoya Style Grilled Eel)
A versatile and tasty recipe that’s quick to prepare and easy to enjoy.
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings:
2
servings
Course:
Main Course, Lunch, Dinner
Cuisine:
Japanese
Ingredients
Unagi Sauce
- 3 tbsp turbinado sugar light brown with coarse texture
- 1 tsp dark brown sugar muscovado
- 5 tbsp sake
- 5 tbsp mirin
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
Unagi
- 300 g Eel filleted
- 2 tbsp sake
- 300 g Japanese short-grain rice cooked
- 1 pinch Japanese pepper optional, ground, aka sansho
Extra condiments / toppings for hitsumabushi
- ½ tbsp unagi sauce to mix with rice
- 300 ml dashi stock for ochazuke
- 2 g green tea for ochazuke, bag
- 2 tsp soy sauce for ochazuke
- 1 tbsp green onion finely chopped
- 1 tbsp nori seaweed kizami nori, shredded, sushi, kizami nori
- 1 tsp wasabi paste
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds
Instructions
Unagi Sauce
- Add 3 tbsp turbinado sugar and 1 tsp dark brown sugar to a sauce pan. Place the pan on the stove and turn on the heat to medium-high.
- Once the sugar starts to melt, add 5 tbsp sake and 5 tbsp mirin. Bring to boil and allow to bubble for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add 5 tbsp soy sauce and lower the heat to a simmer.
- Simmer until thickened slightly (about 10 minutes). Stir occasionally to prevent the sugar from burning. Remove the scum/foam that forms on top.Remove from the heat and allow to cool while preparing the eel.
Cup of Yum
Unagi don
- Wash 300 g filleted eels with cold running water. Cover a chopping board with plastic wrap and place the eel on top. Cut each eel into 2-3 pieces by pressing a sharp knife into the area you want to cut and pushing the eel back and forth over the plastic wrap.
- Place the eel in a frying pan with the skin side down and add 2 tbsp sake.
- Turn on the heat to medium-low and steam for 3 minutes with the lid on. Remove it from the heat and line the grill with foil. Preheat the grill on medium-high for 5 minutes.
- Place the eel on the foil with the skin side down and grill for 6 minutes.
- Turn the eel over and grill the skin side for 5 minutes or until lightly charred.
- Apply the sauce generously but evenly over the skin and place back under the grill for 30 seconds.
- Turn the eel over and apply the sauce on the meat side and grill for 30 seconds. Repeat 2 more times on each side (6 times in total).
- Cut the grilled eel into strips.
- Mix some of the left over unagi sauce with the rice. (Approx 1/2 tbsp per 2 portions of rice.)
- Divide the rice into wooden bowls and top with the grilled eel. Brush liberally with more unagi sauce.
How to enjoy hitsumabushi (3 ways)
- Brew 2 g green tea bag in 300 ml dashi stock (approx 80 °C (176 °F)) and add 2 tsp soy sauce. Brew for 2-4 minutes then remove the teabag. Serve in a teapot or jug placed on the table.
- Divide the eel and 300 g cooked Japanese short-grain rice into quarters using a rice paddle.
- Take out the first quarter and place it in an individual rice bowl. Eat as it is. (Optional - Sprinkle with 1 pinch ground Japanese pepper (sansho) to taste.)
- Place the second quarter into the same bowl and add toppings such as 1 tbsp finely chopped green onions, 1 tbsp shredded sushi nori seaweed "kizami nori" or 1 tsp wasabi paste.
- For the third quarter, add it to the bowl and then pour the dashi tea over the top. (This is also good with wasabi and additional toppings such as 1 tsp white sesame seeds.)
- Enjoy the final quarter using your favourite from the 3 above.
- Enjoy!