The CHEAPEST Unagi Don you can whip up at home!
no seriously. we really outdid ourselves with this one.
Splurging a week's worth of savings on a bowl of unagi don? In this economy??? We say NO. As the saying goes – if you want something done, you gotta do it yourself.
And do it ourselves we did 🥵
Okay la it’s up to you whether you wanna butcher and prepare your own live eels but you CAN get them fresh (you can get LIVE eels at the basement of Chinatown Complex) and have the butcher prepare it for you. Have this mouthwatering Japanese delicacy served with a rich soy-marinate over pearly white rice. Enjoy!
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Unagi Don (from scratch)
1 x 300-400g freshwater eel
3 tbsp light soy sauce / shoyu
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp mirin / 1 tbsp white sugar
½ tsp instant dashi powder
2 + 1 pcs sliced ginger
1 tsp salt
Water, as needed
To serve:
1 cup cooked short grain rice
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Sprinkle of shredded roasted seaweed (nori sheets)
1 stalk spring onion, sliced
Directions:
Clean the eel well and cut into boneless fillets of 3 inches in length.
In a pot, bring 2 cups of water to a gentle simmer. Add salt and 2 pcs sliced ginger and cook for 5 minutes. Gently place eel fillets and poach lightly for 3 minutes, making sure the water does not boil. Set eel aside.
Combine soy sauce, vinegar, mirin, dashi powder and 1 piece ginger in a saucepan. Add in ½ cup of water and reduce until it forms a thick syrupy glaze.
Brush both sides of the fillets with the unagi glaze and place on a flaming hot grill for 1 minute per side. Alternatively, blow torch until well-charred.
Brush another layer of glaze before arranging on top of a bowl of rice. Drizzle on the remaining glaze and garnish with sesame seeds, nori and spring onion.