Unagi Don with Homemade Tare Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 fillets (about 300g total) fresh eel (unagi) fillets, butterflied
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/4 cup sake
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1.5 cups short-grain sushi rice
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sansho pepper(optional)
• 1 sheet nori strips(optional)
• 2 tablespoons green onions, thinly sliced(optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Rinse the sushi rice until the water runs clear, then cook it with 1.75 cups water (about 20 minutes). Meanwhile, combine soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half and syrupy, about 15 minutes. Set the tare aside.

2. 2

   Butterfly the eel fillets lengthwise if not already done, remove any pin bones, and score the flesh lightly in a crosshatch pattern. Steam the fillets over simmering water or in a steamer basket for 10 minutes until just cooked through.

3. 3

   Preheat a charcoal grill or broiler to high. Brush the steamed eel with tare sauce and grill skin-side down for 3-4 minutes until the skin crisps and blisters.

4. 4

   Flip the eel, brush generously with more tare, and glaze for another 3-4 minutes, repeating with additional coats of sauce until deeply lacquered and slightly charred at the edges.

5. 5

   Fold the rice vinegar into the hot cooked rice, mixing gently with a slicing motion. Divide the sushi rice between two bowls.

6. 6

   Slice the glazed eel into 1-inch pieces and arrange over the rice. Drizzle with remaining warmed tare, then garnish with sansho pepper, nori strips, and green onions. Serve immediately.