Unagi Donburi (Japanese Grilled Eel Rice Bowl)

Name: Unagi Donburi (Japanese Grilled Eel Rice Bowl)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 3 tbsp turbinado sugar (coarse light brown (zarame)); 1 tsp dark brown sugar (muscovado or similar); 5 tbsp sake; 5 tbsp mirin; 5 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu); 300 g filleted freshwater eels (buy gutted and boned, conger eel or catfish stand in if eel is out of reach); 2 tbsp sake; 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice (or Korean short-grain/Calrose); Japanese sansho pepper (optional but recommended)

Instructions

Prep:20minCook:30min

Here is everything you need to know to make restaurant-worthy Unagi Don at home, from preparing and cooking fresh eel, to how to make the most irresistible sweet and sticky homemade unagi sauce!

Updated at: Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:05:43 GMT