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 eels (1 fillet is approx 150g); 2 tbsp sake; 2 portions cooked Japanese short-grain rice; Japanese sansho pepper (optional)

Instructions

Prep:20minCook:30min

Unagidon is a luxurious dish made with grilled eel coated in a special sweet and sticky sauce served on rice. It's typically enjoyed as a summer treat and here I will teach you how to prepare and cook eel, as well as make the delicious unagi sauce from scratch!

Updated at: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 00:01:40 GMT