Unagi Hitsumabushi – Grilled Eel Rice Bowl

Today has been a very stressful day for me. Chef Satō promised to teach me two very important lessons. The first would be how to sharpen knives “without destroying half the kitchen” (for someone over 70, he still has quite a sharp sense of humor). The second would be preparing a dish that means a great deal to him. I could understand the cooking lesson, but I honestly thought that Japanese kitchen knives didn’t need to be sharpened that often…

As it turned out, the knife sharpener was easier to use than I had imagined. All the kitchen knives survived the day — and I didn’t destroy anything. I was deeply moved while learning to cook Unagi Hitsumabushi. At first glance, it’s just a grilled rice bowl, but the story Chef Satō shared about it touched me deeply. This dish comes from Nagoya, his hometown, which was heavily damaged after the war. During the city’s reconstruction, Chef Satō’s mother used to make this meal for the whole family. The dish must be served in a specific way — divided into four parts.
The first portion is eaten as it is.
The second with nori, chopped green onion, and seasonings.
The third with a generous amount of broth, making it more like a soup.
And the fourth — in whichever way you like best.
It’s fascinating how such a simple dish can hold so many secrets!

To prepare Unagi Hitsumabushi – Grilled Eel Rice Bowl, you’ll need:

• 160 g freshly steamed rice

• 1 grilled unagi eel fillet

• a pinch of Japanese sansho pepper (powdered)

• nori seaweed

• chopped green onion

• wasabi paste

• dashi broth

Unagi sauce:

• 2 tbsp mirin

• 1 tbsp sake

• 2 tbsp soy sauce

• 1 tbsp honey

Preparation:

Start by making the unagi sauce: add all ingredients to a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until well combined and thickened.

Grab your professional kitchen knife, ideally the SKS-105 from the Ultimate Series, to finely chop the nori and green onion.

Cut the unagi fillet into thin strips.

For the first portion, place a serving of rice in a bowl, drizzle with unagi sauce, top with unagi strips, and sprinkle with sansho pepper and nori.

For the second portion, add rice, top with unagi, and season with green onion, nori, and a touch of wasabi.

For the third portion, add rice and pour over hot dashi broth, then sprinkle all the condiments.

Season the fourth portion however you like best.