Unagi Hitsumabushi 櫃まぶし
With Unagi Kabayaki from Japanese supermarkets, you don’t need to visit a restaurant to enjoy this Nagoya specialty. This recipe brings the authentic taste of Hitsumabushi to your home table — simple, comforting, and absolutely delicious.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 200 gm Unagi Kabayaki grilled eel with sauce
- 5 cm Leek white part, finely sliced
- Fresh wasabi preferred, but tube wasabi works perfectly if not available
- 1 pack Quality dashi pack
- 500 ml Water
- Sansho powder 山椒
- Unagi Sauce
- Nori strips
- Steamed Japanese short-grain rice
Instructions
- Defrost the Unagi Kabayaki if frozen. If you bought it thawed, you can skip this step.
- Place the unagi on parchment paper and grill in a toaster oven at 200 °C for about 10 minutes to warm through and slightly crisp the surface. Once heated, cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
- In a small pot, bring 500ml water to a boil. Add the dashi pack and simmer for 3–5 minutes. Pour the hot dashi into a teapot for easy serving.
- In a deep dish, place a serving of steamed rice (Japanese short-grain rice works best). Drizzle with unagi sauce and top with the grilled unagi.
How to eat it
- Divide your Unagi rice into four portion
- Portion 1: Simply enjoy the unagi rice as it is, with a light sprinkle of sansho powder.
- Portion 2: Add toppings like sweet leeks, fresh wasabi, and shredded nori for extra aroma and texture.
- Portion 3: (Ochazuke-style): Pour hot dashi over the unagi rice, then add leeks, wasabi, and nori. This is my personal favourite!
- Portion 4: Repeat your favourite style!