A common sight at upscale Japanese restaurants and casual ramen joints alike, *unagi don*, a smoky-sweet grilled eel rice bowl, is classic comfort food.


Unagi Don Recipe: A Look Inside Unadon Preparation

*Unagi don*, also known as *unadon* or *unagi donburi*, is a Japanese rice bowl featuring grilled eel brushed with a [*tare* sauce](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tare-sauce-recipe), served atop freshly steamed rice. This grilled eel rice bowl dates back to the early nineteenth century, and was among the first *[donburi](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/donburi-rice-bowls-guide)* (rice bowls) to be invented. Nowadays, you can find pre-grilled *unagi* fillets at Asian markets and grocery stores. 

*Unaju* also refers to a similar dish of prepared eel served in a traditional *jubaku* lacquered box.

The freshwater eel used in *unagi don* is prepared according to a technique known as *kabayaki*, in which the fish is gutted, deboned, butterflied, and cut into neat rectangular fillets. The cleaned eel fillets are then skewered and dipped into a sweet sauce before grilling. Tokyo-style *kabayaki* calls for the fillets to be steamed before grilling, while Osaka-style does not.

When preparing *unagi* at home, applying an additional coating of soy sauce-based *unagi* sauce (*unagi no tare*) while warming the fillets in the oven leads to a crisp, caramelized surface.

A common sight at upscale Japanese restaurants and casual ramen joints alike, *unagi don*, a smoky-sweet grilled eel rice bowl, is classic comfort food.


Unagi don, also known as unadon or unagi donburi, is a Japanese rice bowl featuring grilled eel brushed with a <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tare-sauce-recipe' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tare-sauce-recipe","linkCopy":"\u003cem class=\"mc-text--italic\"\u003etare\u003c/em\u003e sauce","category":null}'>tare sauce</a>, served atop freshly steamed rice. This grilled eel rice bowl dates back to the early nineteenth century, and was among the first <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/donburi-rice-bowls-guide' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/donburi-rice-bowls-guide","linkCopy":"donburi","category":null}'>donburi</a> (rice bowls) to be invented. Nowadays, you can find pre-grilled unagi fillets at Asian markets and grocery stores. Unaju also refers to a similar dish of prepared eel served in a traditional jubaku lacquered box.

What Is Unagi Don?

The freshwater eel used in unagi don is prepared according to a technique known as kabayaki, in which the fish is gutted, deboned, butterflied, and cut into neat rectangular fillets. The cleaned eel fillets are then skewered and dipped into a sweet sauce before grilling. Tokyo-style kabayaki calls for the fillets to be steamed before grilling, while Osaka-style does not.When preparing unagi at home, applying an additional coating of soy sauce-based unagi sauce (unagi no tare) while warming the fillets in the oven leads to a crisp, caramelized surface.

How Unagi Is Prepared

Unagi Don Recipe 

A common sight at upscale Japanese restaurants and casual ramen joints alike, unagi don, a smoky-sweet grilled eel rice bowl, is classic comfort food.

A common sight at upscale Japanese restaurants and casual ramen joints alike, unagi don, a smoky-sweet grilled eel rice bowl, is classic comfort food.
