Hitsumabushi (Nagoya grilled eel rice)
ひつまぶし: sweet-glazed eel over rice, eaten three ways: plain, with condiments, then with hot dashi
Order hitsumabushi in a Nagoya eel restaurant and it arrives in a round wooden tub, often with a small card explaining how to eat it. You divide the rice into quarters: eat the first plain, the second with spring onion, wasabi and nori, the third drowned in hot dashi or green tea, and the last whichever way you liked best. Nagoya cooks grill the eel until the skin is crisp, then chop it into strips. At home, ready-grilled eel fillets (unagi kabayaki, sold frozen in Japanese shops) work very well once reheated properly. Chef's tip: spoon a little of the sweet sauce through the rice before the eel goes on, so every mouthful is seasoned, not just the top layer.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 2
Ingredients
For the rice
For the eel and sauce
For the dashi
Condiments
Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Rinse the 9 ½ oz Japanese short-grain rice until the water runs almost clear, then cook it with the 1 ½ cups water: bring to the boil, cover, cook on the lowest heat for 13 minutes and rest off the heat, still covered, for 10 minutes.
25 minStep 2: While the rice cooks, make the dashi: heat the 2 cups water with the ⅛ oz kombu (dried kelp) over a medium heat and remove the kombu just before it boils. Add the ⅓ oz dried bonito flakes (katsuobushi), turn off the heat, wait 2 minutes and strain. Season with the 1 tsp light soy sauce (usukuchi) and ¼ tsp salt and keep hot.
10 minStep 3: Make the sauce: simmer the 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp mirin and 1 ½ tbsp sugar in a small pan over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, until slightly syrupy. Mirin contains a little alcohol, most of which cooks off here; for an alcohol-free sauce use 3 tablespoons of water and 1 extra tablespoon of sugar instead.
4 minStep 4: Heat the grill to high (or the oven to 425°F). Line a tray with foil, lay the 2 ready-grilled eel fillets (unagi kabayaki) on it skin side down and brush with sauce.
2 minStep 5: Grill the eel about 10 cm from the heat for 4 to 5 minutes, brushing once more, until it sizzles, the edges crisp and it is piping hot right through. Common mistake: warming the eel in the microwave. The flesh steams and turns soft and rubbery instead of crisp at the edges.
5 minStep 6: Cut each fillet across into 1.5 cm strips.
Step 7: Spoon the hot rice into two bowls or small wooden tubs. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of sauce through each, mixing it lightly in, then lay the eel on top and spoon over a little more sauce. Sprinkle with 1 pinch sansho pepper, if using.
Step 8: Put the 3 spring onions, 1 tsp wasabi and 1 nori sheet in small dishes and the hot dashi in a jug. At the table, mark the rice into quarters with a spoon.
Step 9: Eat the first quarter as it is. Eat the second with spring onion, wasabi and nori. For the third, add condiments and pour hot dashi over to make a soupy rice. Finish the last quarter the way you liked best.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 760 kcal
- Protein
- 33 g
- Carbs
- 112 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does hitsumabushi (Nagoya grilled eel rice) take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 2 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of japanese short-grain rice?
- Any long-grain rice, same amount.
- What can I use instead of soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
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