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Unagi Don
Unagi Don
Unagi is a Japanese freshwater eel that is quite popular in American sushi restaurants. That is where I tried it for the first time. But in Japan, unagi is a luxurious fish and is considered a delicacy. Instead of eating a tiny piece in sushi, unagi is roasted whole and eaten on top of steamed rice. Unagi has a rich flavor with very soft delicate flesh. It might sound weird to eat an eel, but once you give it a chance you’ll realize how “normal” tasting it is. Almost all unagi is farm raised. It is extremely rare to ever see fresh unagi in a grocery store. Pretty much all unagi comes precooked in a vacuum sealed package. It takes a lot of skill to properly fillet, debone, and cook an eel. Let the experts do it. So all you have to do is heat it up on a baking pan. And that only takes 8 minutes. While the unagi is baking, you can whip up the sauce that goes with it in the same amount of time it takes to cook the unagi. The sauce adds a sweet and saltiness that compliments the unagi. Once the unagi is finished, cut it in half and put over steamed rice. Drizzle with the sauce.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 unagi fillet
- 1/2 tbsp sake
- 3 cups steamed rice
Sauce
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/6 cup mirin
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp sake
Instructions
- Simmer the sauce ingredients over medium heat for 8 minutes until thickened. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the unagi fillet on a baking pan lined in foil. Drizzle 1/2 tbsp of sake over the unagi.
- Bake the eel for 8 minutes.
- Place 1 1/2 cups of steamed rice in a bowl. Spoon over 1 tbsp of the sauce.
Saba Misoni
Saba Misoni
Mackerel is a staple fish in Japanese cuisine. They are inexpensive, nutrient dense, and are quite tasty. You can find mackerel fillets at any Asian market. I purchased mine at a small Korean market that is less than 2 blocks away from me. They came in a box of 6 individually quick frozen fillets for only $10.Saba misoni are mackerel fillets stewed in a miso broth that also contains sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger. This dish takes 5 minutes to prepare and only 15 minutes to cook. Since mackerel is a strong flavored fish, the miso broth helps cut through the pungent fishiness. This dish is best served with steamed rice to sop up all of the sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless mackerel fillets cut in half
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup sake
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 6 slices ginger
- 3 tbsp miso paste
Instructions
- Mix the water, sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, and ginger together.
- Pour the sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. Place the mackerel skin side up. Cover and simmer for 7 minutes.
- Scoop out a 1/4 cup of the sauce and mix with the miso paste in a small bowl.
- Pour the miso into the saucepan. Flip the mackerel so they are all flesh side up.
- Simmer uncovered for another 7 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
Pork Shogayaki
Pork Shogayaki
Pork shogayaki is a popular Japanese dish consisting of thinly sliced pork seared then quickly cooked in a ginger sauce. The pork is served over finely shredded cabbage and drizzled with the remaining sauce. The best thing about this tasty dish is that you can make this in under 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 8 oz pork loin or sirloin sliced 1/8” thick or thinner
- 3 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Sake or cooking wine
- 1 tbsp ginger grated
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- green cabbage shredded
Instructions
- Mix together the mirin, soy sauce, sake, and ginger. Set aside.
- Heat up cooking oil in a sauté pan over high heat. Add in the pork slices in a single layer.
- Sear for 90 seconds-2 minutes a side.
- Pour in the sauce. Cook for 2 minutes, making sure that the pork is covered in the sauce.
