Just three ingredients: Grilled eel, savory sauce, and steamed rice. A minimalist combination that delivers maximum flavor inside a single box. This is Japanese comfort food at its absolute best.
I recently learned that most sushi restaurants near me (far away from the ocean) use frozen eel filets and then rinse and reheat them in-restaurant as it is ordered. The better ones use their own house-made eel sauce.
Doesn’t matter to me though; I love it!
Anyways, once I learned about this I made my way to my nearest Japanese grocery store and sure enough, they had frozen prepared eel filets.
I won’t pretend it tastes as good as the restaurant versions I’ve had, but it’s good enough especially when I take the time to reheat it over charcoal. Super-easy and very tasty!
tristanthorn_
Fun fact: **donburi** is a simple Japanese culinary concept: a bowl of rice topped with *something.*
So you have *gyudon* (beef on rice), *tendon* (tempura on rice), etc.
Unagi on rice is… you guessed it, *unadon*.
However, serve it in a black lacquered box and it’s called **unaju**. No box, different name.
No_Drop7278
I’ve had it in Yanagawa, and though pricey (around ¥5K) it was absolutely sublime.
10 Comments
I’m not Japanese and never had eel, but it still somehow reminds me of home.
Not fair to post this when others are hungry atm 🤤

The best.
It’s delicious. Too bad they are an endangered species now.
はい. 開いた火で焼かれる, 獲れたての魚の香ばしい匂いと, 色彩の鮮やかさは, 私たちが人間であることを思い出させてくれます. 私はそれを, 星の輝く夜, 開かれた空の下で楽しむのが – 番好きです.
Unagi is my most favorite food!
I recently learned that most sushi restaurants near me (far away from the ocean) use frozen eel filets and then rinse and reheat them in-restaurant as it is ordered. The better ones use their own house-made eel sauce.
Doesn’t matter to me though; I love it!
Anyways, once I learned about this I made my way to my nearest Japanese grocery store and sure enough, they had frozen prepared eel filets.
I won’t pretend it tastes as good as the restaurant versions I’ve had, but it’s good enough especially when I take the time to reheat it over charcoal. Super-easy and very tasty!
Fun fact: **donburi** is a simple Japanese culinary concept: a bowl of rice topped with *something.*
So you have *gyudon* (beef on rice), *tendon* (tempura on rice), etc.
Unagi on rice is… you guessed it, *unadon*.
However, serve it in a black lacquered box and it’s called **unaju**. No box, different name.
I’ve had it in Yanagawa, and though pricey (around ¥5K) it was absolutely sublime.