Name: Unatama Don (Eel and Egg Rice Bowl)
Cuisine: 和食
Ingredients: Water: 90 ml (6 tbsp); Eel sauce (included with the eel): 12 g; Burdock root: 70 g; Mentsuyu (noodle soup base): 1 tbsp; Unagi kabayaki (grilled eel): 150 g; Eggs: 2; Mitsuba (Japanese wild parsley): to taste; Sansho pepper: to taste; Cooked rice: to taste

About "Unatama Don (Eel and Egg Rice Bowl)"

Kimizio Nonaga, the third-generation owner of Nihonbashi Yukari, introduces the ultimate Unatama Don (Eel and Egg Rice Bowl) using store-bought eel. He slowly simmers thinly sliced burdock root over ultra-low heat, reduces the sauce to maximize the eel's flavor, and finishes it Yanagawa-style by adding the eggs in two batches. He also shares a Western-style twist, 'Unatama Roll,' which tastes amazing even when cold, and a must-see hack using marmalade to eliminate any muddy odor.

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Tips for Making "Unatama Don (Eel and Egg Rice Bowl)"

Prep
- Slice the burdock into 2–3 mm thin pieces and add them straight to the pan without soaking. Slice the eel diagonally to ensure uniform size and a beautiful presentation.
Heat Control
- Simmer slowly over ultra-low heat from the start. High heat will cause the liquid to evaporate too quickly. The extra water is calculated to cook the burdock thoroughly.
Seasoning
- Build the flavor base with the included eel sauce and a splash of mentsuyu. Do not wash off the store-bought sauce; simmer it down to let the eel absorb maximum umami.
Egg Technique
- Pour the egg in two stages like a pro. Pour the first batch in a circular motion, then add the rest at the end and poke gently with a ladle for a creamy, half-cooked finish.
Flavor Pairing
- Combining eel and burdock is known as 'Yanagawa style' in Japanese cuisine. Burdock is a perfect match as it beautifully neutralizes any muddy odor from the eel.
Twist Recipe
- Make Unatama Rolls by stuffing cooled unatama and shiso leaves into croissants, garnished with cherry tomatoes. The rich butter of the croissant pairs perfectly with the eel.
Kitchen Hack
- If the store-bought eel has a muddy odor, top it with a little marmalade. The citrusy acidity and sweetness will mask any off-flavors and elevate the umami.

Ingredients for "Unatama Don (Eel and Egg Rice Bowl)"

9 items

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Water:90 ml (6 tbsp)
Eelsauce (included with the eel): 12 g
Burdockroot: 70 g
Mentsuyu(noodle soup base): 1 tbsp
Unagikabayaki (grilled eel): 150 g
Eggs:2
Mitsuba(Japanese wild parsley): to taste
Sanshopepper: to taste
Cookedrice: to taste

How to Make "Unatama Don (Eel and Egg Rice Bowl)"

1
Add 90 ml (6 tbsp) of water and 12 g of the included eel sauce to a cold pan.
2
Slice 70 g of well-washed burdock root into 2–3 mm thin slices and add them to the pan.
3
Simmer slowly over ultra-low heat. If the heat is too high, the liquid will boil and evaporate too quickly.
4
Once the burdock root becomes translucent and cooked through, add 1 tbsp of mentsuyu.
5
While the burdock is simmering, prep the eel. Cut 150 g of standard store-bought unagi kabayaki in half, then slice diagonally into 1 cm wide pieces.
6
Once the liquid from the burdock has reduced nicely, arrange the eel pieces in the pan, flesh-side up.
7
Simmer for 2–3 minutes. Do not wash off the store-bought eel sauce; simmer it down so the eel absorbs all the rich umami.
8
Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly, moving your chopsticks side-to-side to break up the egg whites and yolks.
9
Pour the egg in a circular motion (like drawing the Japanese character 'no') over the entire pan. Gently shake the pan to combine the broth and egg.
10
Pour in the remaining egg, gently poke it with the back of a ladle, and cook until soft, creamy, and half-cooked.
11
Slide the eel and egg over a bowl of cooked rice, then garnish with mitsuba and sansho pepper.

Food Science

Why This Dish Tastes So Good

Combining the inosinate in the eel with the glutamate in the mentsuyu and sauce creates a powerful umami synergy. Additionally, by pouring the eggs in two stages and letting the residual heat finish them, you precisely control the coagulation temperature of egg proteins (approx. 60–80°C / 140–176°F). This achieves a silky, melt-in-your-mouth texture perfectly integrated with the savory broth.

Umami CompoundsTemperature & Thermal Reactions

Detailed Commentary on "Unatama Don (Eel and Egg Rice Bowl)"

* Content organized by topics from the video.

Beat the Heat! Ultimate Unatama Don & Twist

I'm Kimizio Nonaga, the third-generation owner of Nihonbashi Yukari. What's your favorite summer food? Meat is great, but summer is all about eel! Today, we'll make an incredibly delicious, restaurant-quality 'Unatama Don' using store-bought eel. While it's amazing fresh, I'll also show you a surprising twist using the leftovers that tastes even better cold. This ultimate recipe is guaranteed to make anyone, from kids to adults, say 'delicious!' Let's get started!

Burdock Prep and the Ultra-Low Heat Method

First, add 90 ml (6 tbsp) of water and 12 g of the included eel sauce to a cold pan. We'll build our flavor base primarily with this sauce. Next, add 70 g of well-washed burdock root, sliced into 2–3 mm thin pieces so it cooks quickly. No need to soak the burdock in water; just slice and toss it straight into the pan. Keep the heat on 'ultra-low.' We must simmer it very slowly; otherwise, the liquid will evaporate too fast. Adding a bit more water at the start is a calculated move to ensure the burdock cooks through completely by the time the liquid reduces to the perfect level for the eel and eggs.

Diagonal Cuts for Uniformity & A Kitchen Slip-Up

While the burdock is simmering, let's cut the eel. We're using a standard 150 g store-bought unagi kabayaki. Since it's large, cut it in half first, then slice it into 1 cm pieces. The trick here is to slice diagonally rather than straight down. Diagonal cuts ensure the pieces remain uniform in size even toward the thin tail end, making the final dish look beautiful. At this point, looking at the translucent burdock, I realized, 'Wait, the color looks a bit pale...' I had forgotten to add the 1 tbsp of mentsuyu! Cooking relies heavily on your five senses—noticing when something looks, smells, or sounds different is key. I quickly added the mentsuyu to fix it.

Never Wash the Sauce! Maximizing Eel Flavor

Once the mentsuyu is in and the flavor is balanced, add the sliced eel to the pan. Placing them flesh-side up makes the final presentation look much better. Simmer for 2–3 minutes. Some people recommend washing off the store-bought sauce before reheating, but please never do that! It would make the eel artisans cry. That sauce is meticulously crafted to make the eel taste its absolute best, so let's use it to its full potential. Today, I'm using 'Yamada no Unagi' from Yamada Suisan, which is highly acclaimed right now. Their fully farmed eel is truly on another level. Simmering the eel without washing the sauce off so it absorbs all that rich umami is the ultimate secret to achieving restaurant-quality flavor.

Two-Stage Egg Pouring for Yanagawa Style

Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and whisk lightly, moving your chopsticks side-to-side to break up the whites and yolks. Once the liquid in the pan has reduced nicely, pour the egg in a circular motion over the entire pan. Gently shake the pan to integrate the broth and egg. In Japanese cuisine, combining eel and burdock is called 'Yanagawa style.' Burdock is a perfect match because it beautifully neutralizes any muddy odor from freshwater fish like loach or eel. Pouring the egg in two stages is a professional technique. Pour the remaining egg at the end, gently poke it with the back of a ladle, and finish it in a creamy, half-cooked state. Slide this over rice, garnish with mitsuba and sansho pepper, and it's ready.

The Marmalade Hack to Remove Muddy Odors

If you ever buy store-bought eel and find it has a muddy odor or a flat flavor, here is a secret trick: top it with a tiny bit of marmalade. The citrusy acidity, refreshing aroma, and sweetness of the marmalade blend with the eel's umami, beautifully masking any muddy or off-flavors. Sweetness has a synergistic effect that enhances umami, dramatically transforming even mediocre eel into something delicious. You might think, 'Really?' but trust me and give it a try. One bite, and you'll be amazed at how incredibly well they pair.

Western Twist: Unatama Croissant Roll

Now, let's use the remaining half of our unatama to make a Western-style twist that tastes amazing cold: the 'Unatama Roll.' You'll need 2 croissants (butter rolls or sliced bread work too). Make a diagonal cut in the croissants and tuck in some shiso leaves. Then, generously spoon in the cooled unatama, which has developed a more settled, rich flavor. Garnish with cherry tomatoes to finish. We use croissants because the rich butter in the pastry pairs beautifully with the savory eel. This is a modern, Western-style twist that respects traditional Japanese foundations. At my restaurant, Nihonbashi Yukari, our 'Una-Ten Ju' (tempura unagi served with our special 'GOOD SALT' and sudachi citrus) is very popular. Eel actually pairs wonderfully with Western elements.

Tasting & Creative Ingredient Substitutions

Now, let's dig into our Unatama Don! I highly recommend eating rice bowls with a spoon rather than chopsticks. The rich eel, the texture of the burdock, the creamy egg, and the perfect balance of Yamada's eel sauce and mentsuyu are absolutely exquisite. If you don't like burdock, eggplant makes an excellent substitute. Slice the eggplant diagonally into 1 cm pieces, sauté them in sesame oil first, then combine with the eel and egg—it's incredibly delicious. The Unatama Roll twist is also phenomenal, combining the buttery aroma, refreshing shiso, and rich eel. You can also try putting it on udon or using it as a pizza topping. Let me know your creative twists in the comments!

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