Unagi - this exotic dressing comes from the land of the rising sun and longevity - Japan. Unagi sauce is served not only with sushi, but also with any dishes with smoked eel. This dressing has a pronounced salty-smoky taste and a slightly sweet aftertaste. She can turn any simple fish dish into an exquisite and tasty delicacy for the holiday table. This Japanese “seasoning” can also be purchased in the store, but, as a rule, a good product will have a rather high price. And, of course, every housewife would not mind learning how to cook it herself. Today we will make your dream come true and reveal the secret of how to make unagi sauce at home.

Classic unagi sauce recipe

It’s worth starting with the classic recipe used by Japanese chefs. They generally do not use dressings that are sold in stores, but prefer to prepare them themselves.

The classic unagi sauce recipe consists of the following ingredients:

• Dry white wine – 300 ml.
• Mirin – 300 ml.
• Soy sauce – 300 ml.
• Hondashi seasoning - one third of a teaspoon
• Sugar, or better yet use powdered sugar – 3 tablespoons.

Of course, not everyone understands the classic composition of unagi sauce. Therefore, before showing you step-by-step cooking instructions with photos, let’s look at the main components of the recipe.

• What is mirin? This is a low alcohol cook's rice wine. Mirin is a type of sake, but sake has a slightly higher alcohol level. This rice wine is used to add a sweet taste to dishes. Another feature of using mirin is that rice wine can kill the smell of fish, which many people do not like.
• And something else that may be unfamiliar to you is the “Hondashi” seasoning. This is a powdered seasoning that is a base for soups, rice, noodles and dressings. To avoid preparing fish broth, cooks use Hondashi granules. You can buy these products in supermarkets in the Japanese cuisine section, although they are quite difficult to find.
• But many people probably know about soy sauce, and it’s available in almost every store. You can follow the original recipe.

Well, now let's start the cooking process:

1. Pour dry white wine into the pan. By the way, semi-dry white will also do.
2. Add soy dressing to the wine.
3. Then pour in mirin and Hondashi fish stock. Mix everything thoroughly until the Hondashi seasoning granules dissolve.
4. Place the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. As soon as the mixture boils, reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for about 2 hours. During this time, the mass will decrease in volume and thicken.
5. But don't go too far. As soon as a caramel-colored foam appears on the surface, the pan can be removed from the heat.
6. Add sugar or powdered sugar to the still hot mixture and mix everything until the sugar is completely dissolved. When using powdered sugar, you won't have to wait long for dissolution.
7. The resulting mass must be cooled.
8. Pour the dressing into a special sauce boat, and you can serve. Bon appetit!

Tip: Store the Japanese dressing for rolls, sushi and fish - unagi sauce - in the refrigerator in a tightly closed container.

Adapted unagi sauce recipe

It happens that it is almost impossible to find special products for making Japanese sauce, for example, you live in a small town or even far from the city, somewhere in the village. This is not a reason to refuse to make unagi sauce at home, you can simply replace some components, and we will tell you how to make unagi sauce by replacing the main components.

The adapted recipe consists of the following products:

• Soy sauce – 60 ml.
• Olive oil – 75 ml.
• Honey – 15 gr.
• Starch – 4 gr.
• Fresh ginger – 7 gr.

The preparation scheme is as follows:

1. Mix soy sauce with olive oil in a saucepan.
2. Next add honey.
3. Grate the ginger root on a fine grater and squeeze out all the juice. Add ginger juice to the main mass.
4. Place the pan over low heat. Add starch, stirring occasionally. Continue stirring to avoid lumps forming.
5. We continue to cook until desolate, but under no circumstances allow the mass to boil and seethe.
6. Remove the thickened mass from the heat and let cool.
7. Pour the cooled dressing into a gravy boat and you can serve. Bon appetit!

Unagi sauce prepared by yourself will differ, first of all, in quality, because you will be confident in its composition than if you buy it in a store with the addition of a whole bunch of E-additives. The taste of homemade unagi, if you prepared it exactly in accordance with the proposed recipe, will be the same as that of professional Japanese chefs, so it’s worth making this famous Japanese dressing at least once to surprise your family and friends.

Video: Original recipe for unagi sauce

The diet of the inhabitants of the Japanese islands traditionally consists of rice and fish. Such conservatism in nutrition has developed due to the geographical location of Japan. Not wanting to put up with a monotonous diet, Japanese culinary masters began to invent tasty and aromatic gravies. One of these masterpieces was unagi sauce, which was also loved by European gourmets.

Classic unagi and its secrets

The taste of sunagi is well known to lovers of Japanese cuisine, because it is used to pour it over sushi and rolls with smoked eel. However, when looking at the recipe for the first time, it is difficult to understand the ingredients that are unfamiliar to us. What is the secret of the rich sweet-salty taste of the sauce with subtle smoky notes?

If we turn to history and look at the process of making sauce in ancient Japan, we will discover many interesting nuances. The classic composition of zunagi includes: soy sauce, sugar, leeks, carrots, mitsukana, yeast extract, honey and starch. All ingredients are mixed and boiled for a long time. Only with this technology do the ingredients of the sauce organically combine with each other and form a delicious bouquet of taste. This is how you get unagi sauce - a dark brown and honey-salty highlight of Japanese cuisine.

Ingredients and their characteristics

Despite the fact that unagi sauce is full of culinary nuances and secrets, it is not difficult to prepare from those products that can be found on the shelves of our stores. Let's look at the ingredients of unagi so that they don't confuse us with their exotic names.

Let's start with Mirin, a rice wine with little alcohol. The wine has a sweet taste and can “kill” the smell of fish. In specialized boutiques you can find three varieties of it: hon, sio and sin. All three types are suitable for adding vunagi. If you can't find rice wine, replace it with dry white wine.

Hondashi seasoning consists of fish broth granules. By the way, it can be replaced with ordinary fish broth, cooked at home. There are no problems with soy sauce; it is sold in any supermarket. Take its classic version.

How to prepare gravy?

The process of preparing the sauce is simple and understandable even for a novice housewife. No additional processing of products or complex culinary passes. Mixed, poured, cooked. The main thing is not to radically deviate from the traditional recipe and remember the harmony of taste.

So, for unagima, let's take:

• rice wine “Mirin” – 200 ml;
• soy sauce – 200 ml;
• semi-dry white wine – 200 ml;
• fish broth in briquette or powder - 1 teaspoon;
• sugar – 2 tablespoons.

Cooking process:

1. Take a 1.5-2 liter saucepan, pour white and rice wine into it, add soy sauce and dry fish broth. Mix all components thoroughly so that no grains remain.
2. Turn on medium heat, put the pan on the stove, let the liquid boil, reduce the intensity of the heat and boil the contents for 1.5 hours until the volume is reduced by 2 times.
3. When the mixture of wines and sauce acquires a beautiful caramel shade, remove the pan from the heat, add sugar, and stir. That's it, our sauce is unagigot, all that remains is to cool it and season the dishes.

To thicken the gravy, you can add starch dissolved in water. In Japan, honey, citrus juice, and vegetable oils are added to the composition of unagi. Each chef brings in some of his own ingredients, playing with the flavors of the sauce. All Japanese sauces, including unagi sauce, are not limited to the classic composition. Creative imagination is only welcome in the national cuisine of Japan.

Culinary nuances

A housewife who is not preparing sauce for rolls or sushi for the first time may think that the sauce recipe is very similar to teriyaki sauce. However, there is a significant difference from it - it has a delicate sweet and salty taste, while teriyaki has more heat and spiciness.

If the cooled gravy seems too thick, you can dilute it with a small amount of hot water. According to the cooking technology, the sauce should acquire the consistency of dark brown syrup. Honey in the gravy plays the role of a flavoring agent and saturates its color scheme, but you can do without it.

Caution should be exercised when introducing various herbs and spices into the dish. Keep your culinary imagination in check so as not to spoil the taste of the sauce, or feel free to add what you find acceptable, but then you will never know the real taste of unagi sauce.

The sauce goes best with smoked eel, for which it was originally created. However, the gravy perfectly complements various fish dishes, perfectly decorates rice and goes well with vegetables. It is served with poultry and pork, seasoned with salads and used as a marinade. It all depends on individual taste preferences. We can only wish you a pleasant appetite and successful preparation of the dish.

06.02.2019

Unagi sauce is a dark, thick sauce that is eaten with eel dishes and used in rolls and sushi as a flavoring agent. On the site you will learn how to prepare it at home using a simple recipe. Read on for all about what unagi sauce is and what it is eaten with, its composition, how to choose, where to add it and much more.

What is unagi sauce?

Unagi is a thick, sweet-salty, dark brown sauce made from soy sauce, sugar and mirin, used in various Japanese dishes that feature the eel of the same name (a type of fish). It is also poured on top of rolls or nigiri sushi, most often Unagi and Dragon.

The sauce is also called natsume or kabayaki.

Unagi in Japan is called freshwater eel - a very common type of fish used in rolls and sushi. It is much sweeter and more tender than its sea counterparts. It has fewer bones and they are soft. It is often served as nigiri - individual pieces of fish on rice balls. It's held on a strip of nori and tastes like soft but firm white fish—perch, but sweeter.

Although unagi sauce is named after the dish it is used in, it does not actually contain eel.

It looks just like teriyaki sauce and tastes very similar. Unagi sauce has a rich color and a thick, shiny consistency.

Ingredients of unagi sauce

Most unagi sauce recipes contain soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Eel is not usually found as an ingredient except in a few (rarer) recipes.

Soy sauce

Mirin

Mirin is a Japanese sweet rice wine used in cooking. It gives dishes a soft sourness.

Brown sugar

You can substitute honey for brown sugar, but you will need more than the amount called for in the recipe.

Other Ingredients

To get the right consistency, add water to thin the unagi or add cornstarch to thicken it.

Some recipes contain additional flavorings, for example:

• sake - a Japanese alcoholic drink made from rice;
• Dashi is a traditional Japanese broth, the basis of many soups and sauces.

Most store-bought unagi sauces contain the following ingredients: soy sauce, corn syrup, sugar, water, salt, MSG, vinegar, caramel color, citric acid, sodium inosinate, sodium guanylate, xanthan gum, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate. as preservatives.

What does unagi sauce smell and taste like?

Unagi sauce combines the flavors of soy sauce and sweet rice wine. It gives any dish a special richness. The smell is sweet-spicy, smoky.

Homemade unagi sauce recipe

To make real unagi sauce at home, you only need 4 ingredients: soy sauce, mirin, sugar and sake. This classic recipe allows you to adjust the sweetness and saltiness levels to suit your taste.

To replace mirin, dry white wine and rice vinegar, taken in a ratio of 2 to 1, are suitable. Sake can be omitted.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup soy sauce;
• ½ tbsp. Mirina;
• ¼ tbsp. sake;
• ¼ cup brown sugar.

How to cook:

1. Pour the mirin and sake into a small saucepan, place on the stove and heat over high heat until boiling, then reduce the temperature to medium.
2. Stir until the smell of alcohol disappears (this will take about 2-3 minutes).
3. Turn the stove to low heat and add the brown sugar to the pan. Continue stirring until it dissolves.
4. Pour in soy sauce. Like sugar, it tends to burn quickly, so stir constantly.
5. After 10 minutes, taste the sauce. If you prefer a sweeter taste, add more sugar - about 2 tablespoons. If you need it to be more sour, you will need 1 tbsp. l. soy sauce and ½ tbsp. l. sake. Continue stirring until the sauce thickens. It should become the same consistency as maple syrup.
6. Once the sauce reaches the desired sweetness and thickness, turn off the stove and wait until it cools. Unagi will thicken further as it cools.

Pour the finished sauce into a glass jar and cover with an airtight lid. Homemade unagi can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Sometimes it can be difficult to get the consistency you want. In this case, unagi is thickened with cornstarch. To do this you will need:

1. Mix cornstarch with water in a ratio of approximately 1:2.
2. Slowly pour the solution into the sauce pan while it simmers.

How to choose and where to buy unagi sauce

Look for unagi sauce in the Asian food section of supermarkets or specialty stores. If you don't find it, go to online stores.

Among the available unagi sauces, choose one that does not contain MSG or artificial flavors. It should contain soy sauce, mirin, sugar and a few other additional ingredients. Store-bought versions often contain preservatives.

Chemical composition of unagi sauce

The calorie content of one tablespoon of unagi sauce prepared according to the classic recipe (from soy sauce, mirin, brown sugar) is 41 calories.

In 1 tbsp. l. sauce:

• 10 grams of carbohydrates;
• 1.1 g protein;
• 0 g fat;
• 8.9 g sugar;
• 41.3 mg potassium;
• 957 mg sodium.

Use of unagi sauce in cooking

Unagi is commonly used as a main ingredient in Japanese cooking. It goes well with various types of rolls, and also serves as a marinade for fish and chicken.

Here are some tips on what to eat unagi sauce with:

• It is poured over sushi and eel rolls to improve the taste and appearance when served.
• Used for marinating and glazing meat, fish, tofu and anything that is cooked on the grill.
• Add as a seasoning to freshly cooked noodles.
• Pair with fried fish or chicken.
• Used as a seasoning for roast pork and many different vegetables.

Eel in unagi sauce (Don) – recipe

A popular Japanese dish with unagi eel is Don or Unadon..

Cooking instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 ºC.
2. Cut the unagi fillets into 4 pieces and place them on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake in the oven for 6-8 minutes.
3. Place the cooked rice on a separate plate and top with a tablespoon of unagi sauce.
4. Pour some sauce over the fish. Serve immediately.

How to replace unagi sauce

If the store doesn't have unagi sauce, you can use other seasonings of similar consistency and color instead. Use as a substitute:

• Worcestershire sauce (eg from Lea & Perrins).

The popular Japanese unagi sauce is used in the preparation of various original dishes. Unfortunately, you can’t buy it everywhere. We'll tell you how to make unagi sauce yourself. This is much better, because you will know for sure that it is natural and made using technology. In addition, the shelf life of the product under the right conditions is up to 12 months. And the preparation itself is quite simple. So where do we start? First of all, we will prepare the ingredients that will be needed to prepare 300 ml of unagi sauce.

Unagi sauce. Recipe.

1) 200 grams of white wine of any brand, but preferably it should be a dry or semi-dry variety.
2) Granulated sugar.
3) 200 ml of classic soy sauce.
4) 200 ml mirin (rice wine).
5) Deep saucepan.
6) Hondashi (fish seasoning).
7) Spoon, glass.

Stage 1.

Pour the wine into a pre-prepared pan. It is better if it has a thick bottom.

Stage 2.

Pour 0.2 liters of soy sauce into the same bowl.

Stage 3.

The time has come for mirin. Pour that into the pan too.

Stage 4.

Half a spoon of Hondashi seasoning.

Stage 5.

And now we put the pan on the stove at maximum heat. When the liquid boils, reduce the heat. The sauce should be cooked until its volume is reduced by 2 times. This will take 100-120 minutes.

Stage 6.

Carefully monitor both the time and the condition of the sauce. When it is all covered with a caramel-like foam, it means the sauce is ready! Remove it from the stove.

Stage 7.

Add sugar to the sauce. This will make it thicker. You only need a few tablespoons. Mix thoroughly. Wait until it cools down. Be careful not to put the sauce back on the heat.

A typical Japanese grocery store has hundreds of containers with a variety of sauces for a wide variety of dishes. And I must say, Japanese chefs know a lot about sauces. What is the price of unagi sauce - a seasoning for fish dishes made from eel!

What is unagi

It’s hard to imagine Japanese cuisine without traditional dressings, which oriental chefs add to almost all dishes. Connoisseurs of Japanese cuisine know that of all the abundance of sauces, the most popular are three: shoyu, gamadari, unagi. Shoyu is a real soy sauce, which in the East is called the king of sauces. Nut gamadari serves as a traditional salad dressing. And unagi, which will be discussed further, is an eel-based sauce.

Unagi is a thick, sweet-salty, dark-colored soy sauce-based dressing. Classic unagi sauce is a mixture of rice wine (mirin), soy sauce, rice vinegar, water, sugar and a few slices of fresh eel. Although there are other recipes for this dressing, in particular based on smoked eel and starch. Although the second version of unagi is noticeably different from the classic one, lovers of Japanese cuisine appreciate the special piquancy of this dressing.

This sauce got its name not by chance. In Japanese, “unagi” translates to “river eel.” Japanese chefs traditionally serve this dressing with fish and seafood dishes, but most often with eel dishes. Eastern cooks use unagi to marinate cut eel fillets. They call the resulting dish unadon. In addition, this sauce serves as an excellent addition to rolls and sushi, cold and hot fish dishes.

Why is it useful?

People often think about the beneficial and dangerous properties of food when it comes to exotic dishes. This also applies to Japanese cuisine. The benefits and harms of unagi sauce remain unknown to many. But if you analyze the set of ingredients used to prepare this savory sauce, it is not difficult to guess that this dressing has certain health benefits.

Researchers studying the effects of unagi on the human body have made several interesting discoveries. At one time, it was proven that dishes containing this dressing speed up metabolism and improve the functioning of the digestive organs. This Japanese exotic can be very useful in case of complete lack of appetite. Special substances contained in the product stimulate the production of gastric juice, thereby increasing the feeling of hunger. It is known that eel sauce has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the cardiovascular system and helps keep the body in good shape.

Now about the calories. The energy value of 100 g of unagi is about 235 kcal. This dressing contains virtually no fat (approximately 1.5 g per 100 g of product). There is also little protein in it - about 4 g/100 g, but carbohydrates make up almost half of a 100-gram serving of unagi.

But this product also has contraindications. Japanese eel dressing is not suitable for people with liver or pancreas diseases. And diabetics should remember the presence of sugar in unagi.

Use in cooking

Unagi sauce was originally created for eel dishes. But today chefs all over the world add it to cold appetizers and hot fish and seafood dishes. Pairs well with vegetables and adds flavor to cooked rice. Sweet and salty dressing with a smoky flavor perfectly complements the taste of oriental cuisine. Although lovers of gastronomic experiments add it to many other dishes. Some argue that eel dressing goes very well with fried chicken and pork ribs.

In addition to its original taste, gourmets appreciate unagi for its beautiful caramel color and pleasant consistency. This sauce is often used to decorate prepared seafood dishes.

How to make unagi yourself

If you don’t visit Japanese restaurants often, but want to taste the taste of unagi, then you can try making this oriental dressing yourself. Cooking exotics is quite easy. The main thing is to get the necessary ingredients. By the way, Japanese restaurants never use store-bought unagi; good chefs always prepare the dressing themselves. Probably, each of them has their own secrets for preparing a special sauce, but the general rules for creating unagi are accessible to a wider audience. There are several recipes for Japanese sweet and salty sauce floating around the Internet.

Recipe 1

So, in order to feel at least a little like a chef in a Japanese restaurant, you need to stock up on:

• white semi-dry wine;
• mirin rice wine;
• soy sauce;
• sugar;
• dry fish broth Hondashi.

In a saucepan, mix white and rice wine, soy sauce (200 ml each) and fish broth (1 teaspoon). When the grains of fish broth are completely dissolved, the mixture can be placed on low heat. After boiling, reduce the gas and continue cooking unagi for 90 minutes. During this time, the amount of liquid in the pan will decrease by half, and the mixture will turn caramel color. At this stage, you can remove the pan from the heat, add sugar (2 tablespoons) to the hot mixture and mix everything quickly. The finished sauce is usually stored in a transparent glass container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Recipe 2

This version of the sauce is the famous unagi with smoked eel and starch. To prepare you will need:

• soy sauce;
• mirin;
• water;
• sugar;
• starch;
• smoked eel.

In a heatproof bowl, mix water (150 ml), mirin (250 ml), soy sauce (200 ml), sugar (160 g) and finely chopped smoked eel fillet (50 g). Bring the contents of the pan to a boil over low heat and cook for about 8 minutes. Separately, dilute starch (15 g) in cold water and pour into the boiling mixture. Until the sauce is fully cooked, cook for another 5 minutes, then cool, strain and pour into small bottles.

Recipe 3

The dressing prepared according to this recipe is least reminiscent of the classic version, but in terms of the set of ingredients it is the most accessible for home preparation.

To make this version of unagi at home, you will need a set of products from:

• 40 ml soy sauce;
• 5 g fresh ginger;
• 10 g honey;
• 50 ml olive oil;
• 3 g starch.

In a small saucepan, combine honey, olive oil, soy sauce and strained ginger root juice. Heat the mixture over low heat and add starch to it. Cook the future unagi, stirring constantly, until thickened, but do not allow it to boil. Cool the finished dressing and pour into a glass container.

What to cook with unagi

Now that you've already stocked up on a bottle of homemade unagi (and maybe even the real thing), it's time to find out what you can cook with Japanese dressing. But it should be said right away: dishes to which eel dressing is added are not salted, since it is already quite salty.

One of the easiest recipes is Japanese baked fish. Cut the cleaned fish into pieces and fry in a frying pan until golden brown. Then pour over the unagi sauce and place in the oven for 4-10 minutes. Meanwhile, fry sliced ​​vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, onions, carrots, shiitake mushrooms) in a frying pan. Add oyster and chili sauce to almost ready vegetables. Before serving, sprinkle the fish with eel dressing and the vegetables with sesame oil.

In the Japanese culinary tradition, unagi is one of the most popular sauces. In the East, it is served with most fish dishes and some types of sushi. Meanwhile, the original taste of this dressing did not leave European chefs indifferent, and many of them are also increasingly resorting to this tasty and healthy assistant.