Chef’s Recipe: Hitsumabushi

Preparation

1. Cook the rice according to the package or follow chef Ohtawara’s recipe. Bring water to a boil in a large pan. Turn the stove to medium heat and put the unopened package of Unagi Kabayaki in the water for 10 minutes.
2. Take the Unagi Kabayaki out of the package and place on a cutting board. Keep the sauce in a separate container for later.
3. Cut the fish in bite-sized pieces with a sharp knife. In the meantime, bring 200 ml of water to the boil. Add the dashi no moto, soy sauce, mirin and salt and stir gently.
4. Put some rice in a bowl, place the Unagi Kabayki on top. Add the remaining sauce and garnish to your liking with nori, sansyo-pepper, green onion and takuan.
5. According to the traditional Japanese way, you would first eat half of the fish and half of the rice (like you would eat a regular Unagi Don), then you pour the soup over the rice and fish and eat the remaining half (this is Hitsumabushi). This way you can enjoy two dishes in one meal.