Savory, luscious and bursting with rich flavor, Homemade Unagi Sauce is the ultimate dressing for unagi and barbecue or grilled dishes! If you’ve ever tried unagi sushi before and fell in love with the taste, it is most likely because of the caramelized sweet and salty sauce that came with it.
Homemade Eel Sauce (Unagi No Tare)
Also known as Unagi No Tare in Japanese, Unagi Sauce or Eel Sauce, in simple words, is an irresistible golden brown soy sauce that is sweet and salty. The profile captures the full essence of umami. It is typically used on grilled unagi (eel) or on a variety of dishes that feature unagi such as unagi don or unagi sushi. Nowadays, it is common to hear about commercially-available unagi sauce. However, nothing beats a homemade one.
Homemade Unagi Sauce Recipe Details
The best part about making unagi sauce at home is that you can be certain that you are using natural ingredients and that there are no additives involved. You can also decide on the sweetness and saltiness meter. To make the sauce the traditional way is incredibly simple. The recipe only requires four ingredients — sake, mirin, sugar and soy sauce. Combine all the ingredients in a pot and allow it to simmer. At some point, the mixture will caramelize and thicken so thickness is really up to personal preference.
We remain respectful of the culinary origin of the traditional unagi sauce. Where we come in is a homemade eel sauce recipe that people who can’t have refined sugar can actually enjoy. We are retaining the sweetness aspect of the sauce without completely departing from its full glory. Instead of sugar, we are using pure carob syrup.
The outcome is still an umami-packed sauce that is excellent for any type of grilled vegetable, meat, seafood or even rice. A little bit goes a long way. Lightly brush your BBQ or drizzle a little of this sauce on your grilled fish to heighten the notes of your dish.
If you’d prefer, this is also perfect as a dressing for freshly-prepared noodles or as marinade for barbecue meats. You may store the unagi sauce in an airtight jar and keep in the refrigerator for up to three months.
Enjoy!
RECIPE: Homemade Unagi Sauce (Eel Sauce or Unagi No Tare)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1 1/2 tbsps Junmai Ginjo Sake
- 2 1/2 tbsps The Australian Carob Co. Carob Syrup
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add the mirin, sake, and carob syrup. Turn on the heat to medium and whisk all the ingredients together.
- Then, add the soy sauce and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and continue simmering for 10 minutes. Toward the end of cooking, you will see more bubbles.
- Turn off the heat and let it cool. The sauce will thicken as it cools. It's now ready to use.
Notes
For more homemade gourmet carob recipes using Australian Carobs, please visit CarobRecipes.com.
