Trying Unagi for the First Time
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It’s summer in Japan and it’s hot. So what do you do when you’re in Japan and the sun is sweltering hot and the humidity is draining all your energy? You eat unagi! Unagi is the Japanese word for saltwater eel and it is usually eaten during the summertime. There are several ways to prepare unagi but the only ways I have tried so far is Unaju and kimosu.
ABOUT:
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The shop master turns on the grill.
Unaju is a traditional Japanese meal comprised of roasted unagi on a bed of rice. The unagi is dipped in a special sweet and salty sauce and then is roasted over fire. The unagi becomes crunchy and sweet on the outside while turning melty and soft on the inside. It is delicious.
MY EXPERIENCE:
My lovely, lovely, lovely host parents took me to the number one unagi shop in the area and we were all excited – none of us had been here before. The first thing I saw when I entered the restaurant was the shop master cutting into a whole fresh eel. Every part of the eel was used, down to the liver. My host family and I took seats right in front of the shop master’s cutting board and were able to watch him carefully slice several eels right before our very eyes, an experience that not many people get to see in this shop since the shop owner usually prepares his eel before the day begins, he told us. Today was special however, he had a party coming in the next day and wanted to spend today preparing for it.
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Watching the shop master prepare our food made waiting fun.
We watched the shop master cut, skewer, dip, and cook the eel. He occasionally spoke to my host parents and asked them questions about me and whether I would like the food or not. They reassured him I would definitely enjoy whatever he decided to put in front of me, I’m not one to ever say No to food!
First, we were given some marinated eel with wasabi and short after, he gave us our unaju, beautifully roasted eel placed on white rice packed neatly into a gorgeous black box with red flowers decorating it. The box is called a jubako and it is used for food and is fancier than a bento box.
The shop master also gave us kimosu, a soup that uses the liver of the eel. The liver was tougher than the main part of the eel and the soup was salty rather than sweet. Everything was delicious. The eel was cooked so well that the center melted into my tongue the moment I bit into it, leaving a sweet taste behind. The rice was also covered in the same sauce used on the unagi and the sweet rice with eel made for a very filling and beyond satisfying meal.
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The gorgeously prepared unaju. It had the most heavenly aroma and taste.
I cannot thank my host parents enough for taking me to experience such a wonderful thing. I ate well and was able to see how a master prepares their eel. This is definitely one of the best meals I have had in Japan so far, probably the best meal I will ever have in my life, and I am eternally grateful to have experienced this.
