Eel is rich in protein, calcium, sodium, iron, phosphorus and other substances needed by the human body.

Every year, the summer earth with □ ugly day, that is, about July 21, 18 days before the beginning of autumn, the Japanese must eat eel to supplement nutrition, because eel is rich in protein, calcium, sodium, iron, phosphorus and other substances needed by the human body, not only by the Japanese people believe that it is a good tonic, the Chinese people also often eel stewed tonic.

Live eel is boned, skewered, grilled, steamed, and then grilled with a special sauce. The Japanese say, "Skewers last 3 years, crackers 8 years, and kabayaki lasts a lifetime". This shows the knowledge involved. In addition to the quality of the ingredients, the skill and experience of the chef are also essential to barbecue cuisine.

There are different sauces for different eel dishes, rice topping, and barbecue, and each sauce has its own unique character, which makes the eel dishes richer.

There are two ways to prepare unagi: teriyaki and kabayaki unagi.

The teriyaki and kamabayaki sauces are similar, but the teriyaki sauce is thicker; for grilled unagi, some people simmer the browned bones of the unagi in the sauce to enhance the unagi's flavor, which varies from house to house and is the secret weapon of each restaurant.

The right way to eat eel is to eat it with the skin and rice, so that the gelatinous oil in the skin lubricates and the soft, thin spines are less noticeable, but also the best way to eat eel rice.

What is kabayaki eel?

The eel that glows with a brownish color after being grilled is also called "kabayaki eel. Why is it called kabayaki eel? Kabayaki refers to a type of grilled fish, a type of teriyaki, which was called "kabayaki" a long time ago because the eel was rolled up and grilled to look like the spikes of a cattail leaf.

The methods of preparation are the Kanto method and the Kansai method. In terms of taste, Japanese cuisine can be divided into two main schools, Kansai and Kanto, with Kansai cuisine being lighter and represented by Osaka and Kyoto, and Kanto cuisine being richer and represented by Tokyo. The technique is the handiwork of the chef.

(I) Preparation of Kamaboko Eel

1. Choose four 1-kilogram live eels, which are rich enough in fat but not too tough in spines, and have enough thickness of meat.

2. After the eel is killed, draw a knife on each side of the eel in the direction of the keel to cut off the small spines on both sides of the eel meat.

3. Skewer the eel on bamboo skewers, and then grill the eel for the first time. If you don't cook the eel enough, the final sauce won't be colorful; if you overcook the eel, it will lose its fat.

4. Steam the eel for about half an hour to soften the spines so that the final product does not lose its texture.

5. To eat when reproduced grilled. When grilled on the rack, each piece of eel needs to go through a process of three dips and three grills, plus you need to take into account the fire and grilling sequence, so you need to be quite clear-headed so that you don't get overwhelmed. The flavor of the sauce seeps into the eel, and if the final product looks shiny, it means the eel's oils have been fully stimulated.

Note: When grilling, grill the skin side of the fish first, then flip and grill the meat side to dry out the excess moisture so it can absorb the sauce.

(ii) White grilled eel. It is a challenge for the chef to express the flavor of the eel without using any sauce.

(3) Unagi Steamer

The rice with the sauce and the unagi are steamed in a small hinoki wood steamer, covered with a generous amount of shredded fried egg, and then placed in a lacquer box and covered. When you open the lid of the box, you can't see the eel, but the aroma of the steam and the scent of the egg, eel, and the sauce are immediately appealing to your appetite. When you eat it, remember to eat the shredded egg, eel, and rice together to experience the richness of multiple layers of flavor.

(4) Cold Unagi with Plum Sauce

The chef handles the skinned eel meat with great care, breaking the bones but not breaking the skin, and once boiled in boiling water, the eel slices blossom in a blossoming flower when they are plunged into icy water to cool down quickly.

(5) Dream Eel Don

In addition to the sauce and eel, there is also a lot of seaweed and finely chopped green onions, so when you take a big bite and chew it in your mouth, the flavors come out layer by layer, unlike the Kanto-style eel rice, which only has eel, sauce and rice.

(6) Unagi Rice

The Kanto method of steaming and then grilling is to steam the eel first, and although the white-burnt eel is a high-grade product, the chef thoughtfully puts in ginger and green onions to remove the fishy smell during the steaming process, and then smears the eel with sauce, and then grills the eel again and again so that it is fully flavorful, and then puts the grilled eel on top of the steaming white rice and drizzles it with a little bit of sauce to make the perfect unagi rice.

(7) Unagi Shabu Shabu

Skinless live eel is sliced off with a sharp knife and then boiled in a broth, which is a great test of the quality, freshness, and the chef's ability to boil the eel; the accompanying mashed daikon radish and chopped scallions are mixed into yuzu vinegar, and the shabu shabu eel slices are dipped in the refreshing, slightly acidic sauce, making the eel taste good without being tough, and fully expressing the sweetness of eel meat.

(H) Unagi Sushi

Baked kabayaki unagi is handled in the same way as sushi, and the unagi is combined with sushi rice using burnt seaweed. When you put a bite of this sushi in your mouth, the aromas of unagi, vinegared rice, and seaweed merge into one, making it a very tasty dish.

(Nine) Unagi Sushi

Sliced unagi and served in the form of sushi, topped with unagi soy sauce, the rich texture makes the unagi taste sweet, and the wawasaki rice is just right, along with the soft and fluffy vinegared rice, making for a mouthful of happiness.

(10) Whole star eel sushi

The whole fresh star eel is grilled to a light golden color, served with special vinegared rice and fresh cucumber shreds, and topped with a sauce made from eel bones, which is a rare way to eat sushi.

(11) Unagi Yanagawa Nabe

Traditional sake dish. Shredded burdock is boiled in broth, and then the unagi is lightly cooked and topped with egg before serving. The unagi absorbs the freshness of the burdock and the broth, making it even more flavorful, and is served hot, so it's really refreshing.

(12) Ippon eel skewer

The Ippon dish consists of grilled eel liver and white eel. The eel liver skewers are grilled in a special sauce that has no fishy taste, and the shirataki eel, which is grilled in the Kansai style, is served with a squeeze of citrus juice and a sprinkle of wasabi salt, giving it a beautiful golden color and a soft, flavorful texture.

(xiii) Unagi Vinaigrette

Braised unagi and cucumber are dipped in a vinaigrette made from grain vinegar, giving the tender, traditionally grilled unagi an appetizing and refreshing change of flavor.

(14) Eel rolls

The eel rolls, which are wrapped in preserved skin, are very different from those in Cantonese dim sum, and because they are deep-fried, the flavor of the eel is not particularly strong, making them suitable for those who do not dare to touch such soft fish. The outer layer is a soft and layered egg shell, and the inner layer of the roll is grilled eel, creating an incomparable flavor and texture as the aroma of the egg and the eel merge into one.

(15) Unagi Omelet

The traditional way to make a Japanese omelet is to add grilled unagi and serve it with a sauce. The sweetness of the grilled eel and the fluffiness of the omelette create an exciting flavor that also has die-hard fans.

There is also steamed egg with eel, where the sweetness of the eel is complemented by the smoothness of the softly steamed egg.