Vegetarian Eel rice bowl will make both vegetarian and meat-lovers happy and satisfied! You will be addicted to this super-quick homemade eel sauce!
- 6 Japanese eggplant If Japanese eggplant is not available, small regular eggplant (4) will work perfectly!
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 4 sheets thinly sliced nori (dried seaweed) Optional
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp sake
- 2 tbsp sugar
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To prepare eel sauce, combine mirin and sake in a small sauce pan and bring it to a boil.
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Reduce the heat to low and add soy sauce and sugar. Do not boil as soy sauce and sugar will burn. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set it aside.
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Peel eggplant skin with peeler. Cut eggplants lengthwise. Add a few small cuts to eggplants so the eel sauce can soak in better.
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Wrap the eggplants in plastic wrap and cook in microwave for 3 minutes until slightly softened.
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Add 1/2 tbsp of olive oil to a medium pan and cook the eggplant over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Flip and cook 3 minutes.
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Reduce the heat to low and add the eel sauce. Use a spoon to coat the eggplant with the sauce. Cook another minute.
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Place rice to a serving bowl and top the rice with the cooked eggplant. Add thinly sliced nori and green onion for garnish.
- The ingredients do not include the olive oil used for cooking eggplant.
- <<GF alert!>> To make this dish gluten free, you can use gluten-free soy sauce or coconut aminos.