Vegan Unagi (Eel) with unbelievably scrumptious sauce!

By WoonHeng · 60 min

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Make the kombu dashi: soak a 2x3 piece of kombu in ¼ cup (60 g) water for 30–45 minutes until soft. Drain into a bowl and keep the kombu for another dish. Or mix 1–2 teaspoons vegan kombu dashi powder into ¼ cup water.
2. Mash the tofu: press a slab on a board in sections, pressing down and dragging each portion away to squeeze out water, 3–4 times over the slab. Or squeeze it in a nut milk bag. Put it in a large bowl; it should be fairly dry.
3. Blend the potato cubes to a fine paste, squeeze the paste through a nut milk bag, then add it to the tofu.
4. Season with salt and pepper, or 1–2 teaspoons soy sauce for a darker colour. Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch and mix. Add more if needed, but no more than 2 tablespoons. Divide into 4 equal portions.
5. Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water to make a slurry.
6. Lay a piece of nori shiny side down. Brush it with a thin layer of slurry, top with a portion of tofu mixture and spread it with your fingers to cover the nori, leaving a 1 cm border. Repeat for all the nori.
7. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a nonstick skillet. Place the unagi tofu side down and pan-fry over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes until golden brown. It is ready to flip when the nori side feels warm. Fry another minute for crispier tofu.
8. Flip and cook the nori side for about 30 seconds. Remove and let cool completely before cutting.
9. In the same skillet, add the kombu dashi, soy sauce, mirin, maple syrup and sugar and bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Reduce to medium and simmer until you see large bubbles. Turn off the heat and spoon the sauce over the cut unagi.
10. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and green onions. Serve warm with rice or noodles.

Summarized from WoonHeng's video. Watch it for the details.

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