-
1
Prepare the dashi for the kimo no suimono. Bring it to a gentle simmer. Add the eel livers and poach briefly until just firm and the raw grey colour has gone. Season with salt and a small measure of light soy sauce. The soup must remain clear and delicate — it is done when the broth is fragrant with the liver's character yet still translucent.
-
2
Cook the rice and keep it hot. For unaju in its premium form, layer the hot rice into the lacquered jubako in two stages: a base layer of rice, a layer of kabayaki eel, a second layer of rice, and a final layer of eel over the top — this hitsumai or juu-mabushi layering communicates generosity. For unadon, pile the rice into the ceramic donburi bowl and lay the eel over the top. The rice must be hot enough that steam rises when the vessel is opened or examined: cold eel fat is unpleasant and the dish fails entirely if served below serving temperature.
-
3
This is where the dish lives or dies: place the lacquered lid on the jubako and bring the vessel to the table closed. The lid is lifted and set beside the box at the moment of eating — not before — so that the first release of kabayaki fragrance (sweet, smoky, caramelised tsume, warm eel) reaches the diner as the intended opening of the meal. This fragrance release is a formal part of the dining experience. The eel is at its absolute best in the first three to five minutes after the lid is lifted; eat promptly.
-
4
Serve the kimo no suimono in a separate covered bowl alongside the unaju or unadon. Set out a small dish of additional tsume sauce, the sansho powder in a separate vessel, and the sliced takuan. Instruct the diner to taste the eel first without sansho — then to apply the powder to a portion and compare. The sansho's electric tingle and fragrance cut through the eel's fat; the contrast between the two tastes is the point. The soup's delicate liver and dashi counterpoint the richness of the eel rice: the pairing is complete when both are present on the table.