If you’re into Japanese food, eel sauce is probably already on your radar. It pops up all over the place – on sushi rolls, drizzled over grilled meats, even splashed on veggies. For good reason, people adore it.
But what’s actually in that sweet, sticky stuff? How many calories sneak into your meal when you pour it on? And what nutritional value does it hold? Let’s explore what eel sauce is and why people keep coming back for more.
What is Eel Sauce?
Eel sauce, also known as kabayaki sauce, is very popular in Japan. People adore this sweet and savory Japanese dip, but they actually don’t know what is eel sauce.
Knowing what you are consuming, the composition, is important to have a well-balanced diet. This eel sauce is highly regarded for its rich taste and thick, dark texture.
The funny thing is, there’s actually no eel in it at all. The sauce gets its deep flavour through a mix of soy sauce, sugar, and a splash of sake or mirin (a sweet rice wine) for a little extra depth.
How Many Calories are in Eel Sauce?
So, by now you know what is eel sauce, but you are probably wondering how many calories it contains. Well, one tablespoon (around 15 grams) contains somewhere between 35 and 50 calories, mostly from sugar.
Honestly, one spoonful is not going to blow your diet. But if you add it to everything, those calories certainly add up quickly with each bite. If you are counting calories, at least be mindful of how much you are drizzling on your food.
Nutritional Facts In Eel Sauce
Eel sauce is delicious, even addictive. However, it offers a small amount of nutritional value. It is, indeed, a delectable sauce from Japan, but there’s nothing nutritionally organic about the contents in it.
We’re talking a sauce packed with sugar; one tablespoon usually amounts to 7 to 12 grams of carbs with little to no protein or fat.
And don’t even get started with the sodium count, since soy sauce base pushes up to 250 to 400 mg per tablespoon. If you pour eel sauce into a bowl of ramen, you’d probably need some nutrient supplements to balance your diet instantly.
If you’re watching your salt, go easy on the special sauce; a little bit goes a long way without giving you heartburn.
Eel Sauce Recipe
The Eel Sauce recipe is much simpler than you think.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup mirin (sweet rice wine)
You pour all the ingredients into a small pot and cook them on low heat. You give it a nice stir here and there while evaporating ¾ of the contents to get that thick, syrupy texture we all know and love.
Making it at home should be a piece of cake; even cake is much more difficult to make than this, and homemade usually tastes much fresher than anything you’d be served at restaurants or the store, tweaking it to your own taste as you please.
Conclusion
Eel sauce packs a bold, savory punch that can liven up just about anything you put it on. Yeah, there’s some sugar and salt in there, but as long as you don’t drown your food in it, you get all that deep flavor without piling on extra calories.
Toss it on homemade meals or drizzle it over takeout; either way, you’re getting a taste of Japan that sticks with you.
