Eel sauce is our new favorite cooking hack for making any dish sweet and savory with zero hassle

Here are five practical and delicious ways to put your leftover eel sauce to use. Unagi no tare, often mistakenly believed to contain actual eel, is primarily made of soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar, though some commercial versions contain a small amount of eel extract.

First, elevate ordinary rice balls by mixing eel sauce into the rice before shaping. Add green onions and roasted sesame seeds for extra taste, then grill until the rice has some caramelization. The result is a deeper, richer flavor than using soy sauce alone.

Next, whip up a quick and hearty oyakodon (chicken and egg rice bowl). Simmer eel sauce with water, then add chicken and onions. Once mostly cooked, incorporate beaten egg, then serve over rice. This version is just as flavorful as the traditional simmered stock method, but with less effort.

For a simple fish dish, try grilling Japanese amberjack. Pan-fry the fish briefly, then mix equal portions of eel sauce and water. Reduce the liquid until it thickens. The glossy appearance and savory taste make for an impressive meal that barely requires any prep work.

Hard-boiled eggs become a salty-sweet treat when treated with eel sauce. Soak peeled eggs in a bag with eel sauce for half a day to absorb the flavors. The salty-sweet combination complements the eggs perfectly.

Lastly, transform traditional mitarashi dango (sweet rice dumplings) into something new. Combine eel sauce with water and add potato starch to thicken. Cook the sauce until it becomes thick, then drizzle it over chilled dango. For added sweetness, blend in kuromitsu or sugar. This dessert is a delightful way to use up eel sauce while creating something entirely new.