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Japanese Kabayaki Tilapia Rice

groups3 servingsspeedMediumcountertopsPrep: 20 minsskilletCook: 20 minsscheduleTotal: 40 minsoutdoor_grillPan-fried
Allergens:warningFishwarningSoywarningSesamewarningGluten

Allergen labels are AI-generated and may be incomplete or wrong. If you have a food allergy, always verify every ingredient yourself.

Recipe details are AI-generated from the video and may contain errors — for reference only.

skilletInstruction

13 Steps Total
01
Preparation
00:00:14
warningStay safe

Keep your fingers curled when cutting to avoid knife injuries.

Prepare 15g of ginger, smash it 3 times, slice and flatten it; cut 1 scallion into sections and flatten them.

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Watch out

Ginger and scallions must be flattened to effectively release aromas and remove fishy odors.

Ingredients:ginger (15 g)scallion (1 piece)
Tools:knifecutting board
02
Preparation
00:00:37

Put the prepared ginger and scallions into a glass bowl, add 45ml of rice wine, 2.5g of salt, and 1g of white pepper, mix thoroughly to make the marinade.

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Watch out

Salt and white pepper must be mixed evenly

otherwise, uneven marination will affect odor removal

Ingredients:gingerscallionrice wine (45 ml)Salt (2.5 g)white pepper powder (1 g)
Tools:bowl
03
Preparation
00:01:03
warningStay safe

Wash hands thoroughly after handling raw fish to prevent cross-contamination.

Take 3 tilapia fillets totaling about 320g, and cut them into evenly sized chunks with a knife.

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Watch out

Cut fish chunks to a uniform size to ensure even cooking times.

Ingredients:tilapia fillet (320 g)
Tools:knifecutting board
04
Waiting Time
00:01:23

Wear plastic gloves, gently mix the tilapia chunks into the marinade, and let marinate for 20 minutes to absorb flavor and remove fishy odors.

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Watch out

Mix gently to avoid breaking the fish chunks.

Ingredients:tilapia filletgingerscallionrice wineSaltwhite pepper powder
Tools:gloves
05
Preparation
00:01:43
warningStay safe

Keep fingers away from the grater teeth to avoid scrapes.

Peel another piece of ginger with a peeler, grate it into fine paste using a grater, and set aside 1 teaspoon (about 5g) of ginger paste.

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Watch out

Ginger skin must be completely removed to avoid affecting the sauce texture.

Ingredients:ginger (5 g)
Tools:peelergrater
06
Preparation
00:02:01

In a glass bowl, add 45ml Japanese soy sauce, 60ml rice wine, 30ml mirin, 1 tsp ginger paste, 120ml water, 20g fine sugar, and 5ml honey, stir well until sugar dissolves completely to make kabayaki sauce.

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Watch out

Sugar and honey must be completely dissolved

otherwise, they will caramelize and burn at the bottom during cooking

Ingredients:soy sauce (45 ml)rice wine (60 ml)mirin (30 ml)ginger (5 g)water (120 ml)sugar (20 g)honey (5 ml)
Tools:bowlspoon
07
Preparation
00:02:47

Take out the marinated tilapia chunks and thoroughly pat dry their surface moisture with paper towels.

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Watch out

Surface moisture must be dried

otherwise, hot oil will splatter and flour coating will fail

Ingredients:tilapia fillet
Tools:paper towel
08
Waiting Time
00:02:58

Evenly coat the dried tilapia chunks with a thin layer of cake flour, and let rest for 10 minutes to set the coating.

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Watch out

Coat evenly and thin, rest 10 minutes so it sets

otherwise, it will peel off during frying

Ingredients:tilapia filletall-purpose flour (20 g)
09
Active Cooking
00:03:11
warningStay safe

Hot oil may splatter if there is residual moisture; keep a safe distance when placing fish into the pan.

Heat the pan, add 15ml cooking oil, put in the flour-coated tilapia chunks, and pan-fry on low heat until both sides turn golden brown.

local_fire_departmentLow heat
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Watch out

Use low heat throughout

high heat will burn the flour while leaving the inside uncooked

Ingredients:oil (15 ml)tilapia filletall-purpose flour
Tools:Frying panTongs
10
Active Cooking
00:03:42
warningStay safe

Pouring liquid into hot oil can cause steam and oil splatters; operate with caution.

Pour in the prepared kabayaki sauce, bring to a boil on high heat for 1 minute, then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sauce thickens.

local_fire_departmentHigh heat to medium-low heat
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Watch out

The sauce contains sugar

after turning to medium-low, watch out to prevent burning at the bottom

Ingredients:water
Tools:Frying pan
11
Active Cooking
00:04:00

Flip once at the 8-minute mark; once the sauce becomes thick, flip once more until the sauce is thick and glossy.

local_fire_departmentMedium-low heat
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Watch out

Use a wooden spatula gently when flipping to prevent the fish from breaking apart.

Tools:wooden spatula
12
Active Cooking
00:04:17

When the sauce becomes thick like this, spoon out 2/3 of the sauce to drizzle over rice; then simmer on low for 1 minute, spooning the remaining sauce repeatedly over the tilapia, finally sprinkle with toasted white sesame seeds and remove from heat.

local_fire_departmentLow heat
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Watch out

Once thickened, the sauce burns very easily

stay by the pan and continuously spoon sauce during the final minute

Ingredients:white sesame seeds (5 g)
Tools:spoon
13
Preparation
00:04:57

Serve 3 bowls of cooked white rice, drizzle with the reserved sauce, neatly arrange the cooked kabayaki tilapia chunks on top of the rice to complete the kabayaki tilapia rice.

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Watch out

Arrange fish chunks gently to keep the sauce glossy and intact.

Ingredients:white rice (3 cup)
Tools:bowlspoon

groceryAll Ingredients

tilapia fillet320 g
all-purpose flour20 g
white sesame seeds5 g
rice wine105 ml
Salt2.5 g
white pepper powder1 g
ginger20 g
scallion1 piece
soy sauce45 ml
mirin30 ml
sugar20 g
honey5 ml
water120 ml
oil15 ml
white rice3 cup

blenderAll Tools Needed

knifecutting boardbowlglovespeelergraterspoonpaper towelFrying panTongswooden spatula