Tomato-maki (トマト巻き, pork-wrapped cherry tomato)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •6 bamboo skewers (kushi), soaked 20 minutes, or short metal skewers
• •Charcoal grill with binchōtan, or a gas grill, broiler, or cast-iron grill pan
• •Small saucepan
• •Small bowl and clean brush for tare

Instructions

1. 1

   Choose and dry

   Choose cherry tomatoes that are small, firm, and sweet, not soft. In summer, when tomatoes are in shun, they do most of the work. Wash them, pull off the stems, and dry them very well; water caught under the pork keeps the surface from browning and makes the wrap slip.

   Keep the tomatoes whole. A cut tomato leaks before the pork can brown, and for tomato-maki the little burst inside the wrap is the point.
2. 2

   Make the tare

   Combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, and a pinch of the salt in a small saucepan. Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, just until the sugar dissolves and the surface turns glossy. This is tare, a light grilling sauce. It should season and shine, not cover up the tomato.

3. 3

   Wrap the tomatoes

   Lay one pork strip flat, set a tomato at one end, and roll it snugly with just one small overlap. Trim any extra pork. More pork is not generosity here, it's an undercooked fold. Thread two wrapped tomatoes onto each skewer, passing through the overlap so the seam is pinned. Sprinkle lightly with the remaining salt just before grilling.

   Salt too early and the pork begins to weep. Salt just before the heat, and the surface browns more cleanly.
4. 4

   Grill seam first

   Heat a charcoal grill, gas grill, broiler, or cast-iron grill pan to medium-high. Brush the grate or pan lightly with oil. Lay the skewers seam-side down first and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the pork grips the tomato and browns underneath. Turn every minute for 5 to 7 minutes, until the pork is browned all around and the tomatoes look swollen, with one or two beginning to split.

   If pork fat flares over charcoal, move the skewers to a calmer spot. Soot is not seasoning.
5. 5

   Glaze late

   Spoon a little tare into a separate bowl for brushing. Brush the skewers only in the last 60 to 90 seconds, turning once or twice until the pork takes on a soy-dark gloss at the edges. Brush too early and the sugar scorches before the pork is cooked. Brush late and the tare stays clean.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Set the skewers on a small bed of shredded cabbage or beside it on the plate, with a dab of yuzu koshō if you like Kyūshū's sharp green heat. Let them rest for 2 minutes before eating. The tomato inside is hotter than it looks, so bite with attention. Leave the plate some room; a crowded pile hides the shine you worked for.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for shabu-shabu-thin pork belly. If it looks like bacon thickness, it's too thick; the tomato will collapse while the pork catches up. Thin pork shoulder is a sensible stand-in, leaner and less glossy, but it will still make a good skewer.
• •Use tomatoes of the same size. Mixed sizes cook unevenly: the smallest burst, the largest stay cool at the core. At shun, the skin should be taut and the fruit heavy for its size.
• •Binchōtan charcoal gives clean, steady heat, but a broiler set close to the rack works. Keep turning. Pork belly wants quick browning, not a long rest on one side.
• •Salt-only tomato-maki is common too. Skip the tare and finish with a pinch of salt if your tomatoes are especially sweet; that version is honmono, just quieter.

Advance Preparation

• •The tare can be made up to one week ahead and refrigerated. Warm it gently before brushing so it flows thinly over the pork.
• •The tomatoes can be wrapped up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate them, then salt just before grilling so the pork stays dry on the surface.
• •Soak bamboo skewers for 20 minutes while the tare cools. Soaking helps the exposed ends char slowly instead of burning away.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)