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Ton Negima (Grilled Pork Belly and Scallion Skewers)

By Harris Salat and Tadashi Ono

5.0

(10)

Cuts of pork belly on skewers interspersed with scallions surrounded by bowls of pickled cucumbers sticky rice and tea.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert

In some parts of Japan, yakiton (skewered, grilled pork) is even more popular than grilled chicken. The area of Tokyo where Tadashi grew up was chock-full of these spots. Yakiton joints grill every part of the pig, and we mean every part—cheek, jowl, brain, guts, some 20 different parts. Tadashi’s favorites back in the day included kashira (head), and nodo (throat), which is both crunchy and meaty. Assuming your local supermarket doesn’t carry nodo, we thought to share another kind of yakiton, the iconic and hugely popular ton negima, grilled pork belly and scallion.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    35 minutes

  • Yield

    Makes 12 skewers

Ingredients

1 pound fresh pork belly, cut into 1/4–inch-thick slices (about 1½ inches wide)
2 bunches scallions (white part only), cut into 1½-inch pieces
Salt
Sansho, for accent

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Thread the skewers by alternating the pork belly and scallion (about 3 pieces of pork belly and 2 pieces of scallion per skewer) so the pieces cover about 4 inches of skewer. As you work, turn the skewers in a screwing motion to make it easier to pierce the pork and scallion. When the skewers are ready, gently press down on each one with the heel of your hand to compact the meat. Lightly season all sides with salt.

    Step 2

    Preheat a grill to medium-hot. Grill skewers for 5 to 6 minutes, turning every minute to brown evenly. Be careful not to burn the pork belly. Don’t hesitate to spray flare-ups with water, or shift skewers as you grill, especially if you notice some skewers browning too fast over a hot spot; trade them with skewers grilling over a less hot part. Serve immediately. Accent with sansho.

Image may contain: Animal, Seafood, Food, Sea Life, Lobster, and Steak
Reprinted with permission from The Japanese Grill by Tadashi Ono & Harris Salat. Copyright © 2011 by Tadashi Ono and Harris Salat; food photographs copyright © 2011 by Todd Coleman. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House. Buy the full book from Penguin Random House or Amazon.
TagsSkewerJapaneseEast AsianAsianPork BellyPorkMeatScallionOnionRoot VegetableVegetableMainDinnerDairy FreeGluten FreeNut FreeKetoQuickEasyWeeknight Meals5 Ingredients or FewerGrillingCookbooks
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