Candied Tomato in Sake with a unique blend of sweet, tangy and umami notes. This can is a side dish, garnish, or even as part of a salad or appetizer. I paired the candied tomato with sake granita and it was really refreshing and delicious!
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What is Sake?
Sake(清酒) is a Japanese alcoholic beverage that's commonly referred to as "rice wine." However, it's technically more similar to beer in terms of production, even though it's often enjoyed like wine. Sake is primarily made from rice, water, yeast, and koji mold. The type of rice used and the specific brewing process can vary, leading to a wide range of sake styles and flavors. It is sometimes clean, smooth, and sometimes slightly sweet or dry. Sake typically has an alcohol content ranging from 15% to 20%. Based on its production methods, ingredients, and polishing ratios of the rice grains, sake is categorized into various types including Junmai, Ginjo, Daiginjo, Honjozo and Nigori.
Ingredients in Candied Tomato
- Tomato - Tomatoes absorb the flavors of the sake, ginger, sugar, and vinegar while retaining its natural sweetness and juiciness.
- Ginger - Marinating ginger with the tomatoes in the sake mixture adds a spicy and aromatic element. Ginger is a very common ingredients for many Asian dessert dishes.
- White Vinegar - White vinegar introduces acidity to the marinade, balancing the sweetness and adding a tangy kick to the dish. It also helps preserving the tomatoes.
- Sake - The sake I use for this recipe is Honjozo. It is slightly dryer and lighter than Junmai. You can use any sake you have at home.
- Sugar - Melting sugar in sake creates a sweet syrupy base for the candied tomatoes. This sweetness will complement the natural sweetness of the tomatoes and balance the other flavors.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to blanch tomato (remove tomato skin )?
Prepare a big bowl of iced water on the side.
Put your tomatoes into a pot of boiling water for 60–90 seconds.
Once the tomato skins split open, transfer tomatoes into ice water.
The skin should be easy to peel off.
(If using big tomatoes, mark a “X” on the bottom of each tomato before blanching. This helps the skin come off easier.)
How to candy tomato in sake?
Warm up sugar and sake in a sauce pan until sugar dissolves.
Add blanched tomatoes, sliced ginger, white vinegar in a glass jar.
Pour the sugared sake into jar with the rest of the ingredients.
Cover and let it soak overnight in the fridge.
Serve it cold as a side dish or garnish.
Equipment
You need glass jars or containers for this recipe. I use 16 oz. wide mouth mason jar for 1 serving.
Storage
Store in the fridge for up to 7 days. Freeze it for several months.
Recipe tips
No need to cook the tomatoes through! Blanching is just to remove the skin of fruit, not to cook it. The riper, softer the tomatoes are, the less blanching time you need. Greener tomatoes usually take more time to blanch.
Replace the alcohol for different flavors! You can try the recipe with red or white wine, even liquors, but beware that the liquored tomatoes might be too strong for appetizers.
Recipe FAQ
In the instructions, I only warm it up until sugar dissolves. If you do not want the tomato to be alcoholic, you can boil it for 3-5 minutes.
Yes. It is perfectly fine to add more blanched tomatoes after you finish the batch. You can also use the syrup for drinks or cooking. I use the leftover syrup for braising pork, and it tastes really good.
Recipe Card
Candied Tomato in Sake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 qt tomato
- 2 slice ginger about 3mm thick
- 50 ml white vinegar
- 100 ml sake
- 75 g granulated sugar
Instructions
- Blanch: Blanch the tomato.
- Dissolve: Warm up sugar and sake in a sauce pan until sugar dissolves.
- Add: Add blanched tomatoes, sliced ginger, white vinegar in a glass jar.
- Jar: Pour the sugared sake into jar with the rest of the ingredients.
- Soak: Cover and let it soak overnight in the fridge.
- Serve: Serve it cold as a side dish or garnish.
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