Japanese Vegetable Skewers aka Vegetable Yakitori

• 1 Japanese eggplant
• 1 zucchini
• 2 king oyster mushrooms
• 1 bell pepper
• 24 shishito peppers
• 24 cherry tomatoes
• 1 red onion
• 8 spears asparagus

Tare

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup mirin
• 1/4 cup sake
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 4 green onions whites only
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 slice ginger

• In a very small pot, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, sugar, green onion whites, garlic, and ginger. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and when bubbly, reduce the heat to low. Let the sauce bubble away and reduce until it’s thick and glossy, it should take about 20 minutes. Keep and eye on it and stir it every once in a while. While the tare is reducing, you can prep the vegetables. When the sauce is slightly thick, remove the aromatics and discard.
  
• Wash the vegetables and cut into 2-2.5 inch even bite-sized pieces that are easy to thread onto skewers. Long, baton-like shapes work best.
  
• Thread the vegetables onto the skewers, with 4-6 pieces of vegetables per stick.
  
• Grill the skewers on a medium-hot grill, flipping occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and slightly charred, about 5-8 minutes, depending on the vegetable.
  
• Brush the yakitori generously with the tare and continue to grill for 1-2 more minutes or until the tare caramelizes slightly. Enjoy hot!