Beef Negimaki
Negimaki is a flavorful Japanese dish featuring tender slices of meat marinated in a teriyaki-based sauce, wrapped around fresh scallions, and grilled to perfection. The term "Negimaki" comes from the Japanese words negi (scallions) and maki (roll), referring to the method of rolling meat around scallions. While beef is the traditional choice for this dish, chicken is a widely accepted alternative. This recipe offers the flexibility to prepare the negimaki ahead of time, allowing the flavors to meld while you refrigerate the prepared rolls until it’s time to grill. For a complete meal, serve alongside steamed rice and a light green salad or roasted vegetables. Any leftovers can be diced and incorporated into fried rice the next day.
Ingredients
- 12 scallions trimmed and halved crosswise
- Salt
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup mirin
- ⅓ cup sake
- ⅓ cup turbinado sugar or ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 pound flank steak approximately 6–7 inches in square size
- Vegetable oil for greasing grill grates
- Ice
Instructions
- Blanch the Scallions
- Begin by preparing the scallions. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Blanch the lighter ends of the scallions for about 1 minute, then add the darker green parts and blanch for an additional minute. Drain the scallions and transfer them to a bowl of ice water to cool. After they have cooled, drain the scallions and place them on a paper towel-lined plate to remove any excess water.
- Prepare the Marinade
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and turbinado sugar. Stir the mixture thoroughly until the sugar is mostly dissolved. This will serve as the marinade for the beef.
- Prepare the Flank Steak
- Slice the flank steak against the grain into 4 equal strips. Then, cut each strip in half, yielding 8 square pieces of meat. To butterfly each piece, carefully slice through the center horizontally, ensuring the meat remains attached on one side. Open each piece like a book, creating rectangles approximately 3 inches wide.
- Tenderize the Meat
- Using a meat mallet, cover each piece of meat with plastic wrap and pound it until it reaches about 1/16 inch thick. The goal is to create thin, wide rectangles (approximately 5 by 6 inches). Once the meat is pounded, transfer it to the prepared soy sauce marinade and turn to coat. Let the meat marinate for about 5 minutes.
- Grill Preparation
- Preheat your grill to medium-high heat and grease the grates with vegetable oil. Alternatively, if using a grill pan or stovetop griddle, grease it lightly. Remove the marinated steak from the mixture, and transfer the marinade to a small saucepan. Simmer the marinade over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes until it thickens.
- Assemble the Negimaki
- Lay the pieces of steak flat on a work surface. Place the cooled scallions along the shorter edge of each piece, making sure the scallions are parallel to the grain of the meat. Carefully roll the steak around the scallions, securing the roll with toothpicks at two points where the meat overlaps. Ensure the toothpicks are threaded parallel to the roll but not through the scallions.
- Grill the Negimaki
- Grill the negimaki, turning occasionally, until the meat is nicely charred and cooked through. Reduce the heat to medium halfway through the grilling process. This should take about 12 minutes. If using a grill pan, begin on medium-high heat and reduce it to medium halfway through.
- Finish and Serve
- After grilling, brush the negimaki rolls lightly with the reduced marinade for extra flavor. Transfer the rolls to a cutting board, remove the toothpicks, and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Arrange the pieces on a platter and drizzle with the remaining glaze. Serve the negimaki warm and enjoy.
Notes
This version preserves the essence of the original recipe while offering a more formal structure and language. The instructions maintain clarity, and the ingredients are presented in a well-organized manner for easy reference.