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Beef Negimaki (Japanese Steak and Scallion Rolls)

4.91 from 10 votes
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield 4 –6 servings
Category Main Dish
Cuisine Japanese
Author Lauren Grant

Description

These sweet and savory grilled beef and scallion rolls make a great appetizer or full meal served with rice and snap peas or asparagus.

Ingredients

  • 1 (2-pound) flank steak, trimmed
  • ½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ cup mirin
  • ¼ cup sake
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • ¾ teaspoon grated fresh ginger, optional
  • 16 scallions, trimmed and halved crosswise
  • Cooked rice for serving, optional
  • Steamed, sautéed or charred snap peas, for serving, optional

Instructions

Assembly

  • Place steak on large plate and freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
  • Combine ½ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup honey, ¼ cup mirin, and ¼ cup sake in a small saucepan over medium. Bring to a simmer, stirring to combine, and cook until slightly syrupy and reduced by half (about ⅔ cup), 8–10 minutes.
  • Off heat, stir in 1 tablespoon sesame seeds and ¾ grated ginger, if using. Divide sauce evenly between 2 bowls and let cool; set one bowl aside for serving.
  • Transfer steak to a cutting board and, starting at narrow tapered end, slice steak ⅜-inch thick on bias against grain until width of steak is 7-inches (depending on size of steak, you will need to remove 2–3 slices until steak measures 7-inches across).
  • Cut steak in half lengthwise then continue to cut each half (on a bias and against the grain) into ⅜-inch thick slices. You should have at least 24 slices. Pound each slice to 3/16-inch thickness using a flat meat tenderizer or rolling pin.
  • Arrange 3 slices of meat on cutting board with short side of slices facing you, overlapping slices by ¼-inch and alternating tapered ends to form a rough rectangle 4–6-inches wide and at least 4-inches long.
  • Place 4 scallion halves along edge of rectangle parallel to you and perpendicular across steak slices, with white tips slightly hanging over edges of steak on either side. Starting from bottom edge (nearest you), roll steak over scallions (away from you), into a tight roll. Insert 3 toothpicks, equally spaced amongst each slice of meat, into meat ends and through center of roll.
  • Transfer roll to platter and repeat with remaining steak and scallions. (Assembled rolls can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

For a Charcoal Grill

  • Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4½ quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

For a Gas Grill

  • Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave all burners on high. (If your grill runs hot, decrease temp to medium-high before placing rolls on grate).

Grilling

  • Brush grill grate with oil. Place rolls on grill (over coals if using charcoal) and cook until first side is beginning to char, about 4 minutes. Flip rolls, brush cooked side with glaze, and cook until second side is beginning to char, about 4 minutes. Cook remaining 2 sides, glazing after each turn, until all 4 sides of rolls are evenly charred and thermometer inserted from end of roll into scallions at core registers around 150ºF (65ºC), 2–4 minutes more (10–12 minutes total cooking time).

Serving

  • Transfer rolls to cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Discard any remaining glaze used for brushing over meat.
  • Remove toothpicks from rolls and cut rolls crosswise into 3 pieces (about ¾-inch-long). Arrange rolls cut side down on a clean platter and drizzle with 2 tablespoons reserved glaze. Serve with any remaining reserved glaze.

Notes

GLUTEN-FREE: use gluten-free soy sauce to make this recipe gluten-free. You can also use tamari, but it's much saltier so you'll need to use less. Start with 1/4 cup tamari and a 1/4 cup water; adjust with more tamari as needed.
Ask your butcher or meat counter for a flank steak that’s pretty rectangular in shape. This will make it easier to get evenly shaped slices. If you end up with extra slices of steak, grill those on their own with the rolls and brush with glaze. They’ll cook much faster than the rolls, but they make a great snack for the cook/grill master.
For even more sesame flavor, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds or drizzle toasted sesame oil over rolls before serving.
If the beef sticks to the meat tenderizer or rolling pin during pounding, lay a piece of plastic wrap over the beef, this will keep it from sticking.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the recipeCalories: 394kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 45gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 83mgSodium: 1352mgFiber: 2gSugar: 16g
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