Beef Negimaki

Beef negimaki is a dish where paper-thin slices of beef are wrapped around tender negi (Japanese leeks), then seared and glazed like teriyaki until glossy and savory-sweet.

You want very thin slices of beef that cook in a flash and stay tender. You can buy pre-sliced “shabu-shabu” or “hot pot” beef at Asian grocers or ask the butcher at mainstream store to slice paper-thin for you. If that’s not an option, you can partially freeze a steak at home and slice it yourself against the grain. I will explain recommended cuts in the later section.
Negi (Japanese leeks): true negi sometimes shows up at Japanese or Korean markets, but regular leeks are much easier to find at any supermarket and give you that same tender-sweet center. You can also use thick parts of green onions or scallions if that’s what you have.

Japanese soy sauce substitutes: Chinese light soy sauce works in a pinch. It’s slightly saltier, so start with a bit less. Avoid Chinese dark soy sauce: it’s too thick and molasses-heavy for this glaze.
Mirin substitutes: dry sherry or white wine plus some sugar captures that similar sweet depth. Cola (yes, really) also works 1:1.
Sake substitutes: dry sherry or white wine.
Potato starch substitutes: cornstarch or tapioca starch work perfectly.
Rice vinegar substitutes: white vinegar or apple cider vinegar. Use slightly less, as both are more acidic than rice vinegar’s gentle tang.
Yuzu substitute: for this Japanese citrus fruit lemon zest could be substituted.

Basic beef cuts:

Cut

Fat Content

Tenderness

Ribeye

High marbling

Very tender

Chuck Eye Roll

Good marbling

Moderately tender

Flank Steak

Lean

Somewhat tough unless cut properly

Round

Very Lean

Can be tough

Beef negimaki doesn’t require top-quality beef like shabu-shabu. You can use any cut of beef as long as it's thinly sliced. If you need to thinly slice the meat yourself at home, place the block of meat in the freezer for a short amount of time so that the meat becomes firm (but not frozen). This will make the meat easier to thinly slice.

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Ingredients

• 1½ tbsp Japanese soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 2 tbsp sake or dry sherry or white wine
• 1 tsp honey or brown sugar
• 1 tsp rice vinegar;
• 1 clove grated garlic or ½ tsp garlic paste for every clove
• 1 tsp grated ginger root or ginger paste
• 1 Japanese leek (negi) white part, or regular small leeks or green onions
• 150g (5oz) thinly sliced (1.5mm) beef ribeye or chuck eye roll
• 1 tsp potato starch or cornstarch
• 1 tsp cooking oil
• ½ tsp toasted sesame oil for finishing
• Japanese chili powder (shichimi togarashi) to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

How to Make My Beef Negimaki

Prepare the Sauce

1. In a small bowl, mix together Japanese soy sauce, sake, mirin, honey, grated garlic, grated ginger, and rice vinegar. This mix gives you a well-balanced, umami-rich glaze.
2. Put the sauce you just mixed near your stove so you can get to it easily while you’re cooking.

Prepare the Leeks

1. Prepare a pot of boiling water and an ice water bath.
2. Wash your Japanese leeks thoroughly and cut them into 10cm (4-inch) segments, primarily the white parts (use the greener parts for stock or soup). This length is ideal for rolling and gives you perfect bite-sized pieces after cooking.
3. Peel off one outer layer of the leek.
4. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the white parts of your leeks for about 60 seconds (extend to 90-120 seconds for regular leeks, but skip blanching altogether if using green onions).
5. After blanching, put them immediately into the ice water bath for a few minutes. Remove from the water and pat them dry with paper towels.

Select and Prepare Your Beef

1. For the best negimaki, you’ll need very thinly sliced beef.
2. If your beef slices are too small to fully wrap around the leek, overlap them slightly on a cutting board before rolling. This creates a seamless wrap that won’t fall apart during cooking.

Rolling

1. Lay your beef slices flat and place a piece of blanched leek at one end. Roll the beef tightly around the leek, making sure there are no gaps. If your beef is narrow, wrap it diagonally to create a spiral effect up the leek.
2. If you’ve got more beef than you need, you can use a double-layer rolling method where the beef slices overlap slightly. This helps prevent shrinkage when you’re cooking, making the end result more tender.

Why Roll Tightly?
A tight roll makes sure everything cooks evenly, keeps the leek from slipping out, and keeps the juices sealed inside the meat.

Apply the Coating

i. Lightly dust the rolled beef with potato starch, making sure to shake off any excess. This thin coating serves multiple purposes.

Why Potato Starch?
The starch coating creates a beautiful golden-brown exterior through a chemical reaction called the Maillard reaction, which is what gives those delicious browned flavors.

Cook

1. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add cooking oil and swirl it around to coat the surface. First, put your rolls in the pan with the seam-side down. This step is crucial because it seals the roll and bonds the proteins together with heat.
2. Brown each side quickly, about 30 to 60 seconds per side, and use tongs to turn the meat to make sure it browns evenly.
3. Resist the urge to use lower heat throughout. The high-heat sear creates a flavor-sealing crust while keeping the inside tender. The whole cooking process shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes, any longer and you risk drying out the thinly sliced beef.

Create the Perfect Glaze

1. When all sides are nicely browned, turn the heat down to medium-low and pour in your prepared sauce. If you want a cleaner flavor, push the rolls to one side and wipe out any excess oil in the pan with kitchen paper before adding the sauce.
2. Continuously move the rolls in the sauce while it reduces, about 1-2 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and develops a beautiful shine. Baste the rolls frequently to ensure even coating.

Don’t Over-Reduce Your Sauce

Watch your sauce carefully – there’s a fine line between perfect glaze and bitter, overly salty reduction. The ideal consistency is when it coats the back of a spoon but still flows slowly. If it starts to thicken too much, immediately add a tablespoon of water to stop the reduction.

Finish

1. Turn off the heat and transfer the rolls to a cutting board.
2. Allow the rolls to rest for 1-2 minutes before slicing. For the most attractive presentation, cut each roll into half or third.
3. Drizzle any remaining sauce from the pan over your plated negimaki, then finish with ½ tsp toasted sesame oil and your choice of toppings:

Shichimi togarashi
Freshly ground pepper
Yuzu peels (substitute lemon zest)
Shredded shiso leaves

Source: sudachirecipes.com/beef-negimaki