Beef negimaki is a Japanese classic beef dish often served over rice for dinner or used as a protein element in a lunch bento box. Tender pounded beef rolls filled with spring onions are pan seared and then glazed with a sweet and sticky pan sauce made with garlic, ginger, soy, mirin and toasted sesame oil.
Perfect served with fluffy or sticky white rice, beef negimaki is a wonderful weeknight dinner that can be made in less than 30 minutes and is absolutely delicious. Let’s get started…
Begin by placing 4 thin slices of flank steak between sheets of plastic or parchment paper and pounding them evenly thin and trim the ends off of 8 green onions.
In a small dish, combine 2 cloves of finely minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of grated ginger, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup of mirin, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil. This is our teriyaki style sauce. It is really delicious over rice as well, so I often double the recipe to make sure that I have some left over.
Once the beef is nice and thin, season with a pinch of salt and black pepper and roll tightly like a cigar with 2 green onions facing opposite directions (a white end on each side with the greens in the middle).
Repeat with each piece of beef.
This next step is optional and if you are avoiding flour, feel free to skip it.
Lightly coat the outside of each roll in rice flour (or all purpose flour) and shake of any excess. If your beef rolls are very long, you can carefully slice them in half to make them easier to work with.
Set the floured rolls onto a plate and place a large shallow skillet over medium heat.
Add a tablespoon of a neutral oil into a warm skillet and place your beef negimaki rolls seam side down.
Note: If you are concerned with your rolls coming apart, you can secure them with a toothpick at each end. I usually do not have trouble with them unrolling if I roll them tightly and sear the seam side first.
Once the seam side is golden brown and well seared, gently roll them over and continue searing until all sides are golden brown and the center of your rolls are medium rare. This should take about 9 minutes and the rolls interior temperature should be around 135F (57c) degrees.
Transfer the seared beef rolls onto a plate and set aside. Carefully add your sauce mixture into the skillet and bring to a simmer. Use a wooden spoon to move the sauce around the skillet and worked up any brown bits left behind from the beef.
Once the sauce has reduced, return the beef rolls into the skillet and spoon the sauce over them. Remove the skillet from the heat.
Traditionally, beef negimaki is served sliced into bite sized pieces. To do this, use tongs or a slotted fish spatula to transfer the rolls onto a cutting board. Use a very sharp knife to slice the rolls into inch or inch and half sized pieces.
Nestle the rolls cut side down next to some white rice and garnish with thinly sliced green onions and white sesame seeds. Before serving, drizzle the remaining sauce over the beef rolls.
Pounding the beef thin makes the negimaki rolls very tender and the green onions inside soften and their natural sweetness is beautifully developed.
The teriyaki sauce is thick and sticky with just the right amount of sweetness and loads of comforting umami flavors.
If you love Japanese flavors then this beef negimaki is definitely for you! These are tender, flavorful and quite simple to make. They are perfect for lunch or dinner, at home or on the go.
Beef Negimaki
Ingredients
- 1 - 1 1/2 pounds of flank steak, thinly sliced (4 slices)
- 8 green onions, ends trimmed
- salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup of rice flour or all purpose flour (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of a neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon of finely minced ginger
- 1/2 cup of soy sauce
- 1/4 cup of mirin
- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil
- green onions, thinly sliced (garnish)
- 1 teaspoon of white sesame seeds (garnish)
Instructions
- Place the very thin slices of flank steak between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper and pound each one into uniform thinness
- Trim the root off of the green onions and lay two over each portion of pounded beef
- Roll the beef up tightly like a cigar and secure with several toothpicks (optional)
- Lightly dust each roll with rice flour and shake off the excess (optional)
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add a tablespoon of a neutral oil
- Brown the rolls starting with the seam side for about 3 minutes per side or until the outside is crisp and the inside is about medium rare (about 9 minutes total)
- Transfer the beef rolls onto a plate, remove the toothpicks, if used, and set aside
- Add 2 cloves of finely minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of grated ginger, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup of mirin, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil into the skillet and bring to a simmer
- Once the sauce thickens, add the beef rolls into the skillet and spoon the sauce over the rolls
- To serve, slice the rolls into bite sized pieces and garnish with white sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onions
- Serve over rice or noodles (optional)
