Chicken Negimaki Recipes

NEGIMAKI

Steps:

• Stir together the soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a pie dish or similar shallow container until the sugar is almost dissolved. Set the marinade aside.
• Cut the beef with the grain into 24 slices, each about 1/2 inch thick. Working in batches, arrange a few slices cut-side up on a piece of plastic wrap, leaving a few inches between each slice. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until the slices are 1/8 inch thick or a little less.
• Lay 3 slices on a work surface parallel to you with the long sides slightly overlapping (by about 1/4 inch). Cut 3 pieces of scallion the same width as the beef and place them across the meat at the end closest to you. Tightly roll the meat around the scallions, starting at the end closest to you. Secure the roll with 2 toothpicks--1 placed horizontally along each of the 2 "seams." Repeat with the remaining beef and scallions. You will end up with 8 rolls.
• Place the rolls in the marinade, turn to coat and marinate, turning once halfway through, for about 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate, letting any excess marinade drain off, and pat dry (reserve the marinade).
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rolls and brown on 4 sides, 3 or 4 minutes total (the middle should still be rare). When you flip the rolls the last time, reduce the heat to medium, add the reserved marinade and simmer, turning the rolls a few times, until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. (The meat should still be pink in the middle at this point. If you prefer your meat more well done, simmer it a little longer; just be careful not to reduce the sauce too much. If that happens, thin it with a little water.)
• Transfer the rolls to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, remove the toothpicks. Using a very sharp knife, cut the rolls crosswise into pieces about 1 inch wide and serve upright on plates. Drizzle with the sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if using.

CHICKEN NEGIMAKI WITH SPICY RED PEPPER DIPPING SAUCE

Steps:

• Make negimaki:
• Remove "tenders" from chicken if necessary (see above note). Pound breast halves ‚ inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. On a work surface arrange 1 breast half, smooth side down, with a long side facing you and put 1 scallion (or 2 if very thin) lengthwise on chicken. Roll chicken around scallion and tie with kitchen string at 1-inch intervals. Trim scallion flush with chicken. Make 7 more rolls in same manner.
• Mince garlic and in a shallow baking dish just large enough to hold rolls in one layer stir together garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Add rolls, turning them to coat. Marinate negimaki, covered and chilled, at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
• Make sauce:
• Coarsely chop bell pepper and in a blender purée with white vinegar. Transfer mixture to a small saucepan and stir in sugar, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste. Simmer sauce 5 minutes and cool. Sauce may be made 1 week ahead and chilled in an airtight container.
• Spread sesame seeds on a sheet of wax paper. Remove negimaki from marinade, letting excess drip off, and roll in sesame seeds to coat. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook negimaki in 2 batches, turning them occasionally, until cooked through, about 10 minutes, adding remaining tablespoon vegetable oil to skillet as necessary. Transfer negimaki as cooked to a cutting board and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices, discarding string.
• Push skewers through sesame seed-coated edge of slices. Serve negimaki warm or at room temperature with dipping sauce.

CHICKEN NEGIMAKI

Steps:

• Put soy sauce, mirin, garlic and scallions in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until bubbling, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool slightly.
• Prepare charcoal or gas grill; heat should be medium and rack about 4 inches from fire. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Remove scallions from soy mixture with slotted spoon and divide evenly among chicken cutlets: Turn wide side of each cutlet to face you and put 2 or 3 scallions on edge closest to you, with some scallion sticking out of each end. Roll each cutlet up like a jelly roll and secure in two or three places with toothpicks or butcher's twine. Brush chicken rolls with sesame oil.
• Grill chicken, brushing occasionally with remaining soy mixture and turning each piece once or twice, until cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. To check for doneness, cut into a piece with a thin-bladed knife; center should be white or slightly pink. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature with lemon or lime wedges.

BEEF NEGIMAKI

Steps:

• In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, blanch lighter scallion ends for 1 minute, then add darker green scallion ends and blanch for 1 minute longer. Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool, then drain and transfer scallions to a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess water.
• In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar, stirring to dissolve most of the sugar.
• Working on a cutting board, cut flank steak against the grain into 4 equal strips, then cut each strip in half for 8 equal square pieces of meat. Keeping your knife parallel to the cutting board, butterfly each square by horizontally slicing against the grain through the middle. (Leave it attached on one side; do not cut all the way through.) Carefully open it like a book. Each of the 8 pieces should be about 3 inches wide.
• Using a meat mallet and working with one piece of meat at a time, cover each with plastic wrap and pound until 1/16-inch thick, creating rectangles that are about 5-by-6 inches. Transfer meat to the soy sauce marinade, turn to coat and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Heat grill to medium-high and grease the grates (Alternatively, grease a grill pan or griddle to use on the stovetop). Remove steak from marinade and transfer to a work surface. Transfer marinade to a small saucepan over medium-low and simmer until thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, divide scallions among the 8 pieces of steak, arranging on one side along the shorter edge (scallions should be parallel to the grain). Tightly roll meat around the scallions and secure in two places with toothpicks where meat overlaps, threading the toothpicks parallel to the roll but not through the scallions in the center.
• Grill the negimaki, turning occasionally, until nicely charred and cooked through, reducing heat to medium halfway through, about 12 minutes. (If using a grill pan, heat on stovetop over medium-high and reduce heat to medium halfway through.)
• Once negimaki are cooked, lightly brush them with some of the reduced glaze, then transfer to a cutting board. Remove toothpicks, cut negimaki into bite-size pieces and arrange on a serving platter. Drizzle with the remaining glaze, and serve warm.