Beef Negimaki is an izakaya staple, but it's also a popular home-cooked dish. Their easy preparation makes them come together in minutes, making them the perfect weeknight meal or a flavorful addition to a bento box lunch. With fresh scallions rolled into thin slices of steak, these succulent meat rolls make for a mouthwatering appetizer along with an ice-cold beer or an easy one-pan meal served over a bowl of steamed rice.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
- Using very thinly sliced beef (about 1/16th inch thick) ensures the roll-ups stay tender and the scallions fully cook.
- Dusting the beef negimaki with potato starch creates a crust that helps the sauce adhere to the rolls.
- Reducing the teriyaki sauce with the negimaki allows the seasonings to permeate the roll-ups while creating a sticky glaze around them.
Ingredients
- Beef - The key to making a flavorful and tender negimaki is to use thinly sliced meat (1/16th inch in thickness is perfect) cut into rectangles. I used six slices of Wagyu that were about 3.5 x 6 inches in size. You can usually find meat sliced like this in Japanese or Asian supermarkets labeled for "Sukiyaki," "Shabu Shabu," or "Hot Pot." If you have a choice, go for the sukiyaki cut, as it tends to be slightly thicker than the meat for shabu shabu. If you have extra Wagyu, try my elevated Gyudon recipe. In the US you can look for beef that's been sliced for cheesesteak. In Japan, negimaki is also made with thinly sliced pork.
- Green Onions - "Negi" is the Japanese word for green onions (a.k.a. scallions, spring onions, etc). These crisp members of the allium genus are a popular vegetable in Japan and lend these rolls a mild onion flavor and sweetness that's the perfect complement to the savory beef. I recommend using the thinnest fresh scallions you can find. If they are over ¼-inch in diameter, split the stems in half or into quarters to ensure they cook through all the way. Although Negimaki, by definition, requires green onions, a similar dish called nikumaki (literally "meat rolls") can be stuffed with your choice of vegetables, such as asparagus, baby corn, green beans, or shredded carrots.
- Potato starch - Potato starch plays two roles in this recipe. First, it forms a crust that holds the beef roll-up shut. The second function is that the starch thickens the sauce around the meat, giving you a nice thick layer of glaze on each scallion roll. Other types of starch, such as tapioca starch or cornstarch, will work in a pinch.
- Vegetable oil - If you're using a fatty cut of meat such as beef sirloin or pork belly, you won't need to add very much oil to the pan as it will render out from the meat, but you will still need a little oil to get things started. I recommend using a neutral flavor oil with a high smoke point such as canola oil or grapeseed oil. Avoid using unrefined oils like sesame oil, as these tend to burn and get bitter.
- Sake - Teriyaki sauce gives this dish its traditional Japanese flavor, and it's made with just three ingredients. Sake is added to provide the taste of umami for the sauce. The alcohol burns off as it boils, so there's no need to worry about getting drunk. As for substitutes other rice wines like mirin or Shaoxing will work, but if you decide to use mirin, be sure to cut the amount of sugar in half.
- Soy sauce - Soy sauce is the primary seasoning in teriyaki sauce, adding salt and umami. I recommend using Japanese dark soy sauce. For a gluten-free option, tamari can be used instead of soy sauce; if you want to go soy-free, coconut aminos are an option.
- Sugar - A small amount of sugar balances the saltiness of the soy sauce and brings out the natural sweetness of the scallions. I used evaporated cane sugar, but any sweetener, such as brown sugar, granulated sugar, honey, or maple syrup, will work.
How to Make Beef Negimaki
To prep the scallions, use a sharp knife to trim the roots off, and then use a sheet of beef as a guide to measure how long to cut them. For thicker green onions, split the stems vertically to facilitate even cooking.
Next, lay a sheet of your thinly sliced beef on a flat surface. If your beef slices are too small, you can stagger a few slices of meat together, allowing them to overlap to make one bigger slice of beef.
Divide the scallions up by the number of sheets of beef you have, selecting a good mix of stems and greens. Then, place a bundle of green onions on one side of your meat and roll the beef over them, compressing them slightly as you roll it into a tight cylinder. Repeat with the remaining beef and scallions.
With the seam side of the negimaki facing up, add the potato starch to a fine mesh strainer (like a tea strainer) and use it to dust the beef roll-ups with a thin, even layer of starch. Roll the beef pieces around to dust off any excess starch and redistribute it to areas you may have missed.
To cook the negimaki beef, start preheating vegetable oil in a skillet until it's moderately hot. If your beef is lean, you may need to use a little extra oil. Carefully place the pieces of meat into the hot skillet with the seam-side down to sear them shut. As each surface browns, rotate the roll-ups until you've got nice browning on every side.
When the steak rolls are evenly browned, drain off as much oil in the pan as you can by using a paper towel to soak it up. This helps ensure a clear teriyaki sauce while reducing the amount of fat in the dish.
Add the sugar, sake, and soy sauce to the pan and allow the sauce to boil while you continuously turn the beef scallion rolls to glaze them. Once the sauce is nice and thick and coats each roll in a shiny layer, slice the rolls into bite-sized pieces, garnish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds, and drizzle with any remaining teriyaki sauce.
Serve it With
My favorite way to serve this beef negimaki recipe is over a bowl of grains like white rice, brown rice, or quinoa. This allows the sweet and savory sauce to percolate down through the grains, seasoning everything. You can also slice the rolls into bite-sized pieces and serve them on a platter skewered with toothpicks as a party appetizer. This beef negimaki recipe goes great with a side of sunomono, an easy cucumber salad dressed with rice vinegar. For the full Japanese restaurant experience, try making a spread of other dishes such as my miso glazed eggplant, crispy mushroom tempura, or my blistered shishito peppers. Add a Teriyaki Egg for the classic steak and egg combination. Negimaki also makes for a nice addition to a bento box lunch packed with cooked rice and small portions of a few side dishes like kinpira gobo and tamagoyaki. I explain how I pack my bentos in this Chicken Teriyaki Bento recipe, if you'd like some instructions to follow.
Store Negimaki
These are so good that you're unlikely to end up with leftovers, but if you do, you can store them in an airtight container for up to a few days. They can be reheated on the stovetop with any remaining teriyaki sauce, or you can heat them up in the microwave oven.
FAQ
Negimaki (ねぎ巻き) literally means "rolled scallions," and it's a classic Japanese dish made by rolling green onions with thinly sliced meat (beef or pork) and pan-frying it before it's glazed in a savory sweet sauce.
Negimaki is a 4-syllable word pronounced as follows (read the italicized parts).
ne like nest
gi like gear
ma like mall
ki like key
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 100 grams scallions
- 200 grams beef (thinly sliced for sukiyaki)
- 2 teaspoons potato starch
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons sake
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- Trim the ends off 100 grams scallions and then cut them a little wider than the width of your sheets of beef. If your green onions are thicker than ¼-inch, you'll want to split the stems in half vertically so they'll cook through evenly.
- Lay down a sheet of thinly sliced beef. If your meat slices are too small, stagger several smaller sheets, overlapping them by an inch so you have a sheet at least 6x4 inches (15x9cm).
- Add a mixture of scallion stems and greens to one side of your sheet of beef and roll them tightly with the beef, being careful not to tear the meat. Your roll should be about two layers of beef thick. Repeat with the rest of the beef and scallions.
- Add 2 teaspoons potato starch to a tea strainer and lightly dust all sides of the beef. Roll the rolls around to dust off any excess starch and coat any spots you've missed. Pay particular attention to the seams; otherwise, the rolls may open while cooking.
- Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat until moderately hot.
- Add 2 teaspoons vegetable oil to the hot skillet, then carefully place the negimaki rolls with the seam side down.
- Brown on one side and then roll the rolls onto another side to brown. Repeat until the rolls are browned on all sides.
- Use a paper towel to soak up any excess oil in the pan.
- Add 1 ½ tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons sake, and 2 tablespoons soy sauce to the pan. Continue cooking the negimaki beef while rolling them around in the teriyaki sauce until it's thickened and the roll-ups are coated in a thick glaze. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve over steamed rice.
Kate says
For a vegan version, I used tofu skin. It's a keeper. However, biting them cleanly is a real problem though 😅. Definitely cut them in half before serving.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Kate, that's such a great idea! Even the meat version benefits from getting cut into bite-sized pieces 😉 Glad you enjoyed!
Ginger says
Made this last night. I skipped the potato starch and it still turned out great. The best part really is how quickly it comes together. I prepped and cooked everything in the time it took the rice cooker to finish. Hit with my son, too. It will def get into regular rotation!
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Ginger, that's great to hear! Thanks for taking the time to drop by and let me know how it went! The starch helps the roll stick together, keeps the beef from getting dry, and helps the sauce stick to the rolls. If you don't have any, other starches or even wheat flour will work.