Larisa's Not Negimaki

Larisa’s Not Negimaki serves 6 normal dinner appetites

One of the side effects of being a foodie who worked in restaurants twenty plus years ago – coupled, perhaps with a mix of nostalgia and memory loss, is that sometimes recipes get embellished in my mind almost beyond recognition.  Sometimes the embellished version tastes better, even if it doesn’t look as pretty when I make it. 

I worked in the upstairs dining room of a Washington, D.C. sushi bar when I was  a young, flamboyant thing.  The kitchen staff seared very tender cuts of beef and sent it in slabs to the the sushi chefs, who sliced it as thin as if it were one of their papery radish garnishes.  We served the beef on big platters, individually rolled like roses with scallions and drizzled with a sauce made of mirin, shoyu, sake and a bit of ginger.  Occasionally a diner unrolled a "maki" and discovered to his or her horror that it was "too long" to eat gracefully without a knife.  Instead of getting a knife, I would cut the strips smaller at their table by manipulating two pairs of chopsticks at once, one in each hand - no knives.  (The trick is to pierce the meat with the points of a pair of skinny chopsticks closed together, then push them open at once.  People actually started requesting this silly little feat!)  The meat in the picture above was sliced rather thickly with a Santoku knife and is a rather ordinary cut of beef; I couldn't possibly cut it neatly with chopsticks.

I haven’t eaten this particular dish in a restaurant since probably 1984 or 1985, but I’ve thought of it several times recently, adding a few ingredients and changing the preparation in my mind each time. 

Not Negimaki Ingredients

3 lbs beef, without gristle.  Tri-tip would be great.

Peanut oil for two cast iron skillets

Marinade

2 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. shoyu or tamari

2 tbsp. mirin

2 tbsp. light vinegar – rice or coconut would be best.

1 tbsp. shiro miso (shiro means white, but it is a light mustard color)

1/3 c. dry sake.  Try to get a reasonably good brand.  If you have to make do with 
         Sho Chiku Bai, make sure you get extra dry.

Juice of ½ lime

Greens from 2 bunches scallions, sliced. 

12-16 cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

Method

Mix all liquid ingredients until smooth.  Heat empty cast iron skillets several minutes on medium high to high heat, until it is smoking hot, then add enough oil to coat bottom and split 3 lb. steak between the two skillets.  Sear on each side – just long enough to make a good crust, about 2 minutes on each side.  Do not leave long enough to cook through.  Steak should be very rare inside but have some crunch at the edges.  Remove from heat and let cool before slicing against the grain into very thin slices.  If you have a good knife, you can slice it thinly enough to roll it up with scallions in the middle like the original negi [scallion] maki [hand roll].)  Pour most of the marinade (reserving 1/3 cup) and half the scallions and cherry tomatoes into one skillet.  Cook, stirring, until reduced by half and vegetables are wilted.  Arrange beef on a platter.  Pour reduced sauce over top.  Arrange fresh vegetables around edges for color.  Serve with some fresh sauce for dipping.    

Enjoy!