Beef & Asparagus Rolls

These meat and vegetable rolls, known as "niku-maki," are a popular entrée in homes around Japan. Different meats and vegetables can be used, but the key is to use meat that has been sliced paper-thin using a meat slicer. This makes for a ridiculously tender wrapper of beef around a crisp vegetable core. Asian supermarkets will usually carry this as meat for hotpots or "shabu-shabu."

After being seasoned and rolled around a cooked vegetable, the rolls are pan-fried to cook the meat. This creates a hearty, flavorful wrapper for the vegetables while minimizing the use of meat.

I've kept the seasonings for this simple, but you can add spice blends such as chili powder or curry powder to season the beef, and then you can get creative with the glaze.