So Good Rumaki
Submitted by timo
Bacon-wrapped rumaki with marinated chicken livers, water chestnuts, and scallions broiled until the bacon crisps. A retro tiki bar appetizer with soy-sherry-ginger soak.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
15 minREADY
45 minA retro tiki-bar appetizer born in 1950s Polynesian-themed American restaurants, rumaki wraps a piece of soy-marinated chicken liver, a water chestnut, and a piece of green onion in bacon, then broils the whole bundle until the bacon crisps and the liver cooks through. The texture combo is the magic: rich, melting liver against crunchy water chestnut, all wrapped in salty, smoky bacon.
The soy-sherry-sugar-ginger marinade does double duty. It seasons the bland liver while masking its iron-y bite, which is what makes rumaki accessible even to people who think they don’t like organ meat. A short marinating window (15 minutes is enough at room temp; up to 4 hours in the fridge) gives the right balance without the liver turning mushy.
Pro Tips
- Use thin-sliced bacon. Thick-cut won’t crisp in the time it takes the liver to cook through.
- Soak the wooden toothpicks in water for 10 minutes before threading. Dry picks scorch under the broiler.
- Pat the livers dry before wrapping. Wet liver makes the bacon slip off and the bundles unravel.
- Watch closely under the broiler. The bacon can go from crisp to burned in 60 seconds at the end.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, sherry, sugar, and ginger.
Add chicken livers and marinate, tossing occasionally, for at least 15 minutes at room temperature, or up to 4 hours in the refrigerator.
Remove livers from marinade, and drain.
Press a piece of liver around a piece of water chestnut.
Wrap with a piece of scallion and bacon and secure with a wooden toothpick.
Preheat the boiler.
Broil the rumaki about 5 minutes from the heat, turning once, until bacon is crisp, 10 to 15 minutes.
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