Asian Recipes/ Entrees / Appetisers/ Recipes/ Side Dish

Easy Enoki Beef Rolls – Japanese Appetiser

17/08/2020 (Last Updated: 25/08/2020)

Easy Enoki Beef Rolls are made from delicious marinated beef filled with enoki mushroom. These bite-sized Japanese beef rolls are the perfect Japanese appetiser, guaranteed to disappear the instant they hit the table.

Cooked enoki beef rolls.

Why We Love This

Enoki beef rolls are the perfect appetiser – they’re not only delicious, they’re easy and fun to prepare!

The marinated beef and enoki mushrooms are juicy and tender, cooked to perfection in a blend of Japanese flavours. Similar to our slow-cooked sticky soy mushrooms, the soy sauce, garlic, ginger and mirin work their magic in a simple, powerful marinade. Cooked in sesame oil, the flavours are out of this world!

Enoki mushrooms wrapped in marinated beef.

What are Enoki Beef Rolls?

These are a classic Japanese appetiser made from tasty enoki mushrooms wrapped in thinly sliced beef. What sets it apart is the gorgeous blend of flavour in the marinade and the juicy texture once cooked.

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We have such a soft spot in our hearts for these little beef rolls. They bring a smile to our faces and a growl to our stomachs, every time we think of them.

And it’s not just because they are can’t-get-enough-of-these-melt-in-your-mouth-bites that are smothered in soy + ginger + garlic deliciousness. Although that’s definitely a big part of it…

No, the real reason we grin is because these were one of the very first dishes that we ever cooked together.

Yep, this innocent little kitchen experiment ignited a whole new culinary caper that started in our kitchen and grew into to a wandering escapade around the world.

What You’ll Need

The marinade for this recipe is made from staple Japanese pantry ingredients including soy sauce, mirin and sesame oil. Here’s a bit more about what else you’ll need:

  • Thinly Sliced Beef – Asian grocers often stock this in the freezer section, pre-sliced and ready to go (try asking for hot pot beef similar to shabu shabu), but your local butcher may be willing to do the same on request. 
  • Enoki Mushrooms – These are a type of Japanese mushroom also known as Enokitake. They are mild in flavour with a crispiness in texture that becomes juicy once cooked, allowing them to soak up all the delicious flavours in this dish. They don’t taste anything like regular field mushrooms! Instead they have a slight woody sweetness, making them the perfect ‘starter’ mushroom for those wanting to broaden their palates.
  • Cooking Sake – This is a type of rice wine made for cooking. It’s lighter and more delicate in flavour than Chinese cooking wine, but you can use either in this recipe. Look for it at Asian grocers or online.
  • Mirin – This is a sweet rice wine for cooking, if you can’t find it at your supermarket, you can omit or add in a 1/2 tsp of sugar instead. You can sometimes find this in regular supermarkets, otherwise head to your nearest Asian grocer or online.
All ingredients laid out for enoki beef rolls.

How to make:

  1. Combine the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sake and mirin along with 1 tbsp sesame sauce in a shallow dish. 
  2. Place beef slices into dish and coat evenly in the marinade. Place in fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow all those beautiful flavours to soak into the meat. 
  3. Meanwhile, slice the roots off of the enoki, leaving enough of the connected roots at the bottom so the mushrooms are still stuck together. Break into small sections and place into a bowl of lukewarm water. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and let sit for 10 -15 minutes to soften and add flavour. Drain. 
  1. On a clean surface, stretch out one slice of beef. Top with two sections of enoki facing opposite directions, so the pretty caps are visible on both ends. Roll the beef tightly around the enoki on a slight diagonal, so it’s wrapped evenly. Repeat for remaining slices of beef. 
  2. Heat sesame oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the rolls and cook quickly, rotating a quarter turn every few minutes until browned. 
  3. Once cooked, remove from pan and transfer to a serving plate. Pour any remaining sauce from pan over the top and serve immediately.

Wandercook’s Tips

  • We recommend slicing each roll in half before serving. This will make them much easier to pick up with chopsticks and eat.
  • Make it spicy with a sprinkling of togarashi – Japanese seven spice blend.

FAQs

How thin should the beef be?

The beef should be sliced very thinly to make it easier to wrap around the enoki mushrooms. It should be similar to thinly sliced hot pot meat – like shabu shabu pork or beef – so the rolls cook quickly.

Why do I need to soak the enoki mushrooms?

Soaking enoki mushrooms first makes sure they will be nice and soft rather than chewy and woody. (It also helps to stop them sticking to the frypan if you haven’t added enough oil.) Adding a pinch of salt to the water when soaking will also give them an extra zing of flavour. 

How long should enoki beef rolls marinate for?

It’s best to allow enoki beef rolls to marinate for at least half an hour before cooking so the meat and mushrooms will become tender and soak up all that delicious flavour. If you can leave them for 1-2 hours it will be even better!

How hot should the pan be when cooking enoki beef rolls?

Make sure the frypan is nice and hot so the meat will sears, locking in the juices and keeping the enoki beef rolls nice and tender.

Variations & Substitutes

  • Beef – Substitute the beef for shabu shabu style pork slices or thinly sliced bacon. If using bacon, you can even skip the marinade (but where’s the fun in that?)
  • Enoki – Substitute with leek, spring onion or asparagus spears. You may also be able to substitute with canned or dried enoki. We haven’t tried this personally, so if you do we’d love to hear about it! Leave us a comment below and tell us how you went.
  • Mirin – Either omit or substitute with 1/2 tsp of sugar.
  • Soy Sauce – Swap for ponzu sauce (citrus soy sauce ) for even more flavour.
Enoki beef rolls on a white plate.

Want more delicious dinner ideas? Here are some of our favourites:

★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!

Cooked beef rolls stuffed with enoki mushrooms.

Easy Enoki Beef Rolls

These Easy Enoki Beef Rolls would have to be one of the most moreish Japanese appetisers we’ve ever eaten. Marinated beef slices wrapped around tender enoki mushrooms means these bite sized morsels are guaranteed to disappear the instant they hit the table.
5 from 23 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Marinating time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Course: Appetiser
Cuisine: Japanese
Servings: 12 rolls
Calories: 107kcal
Author: Wandercooks
Cost: $10

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sake and mirin along with 1 tbsp sesame oil in a shallow dish.
    1 clove garlic, 1 cm ginger, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp cooking sake, 1 tbsp mirin, 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • Place beef slices into dish and coat evenly in the marinade. Place in fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow all those beautiful flavours to soak into the meat. 
    400 g thin sliced beef
  • Meanwhile, slice the roots off of the enoki, leaving enough at the bottom so the mushrooms are still stuck together. Break into small sections and place into a bowl of lukewarm water. Sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt and let sit for 10 -15 minutes to add flavour. Drain.
    200 g enoki mushrooms, pinch sea salt
  • On a clean surface, stretch out one slice of beef. Top with two sections of enoki facing opposite directions. Roll the beef tightly around the enoki on a slight diagonal, so it's wrapped evenly. Repeat for remaining slices of beef.
  • Heat the remaining 1 tbsp sesame oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the rolls and cook quickly, rotating every few minutes until browned.
    2 tbsp sesame oil
  • Once cooked, remove from pan and transfer to a serving plate. Pour any remaining sauce from pan over the top and serve immediately.

Video

YouTube video

Recipe Notes

  • Beef – Use paper thin slices if you can. Asian grocers often stock these beef strips in the freezer pre-sliced and ready to go (try asking for hot pot beef), but your local butcher may be willing to do the same on request. You could substitute the beef for thinly sliced bacon. In this case, you can even skip the marinade (but where’s the fun in that?)
  • Enoki – Fresh enoki is best, but you may be able to substitute with canned or dried enoki. We haven’t tried this personally, so if you do we’d love to hear about it! Leave us a comment below and tell us how you went.
  • Cooking Sake – You can substitute with Chinese cooking wine. 
  • Mirin – Either omit or substitute with 1/2 tsp of sugar.
  • Cooking – Make sure the frying pan is nice and hot so the meat sears, locking in the juices and keeping the enoki beef rolls nice and tender. 
  • Eating – We recommend slicing each roll in half before serving. This will make them much easier to pick up with chopsticks and eat.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Easy Enoki Beef Rolls
Amount per Serving
Calories
107
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
8
g
12
%
Saturated Fat
 
3
g
19
%
Cholesterol
 
23
mg
8
%
Sodium
 
195
mg
8
%
Potassium
 
168
mg
5
%
Carbohydrates
 
2
g
1
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
1
g
1
%
Protein
 
7
g
14
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
2
mg
0
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Hey hey – Did you make this recipe?We’d love it if you could give a star rating below ★★★★★ and show us your creations on Instagram! Snap a pic and tag @wandercooks / #Wandercooks

Easy Enoki Beef Rolls - Japanese Appetiser
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22 Comments

  • Reply
    AlyChap
    18/05/2021 at 11:39 am

    5 stars
    Thx for this! We used to eat these rolls in a chain ramen restaurant from Japan when we lived in Xi’an China – I know, right? They were authentic Japanese foods and everything was delicious. I should have watched the video to know how much enoki to put in each roll – I could have put a lot more in because they soften and shrink as they cook. Delicious!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      19/05/2021 at 2:18 pm

      Oh how cool! So glad you got to recreate them, and yes, you can stuff them to the gills with extra enoki. Now you’ll just have to cook them again hehe.

  • Reply
    kimlree
    21/03/2021 at 8:04 am

    5 stars
    A simple, delicious, and easy recipe! I made this using the recipe as written.

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      23/03/2021 at 10:50 am

      Thanks for letting us know! 😀 Glad you had fun cooking them.

  • Reply
    Annie A. Francisco
    14/09/2020 at 1:36 pm

    5 stars
    We love this recipe! Easy to make and delicious!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      14/09/2020 at 2:01 pm

      Aww that’s so good to hear Annie – thanks for letting us know! We agree – can’t get enough of the beef and enoki combo, super delish!

  • Reply
    Yuana
    27/04/2020 at 7:37 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks for sharing the recipe!
    So easy & delicious! Definitely one of the dish that’s gonna be on my regular rotation from now 😋

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      28/04/2020 at 10:27 am

      Oh fantastic Yuana! So glad you enjoyed cooking this dish, it’s one of my brother’s favourites actually haha. Thanks for letting us know how it went!

  • Reply
    Alychap
    29/02/2020 at 9:16 am

    5 stars
    I actually discovered these beef rolls at a Japanese Ramen franchise in China, while I was teaching there. I’ve travelled to Japan many times, but still never seen them there.

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      02/03/2020 at 1:12 pm

      Interesting that you haven’t found it there either. I wonder if it’s more of a homemade dish rather than one you’d find at a restaurant? I’ve found similar recipes in a cookbook or two. Either way – it is delicious and glad we can recreate it at home!

  • Reply
    Marsha | Marsha's Baking Addiction
    13/02/2016 at 9:59 am

    5 stars
    I absolutely love Japanese food! These enoki beef rolls look so delicious, and perfect to snack on!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      13/02/2016 at 10:53 am

      Us too! They’re the perfect little bites to have while you’re cooking the mains for the evening haha

  • Reply
    Victoria
    13/02/2016 at 4:20 am

    WOW! These look so cool! And delicious 🙂

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      13/02/2016 at 10:52 am

      Thanks Victoria, hope you enjoy! 😀

  • Reply
    Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
    12/02/2016 at 7:07 am

    Those look fabulous. I love those mushrooms, what a great way to use them.

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      12/02/2016 at 11:52 pm

      Thanks Gloria! Aren’t enoki awesome? Such an interesting mushroom to cook with. Love putting them in hot pots too. 😀

  • Reply
    Megan @ A Dash of Megnut
    12/02/2016 at 1:00 am

    These look great! I haven’t used mirin before but now im super intrigued!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      12/02/2016 at 11:47 pm

      Yes, highly recommend it Megan. Have a look at a few Japanese recipes which use the base of mirin, sake, soy, garlic and ginger and you will be wanting to cook everything in this magic formula!

  • Reply
    Sarah
    12/02/2016 at 12:50 am

    You sold me at ‘ginger garlic deliciousness’ and then I kept scrolling and the pictures really sealed the deal. These sound soooo good!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      12/02/2016 at 12:56 am

      Haha thanks Sarah, glad you enjoyed the pics – these things are so addictive it’s impossible to stop at one!

  • Reply
    Immaculate
    12/02/2016 at 12:26 am

    5 stars
    OH My! I am seriously drooling over these Enoki they are going on my to make list. Can’t wait to try it!I have everything except the mushrooms . Enoki mushrooms now on my grocery list. Thanks for sharing!!!!

    • Reply
      Wandercooks
      12/02/2016 at 12:53 am

      Oh I know how you feel, can you even imagine how hard it was to type out the recipe?? Haha 😛 Hope you enjoy, let us know how you go! 🙂

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