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Rumaki

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RumakiRichard Gerhard Jung

We can thank Vic Bergeron — owner of Trader Vic's restaurant, in San Francisco — for bringing rumaki into mainstream dining culture. He claimed that this delicious hors d'oeuvre came from Hawaii, with Chinese roots and a Japanese name.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 24 hors d'oeuvres

Ingredients

1

/4 lb chicken livers, trimmed and rinsed

1

/4 cup soy sauce

1

tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

2

tablespoons packed light brown sugar

1

/2 teaspoon curry powder

12

canned water chestnuts, drained and halved horizontally

8

bacon slices (1/2 pound), cut crosswise into thirds

Special Equipment

24

wooden toothpicks

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut chicken livers into 24 (roughly 1/2-inch) pieces. Stir together soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, and curry powder. Add livers and water chestnuts and toss to coat. Marinate, covered and chilled, 1 hour.

    Step 2

    While livers marinate, soak toothpicks in cold water 1 hour. Drain well.

    Step 3

    Preheat broiler.

    Step 4

    Remove livers and chestnuts from marinade and discard marinade. Place 1 piece of bacon on a work surface and put 1 piece of liver and 1 chestnut in center. Wrap bacon around liver and chestnut and secure with a toothpick. Make 23 more rumaki in same manner.

    Step 5

    Broil rumaki on rack of a broiler pan 2 inches from heat, turning once, until bacon is crisp and livers are cooked but still slightly pink inside (unwrap 1 to check for doneness), 5 to 6 minutes. Serve immediately.