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
Special Equipment
Preparation
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.
