This Japanese hamburg steak loco moco dish is a super easy weeknight meal. Most people are familiar with the Hawaiian fast food dish, loco moco: a hamburger patty on rice, topped with fried eggs and loads of gravy. My version leans heavily on Japanese cuisine with hamburg steak and hayashi rice gravy. I use a box mix for the gravy, because it tastes DANG GOOD. Of course, you can always try making it from scratch. If you’re unsure about what some of these foods are but are intrigued by delicious flavor, just keep on reading!
Loco Moco History
What is loco moco? In case you are unfamiliar with this dish, it is a hamburger patty on top of a mountain of rice, topped with a fried egg (or two) and gravy. According to some websites, loco moco was invented on the Big Island in the 1940s. Teenagers at a local Japanese-owned diner wanted a dish that was super cheap and super filling. Thus, loco moco was born!
This is unconfirmed, but I also read somewhere that what makes the Hawaiian burger patties different from others from the mainland is that it typically uses bread crumbs and eggs. This would make it very similar to the Japanese hamburg steak. That’s not all that surprising, given that the invention of loco moco is credited to Japanese-Hawaiians.
What is Japanese Hamburg Steak?
Aha, this is probably the portion of the recipe that is new to most of my readers. Did you know that Japanese cuisine has a whole subculture of food influenced by Western cooking? In Japan, it’s known as “yoshoku.” And one example of a yoshoku dish is hamburg steak!
Hamburg steak is a “steak” that’s made from ground meat, basically a burger patty. It’s usually eaten with rice and often, some sort of gravy. It’s a yoshoku dish, which means it’s origins are in Western food, but I’m not sure if it’s more closely related to burgers or to Salisbury Steak.
Side note: Who even invented Salisbury Steak? Isn’t it just a fancy burger patty? Why would anyone pay for that? I’m sure I could Google this, but I’m feeling lazy.
Anyway, Japanese hamburg steak is frequently made with a combination of ground pork and beef. Just One Cookbook says it’s more common to use more beef than pork, but I tend to like a 50/50 ratio. It also uses an egg and panko bread crumbs. Sounds similar to a loco moco patty, right?
What is Hayashi Rice Gravy?
Hayashi rice is another Japanese yoshoku dish. It’s a beef stew reminiscent of French cuisine, with mushrooms, tomatoes, and red wine in the sauce. You can find it at yoshoku restaurants, but it’s also commonly made at home as well! Imagine Julia Child’s cooking, but make it Japanese. (If there is ever a Japanese version of Julie and Julia, sign me up, please.)
Hayashi rice can be eaten with rice, as the name implies, as its own meal. But it also can be used as a gravy to go alongside dishes like omurice (omelette rice) and hamburg steak.
And if you’re going to make hamburg steak, rice, and the hayashi rice gravy, you might as well just top it with a fried egg, right? I realize I’m starting to sound like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. “If you give Kristen a hamburg steak, she’s going to ask for some hayashi rice gravy…”
Anyway, when cooking hayashi rice at home, most of my friends use the boxed roux from the grocery store. It’s just like using the boxed curry mix! If you’re dead set on making everything from scratch, Just One Cookbook has a recipe here. But do yourself a favor and try the box mix at least once. I’m telling you, it’s GOOD.
Hamburg Steak Loco Moco Recipe
So in the end, this “Japanese loco moco” is really just a typical hamburg steak meal with a fried egg on top. Not really newsworthy, I know. But I know I have many friends familiar with loco moco who are not as familiar with Japanese yoshoku. So if that’s you, give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! Hamburg steak and hayashi rice forever!
Japanese Hamburg Steak Loco Moco
Ingredients
Hamburg Steak
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 onion fine dice
- 2 eggs
- salt and pepper to taste
Hayashi Rice Gravy
- 1/2 onion sliced
- 2 shiitake mushrooms diced
- 1 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 box hayashi rice roux
Other
- eggs for frying
- 2 cups cooked short grain rice
Instructions
For the Hamburg Steak
- Soak panko bread crumbs in milk for a few minutes while you get the rest of your hamburg steak ingredients.
- In a large bowl, mix ground beef, ground pork, onions, eggs, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add in soaked panko crumbs.
- Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined, but try not to overmix. Form 12 patties.
- In an oiled skillet, cook patties for 4 minutes on each side or until fully cooked through. Remove patties from skillet.
For the Hayashi Rice Gravy
- In the same skillet, saute onions and shiitake. The leftover grease from the patties should be enough to cook the vegetables, but if not, add a little oil.
- When onions are soft, add the water. Bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the hayashi rice roux until dissolved. The gravy should thicken. If it becomes too thick for your tastes, simply add more water.
To Serve
- Place 1-2 patties over a bed of cooked rice.
- Top with hayashi rice gravy, to taste, and 1-2 fried eggs per person.