Hamburger Steak Recipe
Hamburger steak is a western inspired Japanese meal in which a hamburger patty is cooked, swimming in gravy, with a side of rice and sometimes salad… and it is delicious. I suppose people might think it’s weird–like a poor man’s version of a steak dinner, but it has developed its own cult following both inside and outside of Japan. If you go to Mitsuwa, the Japanese outlet that myself and my parents often go to (which has both east and west coast locations), an entire display of different hamburger steak sets can be seen outside of one of the restaurants (Tokyo Hanten) in the food court.
Most families have their own recipe (mine included), but the idea is the same. Sometimes I like to get fancy, and add all sorts of crazy things on it (like a fried egg), but here I’m just going to include the very basics. My husband occasionally requests it, even though it’s traditionally a “kid’s” meal. I don’t mind, because it’s a fast meal rather than me slaving away in the kitchen with multiple dishes.
Rice
The rice should be made ahead of time (or if you have a pressure cooker, started first.)
Cook sushi rice or brown rice (I use Nishiki or Kokuho brand) according to directions in your rice cooker/pressure cooker.
Salad
This can be made ahead of time with many different types of greens. Here, I used iceberg lettuce but a spring mix, or even finely shredded cabbage, works great too. The creaminess of the dressing pairs nicely with the savory patty.
- 1 cup of greens (iceberg, romaine, cabbage, arugula etc.)
2-3 sliced wedges of tomato - Dressing is equal parts ketchup and mayonnaise (or Thousand Island)
1. Arrange greens on plate and top with tomato wedges.
2. Mix equal parts ketchup and mayonnaise and drizzle on top (or use Thousand Island dressing.)
Hamurger Steak Patty – Makes 4 patties
If you don’t have fresh ground beef, frozen patties are fine too. The shiso cuts through the grease with a refreshing bite.
- 1 lb ground beef (93%-97% lean)
- 1/4 sweet onion, finely diced (optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt (optional)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (optional)
- Cheese (optional)
- Canola oil spray (or regular vegetable oil/butter)
- Shredded purple or green (or both!) shiso leaves — as much as you like (optional).
1. Mix the beef, diced onion, salt, and pepper together.
2. Break in half, and then break those halves into another half into four equal portions.
3. Shape into a patty and set to the side.
4. Oil a pan on medium high heat and arrange the patties in the pan.
5. Cook until bottom is brown and somewhat charred, and then flip the patties until done to the point you like (I like mine still mooing, my husband prefers his medium).
6. (Optional) If adding cheese, place a slice of meunster or cheddar on the patties after the other side is done, turn off the heat, and cover for 1 minute for cheese to melt. Keep drippings in the pan for the gravy.
7. Place patties on plate and add shredded shiso for garnish.
Gravy
This is an Asian style gravy that fills your house with pepper garlic heaven–my husband would drink this if I let him.
1 tbspn butter
5 cloves finely minced garlic (more or less, it’s up to you. We use a lot of garlic in this house. You can also use a tablespoon of garlic powder)
5 tbspn soy sauce
1/4 cup sake (or mirin)
1/4 tspn cracked black pepper
1/2 tbspn sweet potato starch (cornstarch or flour are fine for thickening too)
Optional 1 teaspoon lemon juice
5 tablespoons water
1. Mix soy sauce, sake (or mirin), cracked black pepper, lemon juice(if using), and sweet potato starch (or cornstarch or flour) in a bowl, set aside.
2. Saute the minced garlic in butter over medium high heat in the pan used to cook the patties until very fragrant.
3. Add the soy sauce mixture (be careful of splatter) and mix quickly until thickened. Depending on how salty you like it, you may want to adjust it with water. Pour over hamburger patties.