Hawaiian Loco Moco: a beef patty, white rice, a gravy flavoured with Worcestershire sauce and a fried egg, delicious simplicity at its best.
Whilst you need to juggle a few pans at the same time to make this dish quickly, it can be rustled up in under 30 minutes from scratch.
Hawaiian Beef Burger with Rice, Gravy and a Fried Egg
Rice bowls may be all the rage, but you don't find them too often on my website. In fact, the only exception is a Japanese duck donburi, which I adore, but generally speaking, they don't fit in with the way I eat.
However, when I ran across this recipe, I knew that it had to find a place on my website. Well, when I say "I", I mean my wife, who found it and logged a formal request, and who am I to turn that down?
Loco moco is a Hawaiian dish that appeared in the late 40s in a diner in Hilo. Its curious name came from the local teenagers who named it after one of their "crew".
It's a gloriously simple dish, and my version stays fairly close to its origins.
I create a simple burger patty flavoured with garlic and Worcestershire sauce, and a quick and simple onion gravy, again flavoured with Worcestershire sauce and the addition of ketchup and soy sauce.
It's all served over white rice and topped with a fried egg.
No, it's not haute cuisine, but it is quick, delicious, and in the few months I've been developing my version of this dish, it has become a recipe that we turn to whenever we want something a little fun and simple.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this in advance?
Whilst this dish can be made in 30 minutes, it does require juggling lots of pans at the same time. However, you can make things a little easier by preparing elements ahead of time.
The burgers can be prepared and popped in the fridge for a day or two before frying. You can even use store-bought burgers if you wish.
The gravy will sit fine in the fridge for up to three days. However, I would thicken it with the cornflour slurry just before serving.
The rice can be made in a rice cooker, if you have one!
What sort of rice should I use?
Traditionally, this dish is made with a medium-grain rice, with a variety called calrose being very popular.
I make this with long-grain rice because it is what I typically have at home. I also prefer the fluffy texture of rice over the stickiness that a medium-grain rice results in.
Serving Suggestions
Loco moco is a pretty simple complete meal as far as I am concerned.
However, I have seen it served with a mayonnaise-based macaroni salad on occasions, which I find odd... but it is apparently a popular combination.
If I wanted to make the dish a little heartier, I would err towards increasing the onions in the gravy and adding mushrooms too, which is also a pretty common combination.
Equipment Used
I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- 25cm or 10" frying pan.
- A frying pan large enough to fry two eggs.
- A frying pan large enough to fry two burgers.
- 18cm or 7" saucepan.
- Sieve or colander.
- Hob/stovetop.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- Spatula.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- Mixing bowls.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Hawaiian Loco Moco Rcipe
Ingredients
For the Burger:
- 350 g Minced Beef 12oz (20% Fat)
- 1 Garlic Clove
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil (To fry the burgers)
For the Gravy:
- 1 Small Onion 75g
- 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil
- 175 ml Beef Stock ¾ Cup
- 3 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
- 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Cornflour (Corn Starch in the US)
- 1 tablespoon Water
Extras:
- 150 g Long Grain Rice ¾ Cup
- Salt (For cooking the rice)
- 3 Spring Onions
- 2 Large Eggs
- Oil (To fry the eggs)
- 2 Pinches Salt (For the fried eggs)
- 2 Pinches Black Pepper (For the fried eggs)
Instructions
- Cut the onion in half, peel it and then slice it into thin 2-3mm (⅛") half-moon shapes.
- Heat a 25cm or 10" frying pan over a medium heat, add the oil for the sauce, and cook whilst you are preparing the other elements of the dish.Keep an eye on the onions, stirring them occasionally, you want them to soften and become golden. If they brown too quickly, reduce the heat a little.
- Peel the garlic clove and then mash it with the salt for the burger to form a paste, then add it to a mixing bowl.
- Add the beef, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper to the garlic and mix well to combine. Form this mix into 2 burger patties, approximately 20mm (just over ¾" thick).
- Mix the beef stock, tomato ketchup, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce for the gravy in a bowl, and set it aside.
- Create a cornflour slurry by mixing the water with the cornflour and set it aside.
- Finely slice the spring onions.
This should have taken around 15-20 minutes to get to this point; now we are going to start cooking. You are going to need all 4 hobs on your cooker!
- Cook your rice using your favourite method. For this dish, I prefer to boil my long-grain rice in an 18cm or 7" saucepan in lots of water. I add just over half a teaspoon of salt to a pan this size. This should take 10-12 minutes, depending on your rice.
- As soon as the rice is cooking, pour the sauce that you made in step 5 above over the onions, and cook until we are almost ready to serve.You want this gravy to bubble gently whilst it is cooking.
- Heat a frying pan large enough to cook the beef patties over a high heat, add the oil and cook the beef for 3-4 minutes on each side.Time this so that they are ready at the same time as the rice.
- As soon as you flip the burgers, heat a frying pan large enough to hold your eggs over a medium-high or high heat (depending on how you like your eggs.Fry your eggs to your liking with a pinch of salt and pepper. I like a nice runny yolk and slightly crispy frilly edge.
- One minute before you serve up, thicken the gravy with the cornflour slurry you made in step 6 above.
- To serve, start with a layer of rice, a bit of the gravy, then the burger patty, more gravy, then the fried egg, with more gravy and the spring onions.