Recipes

Loco Moco

Loco Moco is a delicious and filling contemporary Hawaiian meal made of three layers: rice and a hamburger patty smothered in delicious gravy and topped with a fried egg. It was invented in 1949 when a waiter at Lincoln Grill restaurant in Hilo, Hawaii, served rice, beef and gravy to a group of boys who asked to be served something they could afford. It is now enjoyed throughout the world.

Serves:
4
Prep Time:
20 min
Cook Time:
30 min

Ingredients

Hamburger Patties

  • 1 lb ( 0.5 kg ) lean ground beef
  • ⅓ cup ( 75 mL ) panko bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ onion, finely chopped
  • ½ tsp ( 2.5 mL ) salt
  • ¼ tsp ( 1.25 mL ) black pepper
  • 1 tbsp ( 15 mL ) milk
  • 1 tsp ( 5 mL ) Worcestershire sauce

Gravy

  • 1 tbsp ( 15 mL ) unsalted butter
  • ½ medium sized onion, sliced
  • 2 cups ( 500 mL ) sliced cremini or white button mushrooms (optional)
  • 1-1/2 cups ( 250 mL ) beef stock (plus more if needed)
  • 2 tsp ( 10 mL ) Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp ( 10 mL ) soy sauce
  • 2 tsp ( 10 mL ) ketchup (optional)
  • 3 tsp ( 15 mL ) cornstarch (plus more if needed)
  • Black pepper to taste
  • Salt, to taste

To Serve

  • 1 tbsp ( 15 mL ) oil or butter
  • 4 eggs
  • 4 cups ( 1 L ) hot cooked white rice (e.g. jasmine rice)
  • Chopped green onions, for garnishing

Instructions

Hamburger Patties

  1. In a bowl, mix together ground beef, panko bread crumbs, egg, garlic, onion, salt, black pepper, milk, and Worcestershire sauce.

  2. Divide the ground beef mixture into 4 pieces. Form each piece into a ball and press down to flatten. The patties should be at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. 

  3. Heat a pan over medium to high heat. If using a non-stick pan, add a tablespoon (15 mL) of oil. Fry the patties on each side for about 3 to 5 minutes until cooked throughout. (Instead of frying, you can sear the burgers on medium to high heat for about 2 minutes per side. After searing the burgers, turn heat to low and cover the pan with a lid so the steam can cook the burgers. Steam the burgers for 6 minutes, flipping them halfway through cooking to brown them on both sides.)

  4. When cooked, remove the patties from the pan. Keep warm and set aside.

Gravy

  1. Drain all but 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of fat or oil (if it is not burnt) from the pan used to fry the burgers. Add the butter and diced onions.

  2. Sauté for a minute, then add the mushrooms, if using. Sauté for 20 minutes over low heat until the onions are caramelized. Remove from the pan and set aside.

  3. In the same pan, combine the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, ketchup (if using), and cornstarch. Whisk until the cornstarch has come off of the bottom and the mixture is well blended.

  4. Add the caramelized onions, and mushrooms, if using, and stir until they are incorporated into the gravy.

  5. Taste and adjust for seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Add more stock to thin out the gravy or a cornstarch-beef stock slurry (mixture) if you want to thicken the gravy a little more.

Eggs

  1. In a frying pan over medium to high heat, add a tablespoon of oil or butter. When the pan is hot, crack the eggs into the pan.

  2. Cook the eggs sunny side up, or as preferred.

To Assemble

  1. Place a scoop of white rice on four plates. Top each with a warm hamburger patty and a scoop of warm gravy.

  2. Place a fried egg on top and garnish with green onions.

Notes

Created for eggs.ca by Nadia Boachie. Nadia is the creative mind behind Travelandmunchies, a media platform where she explores the world through global recipes she makes in her kitchen. You can find her on Instagram, TikTok or her site, Travelandmunchies.

Loco Moco has many variations including the use of bacon, ham, spam, tofu, fish like mahi-mahi, or other meats. The delicious savoury gravy can be spruced up with caramelized onions or mushrooms for extra depth of flavour and texture.