Ground meat patties smothered in a mushroom and meat gravy.
Watch How To Make It:
I was anxious to make Loco Moco because my dad said the gravy had to be RIGHT! So I held off on making it…until Doug asked for Loco Moco for one of our meals this week. Welp.
Jollibee has the “Burger Steak”, and I’d like to use Filipino burger steak and Hawaiian Loco Moco interchangeably. They’re pretty similar: meat patties slathered with mushroom gravy served with rice and a fried egg.
I’ve had a few Loco Moco dishes from different spots in Oahu, but Doug’s family is from Oahu and they’ve all had tons of Loco Moco. It seemed like a simple enough dish!
However, when I’m tackling a dish with nostalgia attached to it, the pressure’s on.
– The scary thing about having a boyfriend with Hawaiian heritage is that this dish has GOT to at least meet his standards.
– The cool thing about it is that I’ve got someone that can honestly critique this recipe.
I looked online and rummaged across my cookbooks to see if I could find a Loco Moco or Burger Steak gravy recipe that was both simple and delicious. What I found was lots of Worcestershire sauce.
If I’m making a Hawaiian or Filipino recipe, it never would’ve occurred to me to use Worcestershire sauce. I mean if you guys have it at home, GREAT! Use it.
I wanted to make a gravy where the ingredients could be found in a standard Filipino or Hawaiian kitchen, or at least used across multiple dishes in our respective cuisines.
I got the lightbulb moment: LIVER! Don’t people use the innards of turkeys and chickens to make gravy during Thanksgiving?
In the Philippines, we’ve got liver spread in kaldereta, adobo, and probably a few other dishes I haven’t listed here. Plus, there’s Filipino liver spread brands sold in cans!
So anyway, that’s the whole schpeel about how this Loco Moco / Burger Steak recipe came to be. I refused to use Worcestershire sauce, and successfully avoided having to say it on video multiple times.
Spoiler alert: HE LOVED THE GRAVY!
Ingredients:
Ground Beef Patties:
- 1 lb (454 g) ground beef or ground pork
- 1 tbsp butter or oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Gravy:
- 1/2 – 1 tbsp butter (salted or unsalted is fine)
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 6-7 small button mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cups water
- 1 beef bouillon cube (10 g)
- 2 tbsp pork liver pâté, pork liver spread, or pork liverwurst (if it’s not pork, it’s ok too)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp cold or room temperature water
- salt and pepper to taste
To Complete Your Plate:
- 1 egg, cooked over-easy
- 1 cup of cooked white rice
Directions:
For the meat patties:
- Divide your ground meat into 8 equal pieces (divide into fewer pieces for thicker or larger patties).
- Shape each piece into a round patty, making sure the middle is thinner than the outer edges since these will puff up during cooking.
- In a large shallow pan over medium heat, add the butter.
- Place the patties on the pan, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Wait 2-3 minutes or until the patties are cooked to your liking, then flip the patties over and season the other side with salt and pepper.
- Remove the patties from the pan, place in a separate plate, and set aside.
For the gravy:
- In the same pan, lower your heat and add the butter and onions. Sauté the onions until translucent, then add the mushrooms. Continue sautéing for a couple of minutes.
- Pour in 2 cups of water and add the bouillon cube. Make sure to dissolve the bouillon cube well into the sauce, and scrape the bottom of the pan to pick up the bits from the meat patties.
- Add the pork liver pâté/pork liver spread/pork liverwurst and mix well into the sauce. Increase the flame to medium.
- Mix the cornstarch and 1 tbsp of water together, the pour it into the mixture. Whisk immediately to ensure the cornstarch doesn’t clump.
- Simmer for about 3-5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened. Taste the gravy, and add salt and pepper if you prefer.
To finish the plate:
- Cook your rice and egg. If you don’t know how to cook rice or how to fry an egg, please consult Google or YouTube.
Enjoy your Loco Moco plate while it’s still hot!
Special Notes: You can use 2 cups of broth or stock instead of using water + bouillon cube!
DID YOU MAKE THIS?! Post on social media and tag @jeanelleats! I get so happy when I see people making these recipes at home!