This recipe was inspired by two different instances where I had really good loco moco. One was when I was in Hawaii, specifically at Moena Cafe in Oahu, and the other from Ryla restaurant in Redondo Beach! Moena Cafe had a short rib loco moco with this rich, deep demi glas gravy that made me almost want to cry from how delicious it was(I also had it after hiking Koko Head, so food in general was already welcomed and appreciated). The way the gravy was so rich and dark in color, and had a depth of flavor just reminded me of a Japanese curry in some ways, which was what inspired me to use a bit of curry powder in the gravy itself. Ryla’s loco moco on the other hand was a more traditional meat patty, but with an equally tasty mushroom gravy. I loved the idea of combining the mushroom gravy with those deeply developed notes of miso and curry, so that’s where the cumulative idea came from. You can totally substitute the hamburg steak I made for this recipe with braised short ribs(and if you do, you should totally use the braising liquid for the gravy, and cook your rice in said braising liquid), but I get it if a hamburg steak sounds more appealing(and way less time-consuming)!

When it came to the components, it was pretty straightforward. Rice, gravy, hamburg steak, mushrooms, and an egg on top. For the gravy, I did use a little bit of xanthan gum, in place of a proper roux, just because I did not want to dilute out the other flavors with flour. I also used a secret ingredient in the sauce, being black cacao powder. Unsweetened cacao powder has an earthy flavor to it, similar to mushrooms. Cacao pasta is a thing because of that, and hilariously, it gave the final sauce a darker, richer flavor. It works really nicely with the miso paste specifically, giving it a nice savory quality to it. I also used a little apple in the sauce, as an homage to Japanese curries, since there is a bit of curry powder being used in the recipe as well. The hamburg steak itself was a lot of fun to make, because they were basically just giant hockey pucks of hamburger meat. I used a decent helping of mayonnaise in them, which combined with panko bread crumbs, is how I achieve a really soft and not-dry(not trying to use the m-word here since it feels gross to describe meat that way) hamburg steak! The mushrooms are roasted in the oven, to remove any excess moisture, so that when they get seared, the exterior becomes golden brown!

Makes 6 portions, or 12 hamburg steaks:
For the gravy:
.5oz dried shiitake mushrooms
.25oz dried matsutake mushrooms(can substitute with more shiitake, maitake, or even porcini!)
1/2 cup beef stock, warmed
canola oil
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp red miso paste
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp grated apple
1g xanthan gum
1 tbsp black cacao powder

In a pot, hydrate your dried mushrooms in the beef stock. In a pan, sweat out the curry powder, tomato paste, miso paste, and garlic in the canola oil first. Add all of your ingredients into a blender and puree. Pour into a pot, and allow everything to cook down on low heat until reduced and noticeably thickened. Pass through a sieve to finish.

For the mushrooms:
1/2 cup honshimeji mushrooms
1/2 cup oyster mushrooms
oil
salt

Roast the mushrooms with a light drizzle of oil and salt at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Finish the mushrooms off by then-searing them in a pan on medium-high heat until golden-brown.

For the hamburg steak:
3 tbsp kewpie mayonnaise, in two parts
1/4 cup finely minced onions
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
8oz ground beef
1 egg
1 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp soy sauce
a generous pinch of sauce

In a pan, sweat out the onions and garlic with one part of the kewpie mayonnaise. Once the onions are soft, transfer to a blender with the panko and puree those ingredients together until combined. Add to that the remaining ingredients, and knead together until mixed well. Divide the hamburg steak meat into 12 portions and press them into hockey puck-like disks. In each disk, press a little hole. This will help the hamburg steaks stay round as they cook, as they do shrink when you sear them. Sear each side of the patty on medium-high heat in a pan for 3 minutes. Brush the exterior of the patties with some of the sauce, and then bake them at 400 degrees F for another 5 minutes, just to cook them all the way through.

For the rice:
1 cup white rice, rinsed thoroughly
1 1/4 cups water
a pinch of salt

Combine your ingredients in a pot. Either cook in a rice cooker to instruction, or over the stove, covered, on low heat for roughly 20 minutes.

For the egg:
6 eggs
oil
salt
white pepper

Heat a nonstick pan with a small dot of oil. Crack your eggs into the pan, no more than 2-3 at a time, and sprinkle on top of each some salt and pepper. Cover the pan, and cook the eggs on medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining eggs.