Hamburg (ハンバーグ), pronounced as “hanbaagu,” is a popular Japanese food loved by all generations. It is similar to meatballs or hamburger patties, but shaped into oval or round patties and cooked with variety of different kind of sauces or toppings. The Japanese Mom’s Hamburg recipe has incredibly juicy texture, with its succulent juices releasing upon the first bite.
Hamburg isn’t just a staple of Japanese home cooking. It’s a culinary gem cherished in family restaurants and fine dining restaurants. But what truly speaks to its popularity is that ready-to-eat version of this menu is also sold in convenience stores and supermarkets.
Hamburg is categorized as Yoshoku (洋食) – Western-style cuisine adapted to suit Japanese tastes, and here is the popular Yoshoku menu.
- Ebi Fry (エビフライ)
- Tonkatsu (とんかつ)
- Curry Rice (カレーライス)
- Omurice (オムライス)
- Korokke (コロッケ)
Find your favourite flavour
Hamburg can be enjoyed with different kind of sauce depending on your mood.
- Demi glace sauce (a rich brown sauce with stock and vegetables)
- Wafu Japanese sauce (Ponzu and grated daikon radish)
- Cheese (stuffed or as toppings)
- Nikomi Hamburg (simmered in a flavourful sauce)
Arrangement
When ground meat is on sale, it’s the perfect opportunity to whip up a batch of hamburger patties and store them in the freezer. They serve as a versatile base for various dishes, but I highly recommend trying Menchi-Katsu (メンチカツ), a delightful minced cutlet. Of course, crafting burgers or meatballs are equally tempting options to explore as well.
Side Dishes
Typically, Hamburg is accompanied by side dishes served on the same plate. Common choices include sautéed carrots or broccoli. Here are some examples, but the key is to opt for something red and green to enhance the plate’s visual appeal and flavor:
- Corn
- Okra
- Zucchini
- Eggplant
- Tomatoes
Key points
Hamburg typically consists of a mixture of ground beef and pork. Japanese mom’s recipe uses coarse ground meat to enhance the juiciness and provide a more satisfying bite. If coarse ground meat isn’t available, you can achieve a similar effect by chopping block meat and mixing it with fine ground meat instead.
Hamburg (ハンバーグ) - Hamburger Steak
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground meat 50% pork and 50% beef
- 1 medium size onion
- 1 egg
- 1 clove grated garlic
- 1 cup panko (breadcrumbs)
- ¼ cup sake
- ½ cup milk
- 1½ tbsp salt and pepper
Instructions
Preparation
- Chop the onion finely. Try Japanese "mijingiri" cutting technique:1. Cut the onion in half length-wise.2. Place the cut-side faced downwards and make 3mm incisions while leaving about 1/4 of the root intact.3. Rotate the onion 90 degrees and make 2-3 horizontal incisions with the knife laid flat.4. While holding firmly to prevent the incisions from spreading, start cutting vertically from the outer edge, continuing until you reach the root.
- Put the finely chopped onion into a heat resistance bowl and loosely cover with plastic wrap. Microwave at 700w for about 3 minutes, until the onion becomes slightly transparent. Remove from the microwave and allow to cool down to room temperature.
- While waiting for the onion to cool down, prepare the sides.
Making Patties
- Add all ingredients into the large mixing bowl: ground meat, cooled down chopped onion, egg, grated garlic, panko, sake, milk, salt, and pepper.
- Mix them very well using one hand, until it gets sticky.
- Divide into 6 portions, and shape them into oval with both hands. 【TIP】Using both hands, tap the patties as if playing catch to remove any trapped air inside.
Cooking
- Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in the pan with medium heat.
- Place the patties gently, and flip when it turns brown outside (about 3 minutes). Then, add carrots and cook them together with a lid on. The total cooking time should be about 15 minutes, but it may vary depend on the size of patties and heat.【TIP】Push the middle of patties, as they will expanded when cooking.【TIP】Try poking the patties with a skewer, and if clear meat juice come out, it's done!
- Enjoy hamburg with your choice of sauce/toppings!
Hamburg sauce
- When the patties are fully cooked, add 5 tbsp of ketchup and 5 tbsp of Japanese Worcestershire sauce (Tonkatsu sauce). Once the sauce starts to boil, it's ready.
