Loco moco is one of Hawaii's most popular dishes. I never really thought much of loco moco until I tried an authentic Hawaiian restaurant that served the most amazing version. The dish is made of a beef patty topped with savory gravy and a fried egg on a bed of rice. The secret behind an amazing loco moco is all about the gravy. Here is my version with sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions for a fancy version of the classic meal. A comfort breakfast dish at its best!
Loco Moco with Caramelized Onions and Mushrooms
Ingredients
Beef patties
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons worcestershire
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 green onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
Gravy
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1 cup sliced button mushrooms
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water
- salt and pepper
Remaining ingredients
- 4 cups rice
- 4 eggs fried
Instructions
- Prepare the patties. Combine ground beef with soy sauce, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, chopped green onion, and garlic. Form into 4 equal patties about ½ inch thick.
- Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add patties and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add sliced onions and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until golden brown and caramelized, about 20 minutes. Add 1-2 tablespoons of water to the pan if it gets too dry.
- Move caramelized onions to the edges of the pan and add mushrooms. Continue to saute until browned and season with salt and pepper.
- Pour stock and soy sauce to the pan, and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 5 minutes. Add cornstarch slurry and simmer for another minute or until slightly thickened. Season gravy with salt and pepper.
- Add beef patties to gravy, spooning gravy on top. Simmer for 2 minutes or until warm. Plate 1 cup rice on each plate, topped with 1 patty, gravy with mushrooms and onions, and a fried egg. Serve immediately.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
Hawaiian cuisine is a fusion of Chinese, Filipino, Korean, American, Japanese, Polynesian, and even Portuguese foods. Visit a Hawaiian restaurant and see Korean kalbi, Japanese tonkatsu, and American macaroni salad. Loco moco is a fusion of American and Asian cuisines, serving a hamburger patty with brown gravy and a fried egg on white rice. Although the traditional version includes a beef patty, there are many other variations that have spam, bacon, ham, teriyaki meats, and seafood. I stuck with the original version for my recipe, adding a couple of elements to glam it up.
The patty itself is all about the quality of the beef. Add some seasonings and aromatics and you're good to go. You can prepare the patties the night before if you prefer.
As for the gravy, I like to add caramelized onions and button mushrooms to add sweet and savory elements to the sauce.
Caramelizing onions takes some patience since they do take some time. You want first to brown them on medium heat, then reduce them to medium-low and let them slowly cook. Stir the pan occasionally and if the onions start to stick to the pan, add a touch of water.
Move the onions to the edges of the pan and add the sliced mushrooms. Then, continue to saute until the mushrooms are browned and softened. Again, if the pan becomes too dry, add a splash of water.
Next, add the beef stock and soy sauce and bring them to a simmer.
Continue to simmer for 5 minutes, then add the cornstarch slurry to thicken the gravy. Give the gravy a final seasoning check and then add the beef patties to the pan to warm them back up.
Cook a sunny-side-up egg and serve the dish while hot. Pierce through the runny yolk to add creaminess to the dish and dig right in! Loco moco is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (or even as a late-night snack). Have one bite and you'll be yearning for more!
For more rice bowl inspiration check out these Korean spicy chicken bowls!
Chris
I tried this out for my family last night. I ate my fair share of loco moco when I lived in Hawaii and this is by far the best I ever had.
Thank you for the recipe. Its a keeper!
cma0425
Wow thank you!
Bernie
Step #2 reads to add minced garlic to the patties but everyone knows that the garlic will brown quickly before the meat has a chance to have a good color or sear. Next time I’ll add the garlic with the beef broth & onion mixture so it doesn’t burn. Other than that it’s true there are so many variations of this recipe.