Hambagu (Japanese Hamburg Steaks with Ketchup Pan Sauce)

Photo: MaedaAkihiko · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Japan's favorite home-style dinner: tender, juicy beef and pork patties seared and steamed in the pan, then glazed with a buttery ketchup sauce. Serve with fluffy rice and broccoli.

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ lb ground pork
• 1 small onion, finely minced
• ½ cup panko
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 egg
• ⅓ cup beef broth, divided
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 lb broccoli florets
• 1½ cups short-grain rice

From your pantry: 2 tbsp oil, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¾ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, ¼ cup ketchup, 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp sugar.

Instructions

1. Start the rice. Cook the onion in 1 tbsp oil over medium until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes, then let it cool.
2. In a bowl, soak the panko in the milk for a minute, then add the beef, pork, onion, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Knead by hand until sticky and pale, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Divide into 4 portions. Toss each from hand to hand about 5 times to knock out air, shape into an ¾-inch-thick oval and press a dimple in the center. Chill for 30 minutes.
4. Heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium. Brown the patties for 3 minutes per side. Add 3 tbsp broth, lower the heat, cover and cook until 160°F in the center, 6 to 8 minutes. Steam the broccoli meanwhile.
5. Move the patties to plates. Add the butter, ketchup, Worcestershire, sugar and remaining broth to the pan and simmer, scraping up the browned bits, until thick enough to coat a spoon, 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Spoon the sauce over the hambagu and serve with rice and broccoli.

Tip: Don't skip chilling the patties. Cold fat holds them together so they stay plump and juicy instead of cracking. Swap the broth for red wine for the classic restaurant sauce.

Nutrition per serving

Adapted from Just One Cookbook.

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