Japanese Hamburg Steak (Hambagu)

Japanese Hamburg Steak is moist, juicy and served with a sweet tangy ketchup-based sauce. It is perfect for dinner, lunch box and also child-friendly.

What is Japanese Hamburg Steak?

I like Japanese food as much as I like Vietnamese food. One of my favorite Japanese dishes to cook at home is hamburg steak/hamburger steak (hambagu). It consists of a tender and juicy ground meat patty, served with a tangy ketchup-based sauce. I read that this dish became popular in Japan in the 1960s, likely inspired by Western hamburgers.

This hamburg steak goes very well with white rice and a vegetable side dish. The sweet and tangy sauce balances the meatiness of the patty, and it is incredibly easy to make. I sometimes make this dish for dinner and then have the leftover for lunch the next day.

My recipe is adapted from the hamburg steak recipe in the Japanese Soul Cooking cookbook. I have added more herbs and seasonings and tweaked the ingredients to ensure the patties are flavorful and maintain a juicy texture that suits my preferences. I also used quite a bit of garlic although Japanese cooking doesn’t use a lot of it. To us Vietnamese, if there’s beef, there should be plenty of garlic too :).

For a Juicy and Flavorful Meat Patty

The meat patty uses a mixture of ground beef and pork, which results in flavorful and juicy hamburger. In addition, having the eggs, milk and panko in the ingredients of the patty further helps keep it tender and juicy.

Please use Japanese panko breadcrumbs for the best results as they are lighter and fluffier than Western breadcrumbs. You can find it at Asian grocery stores. You can use either dairy milk or non-dairy milk (I have made this recipe with almond milk before).

Adding garlic and onions also enhances the sweetness and improve the texture of the hambagu. We will need to sauté the onions until translucent to let them develop sweetness and lose the raw edge. Don’t skip this step as it allows the onions to blend more seamlessly with the meat. You don’t want the rough texture of some undercooked onion pieces to ruin an otherwise delicious dish.

The Easiest Hamburg Steak Recipe

The main cooking steps are simple and straightforward. Once you have prepared all ingredients for the patty, mix them together for a couple of minutes until they are sticky and well combined. You can form the patties as big or as small as you want. For 1 pound of ground meat, I like to form 8 patties. Too big and too thick, they will take longer to cook.

When you fry the hamburger, use medium heat to give them enough time to cook through without burning. This may take 8-12 minutes depending on the size of the patties. If they are browned but not quite cooked through yet, you can cover the pan to help the inside cook thoroughly.

After pan-frying the patties, we’ll make the sauce right in the same pan with sake, ketchup and worcestershire sauce. If you don’t have sake, you can substitute white or red wine, or use stock for a non-alcoholic option. Simply deglaze the frying pan with the wine or stock to capture all the flavors from the patties and then mix in other ingredients to make the sauce.

How to Serve

You can serve this hamburg steak with rice and steamed vegetables, or any of the dishes below:

I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.

Japanese Hamburg Steak

Japanese Hamburg Steak is moist, juicy and served with a sweet tangy ketchup-based sauce. It is perfect for dinner, lunch box and also child-friendly.

Author: Sophie Pham

4.75 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 3 people

Ingredients

 

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For the meat patties

• 1/2 lb ground beef (225g)
• 1/2 lb ground pork (225g)
• 1 small onion, finely diced (or half of a large onion)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon milk (95ml, dairy milk or almond milk is fine)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley (and more for garnishing)
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• black pepper
• olive oil

For the sauce

• 1/4 cup sake (60ml, white or red wine will work too)
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (60ml)
• 1/4 cup ketchup (60ml)
• 3-4 tablespoons water (45-60ml)

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Instructions

 

• Place a pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, and then add garlic and onion. Sauté for about 4-5 minutes until translucent to develop sweetness. Do not let them burn. Set aside to cool down. We need about 1/2 cup of cooked onions.
• In a mixing bowl, add ground beef and pork, cooked onions and all other ingredients to make the patties. Mix thoroughly for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is well combined and sticky.
  
• Divide the meat mixture into 6 or 8 equal parts, and form into patties. Slightly press down to create an indentation in the center, because the center will rise up slightly when we cook them.
  
• Heat a heavy bottom frying pan over medium heat. Add olive oil, and add the patties to the pan. Cook for about 8-12 minutes depending on how big and thick they are, flip once until they are all cooked through. If they are browned but not cooked through, you can cover the pan for 1-2 minutes to cook the inside thoroughly. Transfer them to serving plates.
  
• To the same pan, immediately add sake and stir and deglaze the pan for 10-15 seconds. Then add the remaining ingredients for the sauce. Stir to combine, simmer to desired thickness, a minute or less. Taste and adjust to your liking.
  
• Spoon sauce over the meatballs. Serve hot with rice and steamed/boiled vegetables.

Nutrition

Calories: 562kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 165mg | Sodium: 1458mg | Potassium: 824mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 269IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 4mg

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Japanese

Keyword: hambagu, hamburg steak, Japanese hamburger steak

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This recipe first appeared on Delightful Plate in July 2018. It has been updated with more information and unit conversion.