Hambagu (Japanese Hamburg Steak)

Ingredients

• 250 g mixed ground beef and pork
• 1/2 onion (100 g)
• 4 tbsp panko breadcrumbs (12 g)
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1/2 beaten egg
• 1/3 tsp salt
• A pinch of pepper
• A pinch of nutmeg
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 50 ml water
• [Sauce] 2 tbsp red wine (or sake)
• [Sauce] 3 tbsp tomato ketchup
• [Sauce] 2 tbsp chuno sauce (Japanese medium-thick Worcestershire-style sauce)
• [Sauce] 10 g butter

Steps

1. Finely chop the onion. Heat 1 tsp of the oil in a frying pan and sauté over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until translucent and lightly coloured. Spread on a plate and let it cool completely.
2. Pour the milk over the breadcrumbs to moisten them.
3. Put the ground meat and salt in a bowl and knead quickly. Knead well until the meat turns pale and becomes sticky enough to form strands; this is the key to sealing in the juices. Use the meat straight from the fridge so the warmth of your hands doesn't melt the fat.
4. Add the cooled onion, breadcrumbs, beaten egg, pepper and nutmeg and mix until evenly combined.
5. Divide into 2 portions and toss each one between your hands about 10 times, like playing catch, to knock out the air. Shape into ovals about 2 cm thick and make a slight dent in the centre with your finger.
6. Heat the remaining oil in the frying pan over medium heat and cook the patties for 2 to 3 minutes until nicely browned. Turn them over, add the water, cover immediately and steam-cook over low heat for 7 to 8 minutes.
7. Insert a bamboo skewer in the centre: if the juices run clear, they are done. If the juices are red, cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer to plates.
8. [Sauce] Lightly wipe off the excess fat in the same pan with paper towel, add the red wine and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the ketchup and chuno sauce; once it thickens, turn off the heat and melt in the butter. Pour over the hamburg steaks.

Origin and history

Hambagu is a dish of ground meat mixed with onion and breadcrumbs, shaped into patties and pan-fried. The name is short for "Hamburg steak", from the ground-meat dish eaten in the German port city of Hamburg.

It arrived in Japan as Western cuisine in the Meiji era, but only spread widely into homes in the Showa 30s and 40s (roughly 1955–1975). Mixed beef-and-pork mince became affordable, and as a dish children loved it became a dinner-table staple.

Today there are many ways to eat it, varying from home to home: with demi-glace or ketchup sauce, Japanese-style with grated daikon and ponzu, topped with cheese, or simmered in sauce. It is a prime example of yoshoku, Western-style cooking that developed its own way in Japan.