The Loco Moco may be the ultimate breakfast comfort food. This dish, which involves placing a hamburger topped with gravy and a fried egg over rice, provides enough energy to take on the day. It's also super tasty.
Form the ground beef into two loose balls and place them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
Flatten out the balls with your palm to form hamburger patties. Gently shape the edges to prevent any loose bits.
Season one side of the patties liberally with salt and black pepper.
Add the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce to the beef stock and whisk to combine.
Heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the heated oil.
Once the oil is smoking, gently add the burger patties, seasoned side down, to the pan. Season the top of the patties liberally with salt and black pepper.
Cook the patties for 3 to 4 minutes on each side until both sides are well browned and the internal temperature of the burgers reaches 130°f/54°c.
Remove the finished burgers from the pan and place them on a plate. Cover the plate with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Turn the oven off.
Pour off the oil from the frying pan and place the pan over medium heat. Add the butter and slowly whisk in the flour to create a roux. Keep whisking until the roux turns tan and has a nutty fragrance.
Turn the heat to low and slowly add the beef stock mixture and keep whisking until the gravy turns smooth with no lumps. When finished, turn off the fire and cover.
Heat a non-stick or cast iron frying pan over high heat. Once heated, add oil.
Once oil is lightly smoking, add the two eggs and cook sunny side up until the whites are slightly brown on the edges.
Plate the Loco Moco by laying down a cup of rice on each plate. Place the burgers on top of the rice and then generously ladle the gravy over the burgers.
Gently place a fried egg over the top of each burger,. Optionally garnish with chopped scallion greens.
Pro Tips
Most Loco Moco recipes use long grain white rice but you can use any white rice like basmati or short grain Japanese.
You can cook the rice on the stove or in a rice cooker.
It's best to use a stainless steel pan to make the burgers and gravy.
Add cold stock (or room temperature) to the roux to prevent lumps.
You can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce for the Worcestershire sauce or to taste.
Keep the flour, butter and beef stock quantities the same If you double the recipe. There should be enough gravy for all four plates.