LAZY LOCO MOCO WITH MISO GRAVY
LAZY LOCO MOCO WITH MISO GRAVY
#SIAintheKitchen
Anyone who has ever visited Hawaii must try a loco moco. A hamburger patty topped with gravy, a fried egg and two scoops of rice? It’s a heavy breakfast but it sure has all those comfort food feels to it. Because I had some leftover beef burgers in my freezer, this lazy loco moco with miso gravy was the obvious answer.
Making your own beef patties from scratch would be key here because let’s be honest, burgers from the frozen section aren’t exactly the most flavourful option but hey, this is what I had on hand! As most of my meals are plant-based, I just wanted to get rid of these off my hands ASAP.
Because I don’t own a BBQ, I couldn’t even throw these on the grill (don’t even get me started – I don’t even know how to BBQ properly either). That wasn’t a huge worry for me as I simply pan-fried them in a hot cast iron skillet and its beef drippings formed as a basis for my gravy.
For my gravy, all I had was my homemade vegetable. Ideally, the gravy should be made with beef stock or broth but again, refusing to leave my house, used vegetable stock, some sautéed shallots, and beef drippings. To up the ante on this, I added a couple heaping tablespoons of shiro white miso paste for some added sweetness and umami. Having a purposeful and flavourful gravy is the most important factor in this recipe as it really brings everything together, especially since frozen patties were used in this recipe.
Beef burger patties, white rice, miso gravy and topped with a fried egg = done. This lazy loco moco can be whipped up within 30 minutes from start to finish – rice included. Just be sure to make some extra as you’ll be wanting this for lunch the next day!
LAZY LOCO MOCO WITH MISO GRAVY – serves 6
vegetable oil, as needed
6 frozen beef patties, thawed
5 small shallots, sliced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups vegetable stock
2 heaping tbsp shiro miso paste
1 tbsp kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
6 eggs, cooked sunny side up
white jasmine rice
sliced scallions, toasted white sesame seeds, sriracha (optional)
In a large cast iron skillet, heat enough vegetable oil over medium-high heat until hot. Place 3 beef patties in the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook on both sides until fully cooked through, about 6 – 8 minutes. Repeat with the remaining beef patties. Transfer to a clean plate.
In the pan, add in the shallots and saute for 3 minutes or until the shallots have browned. Add in the flour and saute until a light paste forms. Slowly dribble in about half of the vegetable stock and whisk until it thickens. Gradually add in the rest of the vegetable stock and whisk in the miso paste until it dissolves and the gravy thickens. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve, spoon in two scoops of white rice, 1 burger patty, 1 fried egg, miso gravy and garnish with optional toppings.