Hamburg Steak (Hanbāgu)

What is Hamburg Steak?

Hamburg Steak is a dish that originated in Germany. It is made out of ground beef but as generations passed, asian countries like Japan and Korea made variations of the dish and popularized it using ground pork or a mix of beef and pork, in Japan it is called Hanbāgu and in Korea it is called Hambak. I watched several mukbang about Hamburg Steak and even the sauce being used has different variations. 

Hamburg Steak is similar to Salisbury Steak, I got curious and researched about the difference between the two. It seems like, the popularized version from Asia is more of a Salisbury Steak rather than a Hamburg Steak, this is because Hamburg Steak is made with plain meat only that is seasoned with salt and pepper , whereas, the Salisbury Steak is made with vegetables like minced onion or green peppers and binders like bread crumbs, eggs or flour. Nevertheless, the recipe that I'm going to share is the Asian popularized one as I was inspired through watching several mukbangs about Hamburg Steak. 

Here is the recipe:

Easy Hamburg Steak Recipe (Hanbāgu / Hambak)

(This recipe makes 4 regular sized patties or 2 large ones)

Prep time: 30-45 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

Hamburg Patty:

3 medium sized onions, minced or chopped

1 tbs. butter

500g ground pork or beef (you can also mix it)

2 tbs. Worcestershire sauce 

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Cooking oil (for sauteing and frying the Hamburg) 

2/3 cup of water

Sauce:

Hamburg drippings 

2 tbs. ketchup

3 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup of water

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

PROCEDURE:

1. On a lightly oiled pan, saute the onion and add butter. Cook the onion until it is translucent. Once it is cooked, let it cool for a bit.

2. On a large bowl, add the sauteed onion, ground pork, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Mix it together using your hands.

3. To shape the Hamburg patty, make it round and flatten it. Push the center of the Hamburg patty to create a dent, the dent on the center will help the patty to cook evenly and it will not shrink, it is mostly effective if you're creating large Hamburg Steaks just like what I did on my Youtube video.

4. On a heated pan, add a tablespoon of oil and fry the Hamburg patty on medium high heat for 2 minutes then flip it over and fry the other side until it turned brown.

5. Once both sides are browned add 2/3 cup of water and let it simmer. Cover it so the heat could circulate and help it cook evenly. This method makes the Hamburg Steak juicy.

6. Flip the Hamburg patty once the water is reduced and set aside.

7. On the same pan, add the ketchup and worcestershire sauce on the Hamburg drippings, stir it on low heat. Add water once the sauce reduced and season it with salt and pepper.

Plate it and pair it with your choice of side dish! Enjoy!

Watch the recipe video on my Youtube Channel, don't forget to LIKE & SUBSCRIBE: CLICK HERE