We brought in the New Year with family on the Big Island, which was a wonderful experience. If you’ve never visited Big Island, we highly recommend it – it’s very peaceful, incredibly beautiful, and most of all, reminds me of Hawaii in the olden days.
While we were there, we tried out various restaurants on the island (see our Top 10 Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Hilo, Hawaii list), which is how we got to taste a dish unique to Hawaiian cuisine, called the loco moco.
Loco moco? What’s that?!
It’s a popular Hawaiian dish made from white rice that’s topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and delicious brown gravy! It is generally agreed that around 1949, either Cafe 100 or the Lincoln Grill in Hilo originated the first Loco Moco…and the rest is history. We had the pleasure of eating at Cafe 100, home of the loco moco, where they have a number of variations – one even with spam! The kids loved the Super Loco Moco, which was both affordable, and delicious.
Now that we’re back home, we don’t have the luxury of stopping by Cafe 100 for a weekly plate of the loco moco. Our next option?
To make it at home, of course!
Big Island Grinds has a great recipe, which we ended up making…the verdict?
The plates were licked clean!
Easy Loco Moco Recipe
Original Recipe adapted from Big Island Grinds
Ingredients (for 4 servings)
Hamburger Patties
- 1lb Hamburger (not lean)
- 1/4 cup grated onions (optional)
- salt/pepper to taste
Gravy
- 1 can good beef broth
- flour for thickening
- 1 Tbsp butter
- couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 4 eggs
- hot cooked white rice, or leftover fried rice
Instructions
Burgers:
- Mix the hamburger, grated onions and salt/pepper. Form 4 smaller size patties.
- Heat frying pan until hot. Place hamburger patties on the pan/grill and let sear just until juices start appearing on the top. Flip over and cook for a couple more minutes.
- You will want the burger slightly charred but still tender on the inside. Set burgers aside.
Gravy:
- In the same pan you used to cook the patties, add 1 Tbsp of butter and scrape any meat leftovers. When the butter melts, add the flour and continuously mix until the flour browns gently, is not lumpy, and gives off a nutty aroma (a roux).
- Once browned, add in the broth. Bring to a boil and let it reduce for 3-5minutes. Stir occasionally. If you want a stronger gravy, let it reduce longer.
- Turn down the heat to a simmer. Add a couple dashes of worcestershire sauce. Stir sauce ensuring it’s well blended.
Eggs:
- Traditionally, the eggs should be sunny-side up. Cook to your liking – the little ones don’t like runny eggs.
Rice:
- Use regular medium grain white rice.
Assemble the loco moco. Scoop rice onto plate, followed by a hamburger patty, followed by the egg. Pour gravy all over…dig in!
Loco Moco
Recipe Type: Entree
Cuisine: Hawaiian
Author:
Ingredients
- Hamburger Patties
- 1lb Hamburger (not lean)
- 1/4 cup grated onions (optional)
- salt/pepper to taste
- Gravy
- 1 can good beef broth
- flour for thickening
- 1 Tbsp butter
- couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce
- 4 eggs
- hot cooked white rice
Instructions
- Mix the hamburger, grated onions and salt/pepper. Form 4 smaller size patties.
- Heat frying pan until hot. Place hamburger patties on the pan/grill and let sear just until juices start appearing on the top. Flip over and cook for a couple more minutes.
- You will want the burger slightly charred but still tender on the inside. Set burgers aside.
- In the same pan you used to cook the patties, add 1 Tbsp of butter and scrape any meat leftovers. When the butter melts, add the flour and continuously mix until the flour browns gently, is not lumpy, and gives off a nutty aroma (a roux).
- Once browned, add in the broth. Bring to a boil and let it reduce for 3-5minutes. Stir occasionally. If you want a stronger gravy, let it reduce longer.
- Turn down the heat to a simmer. Add a couple dashes of worcestershire sauce. Stir sauce ensuring it’s well blended.
- Traditionally, the eggs should be sunny-side up. Cook to your liking – the little ones don’t like runny eggs.
- Use regular medium grain white rice. Assemble the loco moco. Scoop rice onto plate, followed by a hamburger patty, followed by the egg. Pour gravy all over…dig in!
Have you had loco moco before? If so, how did you like it? If you haven’t, be sure to try it on your next visit to the Big Island or make our easy loco moco recipe at home…it’s #kidfriendly approved, and you won’t regret it.
