If you love Japanese curry as much as I do, then you will like this Hamburg Cheese Curry Rice. Inspired by a curry restaurant we visited in Tokyo recently, this dish will appeal to both young and old alike.
Japanese-style curry was inspired by the British during the Meiji era when India was under their colonial rule. Japan has since adapted the flavors and made it uniquely their own.
Instead of making the curry roux from scratch, pre-made instant curry blocks are widely available in all supermarkets, especially here in Singapore. The most popular brands are House Foods and S&B Foods. Japanese curry’s heat level is generally milder therefore, they are very popular with the kids too.
I found this brand – Zeppin at Tokyo’s Narita airport (Akihabara). The curry flavor is slightly more intense than the others I used before. Too bad I only managed to get one box.
Glico Zeppin curry roux.
Hamburg resembles a giant flattened meatball and I’m using my Better-than-Ikea Swedish Meatball recipe. You could definitely make the Hamburg patties and curry sauce in advance and warm them up before to serve.
Ingredients:
Hamburg steak –
500 g minced meat (blend of pork and beef)
½ large yellow onion – diced finely
1 egg
¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
Hamburg steak line up.
Curry sauce –
1 box (8 cubes) instant curry sauce mix
1000 ml low sodium chicken stock / beef stock (replace with water if unavailable)
500 ml water
1 yellow onion – cut into small chunks
1 large potato – diced into small cubes
1 large carrot – diced into small cubes
½ tsp cumin seeds (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Vegetable oil
Curry sauce line up.
To serve –
Steamed Japanese rice
Mozzarella or Gouda cheese – grated
Fukujin Zuke (Japanese red pickles)
Make Hamburg Steak:
In a small saucepan, add a little oil and sauté the diced onions until soft and translucent. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add in all the ingredients for the Hamburg along with the sautéed onions and mix well with chopstick or gloved hand.
I got a blend of minced pork and beef. You could get them separately and mix them together.
Prepare a large tray lined with cling wrap.
Divide the minced meat mixture into six equal portions.
Mold each patty into a round shape disc shape.
Place onto prepared tray and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.
*To freeze, put them into Ziploc and place into freezer.
30 mins before cooking, bring them out from the fridge to room temperature.
Make curry sauce:
While waiting, prepare curry sauce. Drizzle some oil into a large pot or Dutch oven and sauté the cumin seeds (if using) and onions until translucent.
Add in stock, water and the rest of the ingredients (except salt and pepper).
I’m using beef stock and water.
Bring to boil and simmer for 15 mins until the vegetables are fork tender.
Add in curry cubes and stir well to dissolve.
Taste and add some salt and pepper if necessary.
Turn off heat and set aside.
To serve:
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Use your thumb to make a depression in the middle of each patty. This will prevent it from puffing up during cooking.
Cook both sides of the patty over medium heat for 5 mins.
Spoon desired amount of rice onto a plate and top with generous amount of shredded cheese.
Pour hot curry sauce over the rice and place cooked Hamburg on top.
Serve with Japanese pickles and consume immediately.
- Hamburg steak –
- 500 g minced meat (blend of pork and beef)
- ½ large yellow onion – diced finely
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- Black pepper to taste
- Curry sauce –
- 1 box (8 cubes) instant curry sauce mix
- 1000 ml low sodium chicken stock / beef stock (replace with water if unavailable)
- 500 ml water
- 1 yellow onion – cut into small chunks
- 1 large potato – diced into small cubes
- 1 large carrot – diced into small cubes
- ½ tsp cumin seeds (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Vegetable oil
- To serve –
- Steamed Japanese rice
- Mozzarella or Gouda cheese – grated
- Fukujin Zuke (Japanese red pickles)
- Make Hamburg Steak:
- In a small saucepan, add a little oil and sauté the diced onions until soft and translucent. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add in all the ingredients for the Hamburg along with the sautéed onions and mix well with chopstick or gloved hand.
- Prepare a large tray lined with cling wrap.
- Divide the minced meat mixture into six equal portions.
- Mold each patty into a round shape disc shape.
- Place onto prepared tray and refrigerate for at least 30 mins.
- *To freeze, put them into Ziploc and place into freezer.
- mins before cooking, bring them out from the fridge to room temperature.
- Make curry sauce:
- While waiting, prepare curry sauce. Drizzle some oil into a large pot or Dutch oven and sauté the cumin seeds (if using) and onions until translucent.
- Add in stock, water and the rest of the ingredients (except salt and pepper).
- Bring to boil and simmer for 15 mins until the vegetables are fork tender.
- Add in curry cubes and stir well to dissolve.
- Taste and add some salt and pepper if necessary.
- Turn off heat and set aside.
- To serve:
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Use your thumb to make a depression in the middle of each patty. This will prevent it from puffing up during cooking.
- Cook the patties over medium heat for 5 mins.
- Spoon desired amount of rice onto a plate and top with generous amount of shredded cheese.
- Pour hot curry sauce over the rice and place cooked Hamburg on top.
- Serve with Japanese pickles and consume immediately.
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