{"id":2774,"date":"2014-10-09T14:13:23","date_gmt":"2014-10-09T18:13:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/picklesandtea\/?p=2774"},"modified":"2014-10-10T11:14:58","modified_gmt":"2014-10-10T15:14:58","slug":"wafu-hamburgers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/picklesandtea\/wafu-hamburgers\/","title":{"rendered":"Wafu Hamburgers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hamburger patties sans buns are now very popular with the low-carb\/gluten-free set but the Japanese may have been the geniuses who thought of it first.<\/p>\n

The wafu<\/a> hamburger can be described as a cross between a teriyaki burger patty and meatloaf. My dear friend Yuki who gave me this recipe, eats it with rice and a side of broccoli and carrots. I\u2019ve never been to Japan (Tokyo-Narita airport doesn\u2019t count) but I\u2019ve been told that this dish is very popular on yoshoku<\/a> menus at family restaurants. I have yet to see it on the menu at a Japanese restaurant in the U.S. (holler if you<\/em> have!). Many of my Japanese friends grew up eating wafu hamburgers at home.<\/p>\n

And because the Japanese always think of the darndest things, the Japanese fast food chain MOS Burger<\/a> offers the Tsukune Rice Burger, <\/a>a teriyaki beef patty sandwiched between rice compressed into a bun!<\/p>\n

The word \u2018wafu\u2019 refers to Japanese-style Western food or Western-style Japanese food however you choose to call it, and is added as a prefix, for \u00a0example, wafu salad dressing<\/a>, wafu steak<\/a>, and the list goes on.<\/p>\n

I admit I was skeptical when I first saw this recipe: a hamburger patty without a bun, eaten with rice, and<\/em> mixed with tofu? Sound iffy to you? It did to me, and I didn\u2019t dare give my husband any details!<\/p>\n

As it turned out, the wafu hamburger was a hit with both my boys. And it\u2019s now on regular rotation at our house.<\/p>\n

So here\u2019s another favorite, under-the-radar recipe from \u201cThe Asian Grandmothers Cookbook.\u201d<\/p>\n

~~~<\/p>\n

Japanese-Style Hamburgers (Wafu <\/em>Hamburgers)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

From The Asian Grandmothers Cookbook–Home Cooking from Asian American Kitchens<\/em>, Pg 153<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Wafu_hamburger1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

A popular meal eaten at home, these hamburgers sans buns are similar to Salisbury steaks. In this recipe from Yuki Morishima, seasoned beef patties are cooked, doused in sauce, and then served with broccoli and carrots. For a healthy twist, Yuki, a Tokyo native who has lived in the United States for about twenty years, learned from her mother to add tofu to the patties to cut down on the amount of meat. You can also make the burgers with ground pork.<\/p>\n

Time: 45 minutes
\nMakes: 4 servings as part of a multicourse family-style meal<\/p>\n

14-ounce package firm or medium-firm tofu
\n1\/2 cup panko bread crumbs (see Pat\u2019s Notes)
\n1\/4 cup milk
\n8 ounces ground beef
\n2 green onions, white and green parts, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
\n1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced (1 tablespoon)
\n2 teaspoons Japanese soy sauce
\nFreshly ground black pepper
\n2 tablespoons vegetable oil
\n3 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
\n2 tablespoons mirin
\n2 tablespoons water
\n1 tablespoon sugar
\nGrated daikon radish for garnish (optional)<\/p>\n

Wrap the tofu in cheesecloth or a non-terry kitchen towel and squeeze out as much water as possible. You want the tofu crumbled.<\/p>\n

In a large bowl, mix the panko and milk together. Add the crumbled tofu, beef, green onions, ginger, soy sauce, and pepper and mash everything together. Divide the mixture into 4 balls and flatten to form patties about \u00bd-inch thick and 4 inches in diameter. They will be very soft.<\/p>\n

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it becomes runny and starts to shimmer. Place the patties in the skillet and cook until the undersides are brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Flip and cook until cooked through, another 5 to 6 minutes.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, combine the soy sauce, mirin, water, and sugar in a small bowl.<\/p>\n

When the burgers are done, reduce the heat to low and add the sauce to the burgers in the skillet and simmer for 1 minute. Slide the burgers onto 4 individual plates. Drizzle the sauce over the tops and garnish with grated daikon.<\/p>\n

Pat\u2019s Notes:<\/p>\n

Panko, Japanese bread crumbs with a coarser texture than regular bread crumbs, is used as a coating for deep-fried food, especially seafood. It is available in the Asian section of larger supermarkets. Unopened packages last indefinitely, but once opened, panko should be frozen.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve used ground turkey in this recipe with great success too.<\/p>\n

Instead of burger patties, turn the ground\u00a0mixture into meatballs for a fun appetizer or school lunch!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hamburger patties sans buns are now very popular with the low-carb\/gluten-free set but the Japanese may have been the geniuses who thought of it first. The wafu hamburger can be described as a cross between a teriyaki burger patty and meatloaf. My dear friend Yuki…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2778,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,18,24,44,415,49],"tags":[572,573,574],"class_list":["post-2774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-comfort-food","category-entrees","category-fusion","category-japanese","category-kid-friendly-2","category-meat","tag-hamburger","tag-japanese-hamburger","tag-yoshoku-hamburger"],"yoast_head":"\nWafu Hamburgers - Pickles and Tea<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/apa.si.edu\/picklesandtea\/wafu-hamburgers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wafu Hamburgers - Pickles and Tea\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Hamburger patties sans buns are now very popular with the low-carb\/gluten-free set but the Japanese may have been the geniuses who thought of it first. 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