I really love hearty breakfasts and this Loco Moco with Mushroom Gravy recipe is very high on my list of favorite meals to eat! The first time I had Loco Moco was when I went to Hawaii with my family, years ago. I initially ordered it because I liked the name of the dish as well as the idea of a hamburger patty over rice. I ended up totally falling in love with this ‘stick to your ribs’ dish.
Our version uses basmati rice because I love the fragrant rice, but you can use a more traditional steamed white rice. We also top our version with furikake seasoning because I love the umami flavor it adds to the dish, but you can easily omit it for an equally delicious Loco Moco dish!
What is Loco Moco?
Loco Moco is a local Hawaiian comfort food dish consisting of steamed rice topped with a hamburger patty, fried egg and finished with gravy.
Origins of the Dish
The origins of the dish is up for debate, but most can agree that it was invented in 1949 at either the Lincoln Grill restaurant, or Cafe 100, both in Hilo, Hawaii. The story goes that the dish was created for local teens that had come in for breakfast. They requested something unique from a typical sandwich and not as time consuming as asian food to prepare.
Why is it called ‘Loco Moco’?
Another question asked a lot is “What does Loco Moco mean?” The name of the dish came from the nickname of one of the teens ‘Loco’ and ‘Moco’ was simply added because it sounded good together. It became a popular staple of the restaurant and slowly spread throughout the islands.
How to Make Our Loco Moco Recipe
Process
Mushroom Gravy
- Melt some butter in a saucepan and saute garlic and mushrooms. Once mushrooms have caramelized, melt more butter into the mixture.
- Add flour and whisk together until no lumps remain. Stir in stock and continue to stir together until gravy has thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
Hamburger Patties
- Mix seasonings into ground beef.
- Divide mixture and form into two patties.
- Cook the patties in a skillet until desired doneness.
Fried Eggs
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Crack eggs over melted butter. Fry eggs until edges are crisp, whites have set, but the yolk is runny.
Assembly
- Place rice in the bottom of two bowls or plates. Top rice with hamburger patties. Ladle gravy over patties and rice. Top gravy with fried eggs and top with more gravy. Sprinkle Loco Moco with furikake and sliced chives.
Variations
- Ground turkey can be used in place of the ground beef to make turkey patties.
- Slices of spam can be fried up and served in place of the hamburger patties as well!
- We use shiitake mushrooms for our gravy, but you can use any mushrooms of your choice, based on personal preference!
- Caramelized onions can take the place of the mushrooms for a caramelized onion gravy.
- Brown rice can be swapped in for the white rice.
- Green onions can be used to garnish the dish, instead of chives.
Is This a Traditional Version of the Dish?
Our recipe has all the components of a traditional loco moco (like rice, hamburger patties, sunny-side up eggs, and gravy), but the specifics are a little bit different.
The traditional dish uses short grain white rice, but we use basmati rice, because I just love the fragrance and flavor! The traditional dish also has a much richer brown gravy, primarily consisting of beef broth, beef patty drippings, flour, and a teaspoon or two of soy sauce (and/or a teaspoon Worcestershire sauce). We make a mushroom gravy with chicken stock and no burger patty juices, for a lighter gravy overall.
Loco Moco is traditionally garnished with sliced green onions or no garnish at all. We added a sprinkle of furikake seasoning and sliced chives to finish our dish off!
Tips and Tricks for Success
- Prep ingredients ahead of time to save on time when cooking. I always try to prep as much ahead of time as I can, when I cook. For this recipe you can slice the mushrooms and mince the garlic up to 2 days ahead of time and form the burger patties up to 12 hours ahead of time.
- Use beef stock instead of chicken stock if you want a richer, more traditional gravy.
- Add the egg to a hot pan to get a nice, crispy crust around the edge and to set the whites while maintaining a runny yolk.
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Loco Moco
INGREDIENTS
mushroom gravy
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms stems removed and thinly sliced
- 1 2/3 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- salt and pepper to taste
hamburger patties
- 8 ounces lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
fried eggs
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 2 large eggs
to serve
- 1 1/2 cups cooked basmati rice
- 1 tablespoon furikake seasoning
- 1 tablespoon sliced chives
INSTRUCTIONS
mushroom gravy
- Add 2 tablespoons butter to a saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Add garlic and mushrooms and sauté for about 3 minutes or until mushrooms are lightly caramelized. Season with salt and pepper.
- Melt remaining butter into the mixture. Sprinkle with flour and whisk together.
- Lower heat to medium and stir in stock. Continue to stir until no lumps remain and gravy has thickened enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
hamburger patties
- Place ground beef, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper into a mixing bowl and mix together.
- Form 2 even (4 ounce) patties and lightly seaaon with salt and pepper.
- Pour oil into a large skillet and place over medium-high heat.
- Once skillet is hot, add burger patties and sear for 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook burgers until medium doneness, an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove patties from the skillet and set aside, loosely covered with foil.
fried eggs
- In another skillet, add oil and place over medium-high heat. Once skillet is hot, add eggs and fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until whites have set and edges are crisp. Remove from heat.
assembly
- Divide rice between two plates and top each with a burger patty, followed by a ladle of gravy, a fried egg, and another ladle of gravy. Finish each dish with a sprinkle of furikake seasoning and sliced chives. Serve.
NOTES
- Prep ingredients ahead of time to save on time when cooking. I always try to prep as much ahead of time as I can, when I cook. For this recipe you can slice the mushrooms and mince the garlic up to 2 days ahead of time and form the burger patties up to 12 hours ahead of time.
- Use beef stock instead of chicken stock if you want a richer, more traditional gravy.
- Add the egg to a hot pan to get a nice, crispy crust around the edge and to set the whites while maintaining a runny yolk.
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Can I use loose meat instead of formed patties?
Absolutely!
I was born and raised in Hawaii and this recipe was great! So ono! I will make it again. I added extra mushrooms. You can also sauté some Sweet onions with the gravy.
I love this gravy thanks
Cant wait to make again
This is a really unique recipe! I tried it last night and loved it
I made this for my wife and kids for Mother’s Day and everyone loved it!
This looks so yum! can we use some meat in place of mushroom.
fun recipe, thank you for the recipe, it’s been a while since I’ve had this and wouldn’t have remembered where to begin without this reminder and recipe!
Can you sub vegan butter?
yes, definitely!
Just made this, it’s delish!! I used brown rice, so it’s not as pretty as this pic, lol, but still tasted good!!!!!
I do a swap out with brown rice too from time to time! Glad you enjoyed it!
Oh yes; my son is a big fan of mushrooms; this is going to be a huge surprise for him ! Thank you so much !
Oh yay!! Hope you guys love it!
I have made this several times. It is the Hub’s favorite meal…even with mushrooms!
Aw yay!
Wow, this must be so delicious! I can’t wait to try it myself. Thanks for sharing the details with us!
So glad to find this today as I was thinking along the lines of burgers and mushroom gravy for dinner. Definitely going to step it up a notch with this. It’s a much more elegant version of what we’ve had in Hawaii. Beautiful!
Oh yay! Thanks for the kind words :)