King’s Hawaiian Loco Moco Recipe

September 28, 2021Van

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Loco Moco is the ultimate Hawaiian comfort food, rice served with a burger patty, smothered in a delicious brown gravy and topped with a fried egg. The dish originated at Lincoln Grill restaurant in Hilo, Hawaii around 1949 by Richard & Nancy Inouye. I’m curious to know if this dish was inspired by Japanese Hamburger Steak (Hambagu) since they’re very similar.

I’ve had this dish all over the islands, but my favorite version is actually from King’s Hawaiian in Torrance, CA. Now that I live thousands of miles away from King’s Hawaiian, I created this copycat of their Loco Moco and I think it comes pretty close to the original. I was planning on serving it with potato mac salad like they do at Kings Hawaiian, but I had a bunch of errands to run and didn’t have a lot of time left before lunch – so I’ll definitely make it for next time

Some people make the gravy from a roux + beef broth, but if you want it to taste like the restaurants, use the McCormick brown gravy packets, you can find this at any supermarket
King’s Hawaiian Loco Moco Recipe

King’s Hawaiian Loco Moco Recipe

September 28, 2021 Van

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 lbs Ground Beef, use 80/20 or 75/25
⅓ Cup Grated Yellow Onion
¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1½ Teaspoons Fine Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
2 - 0.87 oz McCormick Brown Gravy packets
1 Tablespoon Salted Butter
1 Tablespoon Ketchup
1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce
2 Green Onions, green parts chopped
4 Servings Cooked Short or Medium Grain Rice
4 Eggs, sunny side up or over easy (optional)

Method

1)
In a large bowl, add 2 lbs Ground Beef, ⅓ Cup Grated Yellow Onion, ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder, 1½ Teaspoons Fine Sea Salt, 1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper, then use your hands to combine well so the onion and seasoning is evenly distributed. Form into 4 large oval patties, approximately 6in x 4.5 inch and ¾ inch thick.
2)
Use a 12 inch pan or cast iron skillet on high heat, when the pan is smoking hot, add 1 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil, then grill the burger patties for 3-4 Minutes on each side until the patties are medium or medium-well done. Wrap the patties in foil to keep them warm while you make the gravy. Leave all the drippings in the pan.
3)
Use the same pan, on med-heat, add 1 Tablespoon Salted Butter and the 2 Packets of McCormick Brown Gravy, use a whisk to mix in the gravy powder. Add 1¾ Cups Water, 1 Tablespoon Ketchup, 1 Teaspoon Soy Sauce, stir with a whisk until smooth and the gravy begins to thicken.
4)
Add rice to each plate, top with a burger patty, pour over a generous amount of gravy, top with an egg and garnish with chopped green onions. Enjoy!