Rika's TOKYO CUISINE: Hambaagu—Rika's Taste of Home

Dining with the Chef!

Hello everyone, and welcome to... "itadakimasu!" Dining with the Chef.

Since the start of our broadcast in 2011, Rika has taught us a wide variety of Japanese dishes.

She has also shared many ideas and techniques to make life easier for the busy cook without sacrificing flavor and style.

Rika was greatly influenced by her mother, Yoshiko.

Today, Rika invites us on a trip down memory lane as she shows us how to make two of her favorite childhood dishes.

Ooh, hi Rika. Looks like we're using meat today.

Yes. I want to share a very special recipe that my mother used to teach me.

Ooh. We're using two varieties of meat. I imagine we're mixing them together and making...

- Hamburger steak.
- Yes.

"Hambaagu" in Japanese. Hamburger steak.

It's a classic favorite. Kids everywhere love it. My kids adore it.

- And you apparently did too.
- Oh, yeah.

The most kids in Japan love hamburger steak, but at the same time, it's a little bit difficult to make.

But my mom taught me the tips how to make the greatest hamburger steak on earth.

- And today you're going to teach us.
- Yes.

"Hambaagu." Rika's mom's hamburger steak recipe. Let's get started.

Tokyo, an Asian city with the largest metropolitan population in the world,

the boundaries between old Japan and futuristic Japan are blurred in this metropolis.

The food here is a fusion of cuisine not just from around Asia, but around the globe.

Our program host is culinary expert Rika Yukimasa.

And our co-host is Patrick Harlan, aka Pakkun.

Rika's TOKYO CUISINE.

Today, Rika's favorite childhood dishes.

So let's check out the ingredients.

We've got ground beef, ground pork, half an onion, an egg, "panko" breadcrumbs and some flavorings over here.

All right. So what do we do first?

- First, let's cut the onion.
- All right.

We use this half size onion.

And first, you cut, like, horizontally.

- Ah, Rika's famous mincing technique.
- Yes.

And then vertically.

Yeah. Instead of a mincing randomly, this way you can just mince it equal size.

- And then hold it really tight, then cut.
- Right.

The bear claw grip, as we call it here in Japan.

You want to keep your fingers tucked under knuckles,

so that the blade goes up against your knuckles and doesn't cut off any of your appendages.

- Okay, so this part is cut.
- Okay.

Okay. And then I have one tip I need to show you.

- Oh, that looks fancy.
- Isn't it?

- What's in here? A special ingredient?
- This is a thing my mom invented, in a way.

- Plastic wrap? Oh.
- Yes.

She invented plastic wrap?

No, she actually invented to utilize this plastic wrap... wrap to prepare the onion.

Oh, okay.

And she was a working mother. She couldn't have that much time.

So, she invented using this and microwave.

The standard procedure is to saute minced onions to bring out their natural sweetness.

But Rika recommends wrapping them in plastic wrap and microwaving them at 700 watts for about 3 minutes.

She says they're just as sweet as sauteed onions.

Unwrap the microwaved onions and set aside to cool.

Ooh, it smells so sweet.

You know, whatever you want to make, anything, like curry, you can use this technique.

Right. When you're cooking onions down, instead of sauteing them in the fry pan, just microwave them.

- Yes. That's a good idea.
- Right.

Okay. All right.

At some point, you returned to the lid here.

Is there another surprise under here for us?

Yes. Next one is...

Still not an ingredient. What is this?

Another way to, you know, cut back the cooking time.

Instead of using bowls and her hand, she put everything in here, all of these ingredients, and kneaded here.

This way she doesn't have to wash the bowls and hands. Yeah.

If you've ever made "Hambaagu," you will know, it really sticks to your hands.

And it's kind of hard to get off because it's kind of greasy, right?

- Yes.
- This is smart. Just a random plastic bag.

- Right. It has to be clean one.
- Right.

What else did she teach you?

Well, she taught me... Usually when we make hamburger steak,

we tend to purchase "aibiki," which is a combination of beef and pork, about 70% to 30%.

"Aibiki" means "mixed together" or even "ground together."

Yes. That's kind of unusual outside of Japan, right?

Yeah. I've never seen it in an American supermarket.

In Japan, it's very popular.

You want to have a little bit of fat from pork and the meaty flavor from beef.

But then she... instead of purchasing pre-packed "aibiki," she purchased beef and pork separately.

- Why?
- Because she thinks if you have more red meat, it's taste better.

Okay. So, what's your mom's golden ratio?

- 2 beef. 1 pork.
- 2 to 1, beef to pork.

So you have the fluffiness and the juicy fattiness from the pork, but you have that good, meaty flavor from the beef.

- Exactly.
- Okay.

And then from here it's very easy.

You just place this beef...

- And pork.
- All right.

- Japanese "panko."
- "Panko" breadcrumbs.

"Panko" breadcrumbs is a little different from breadcrumbs in, you know, you find in in America.

"Panko" is a processed food that comes from Japan.

It's a special kind of white bread is processed into flakes and then dried,

making a crisp and light breading for fried foods and is a great binding agent for a hamburger steak.

If you can't get hold of "panko," tear white bread into pieces and pulse in a food processor.

Add the "panko," egg,

minced onion cooled to room temperature, salt, and pepper.

Also, add nutmeg.

If possible, use freshly grated nutmeg for better flavor.

So from here, it's very easy. You just knead with your hand.

You can do like this too.

You just put everything... put everything into one bag and do this.

And you get a really wonderful result.

How do you know when you're done?

I just do it about 100 times. If you want to count it.

But I think what's most important is you want to knead so that everything is tightly mixed together like this.

Oh, nice.

Knead the meat until it feels smooth and sticky.

Divide in half and shape into round or oval patties.

So the purpose of this doing this is you want to get rid of the airs from the patty.

If you have the air inside while you're cooking, this air will explode.

- And then the juice from the patty will come out.
- Right.

This is fun.

It's either... you can make it round or oval shape.

Okay. Do you want it thicker in the middle? Thinner in the middle? Do you have a preference?

Well, thinner in the middle. You just make a little dent like this.

The reason for that is when you're cooking, this hamburger, kind of gets fluffy.

So, if you didn't... if you don't make any dent, then it gets kind of really...

almost like you have a mountain in the circle in the center.

Wrap the patties in plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge for 10 minutes or in a freezer for 3 to 4 minutes to chill.

This is to solidify the fat and seal in the juices, resulting in a juicier and tastier steak.

Meanwhile, prepare the trimmings.

This time, we're going with green beans.

Trim the tough ends and cut diagonally in half for visual appeal.

Place in a heat-resistant dish, sprinkle with salt and water, and cover with plastic wrap.

Then, microwave at 600 watts for a minute and a half.

Rika likes to save time and effort by microwaving instead of boiling vegetables.

- So it's been about 10 minutes.
- Yes.

- Should be ready.
- All right.

Yes, looks wonderful.

- So, let's start frying the patties.
- Okay.

Is there a trick to this too?

Somehow a lot of people, instead of cooking enough time, they just brown both sides.

- And then imagine that it's already cooked.
- Right.

So I was looking at my mom.

What she was doing is she was browning one side and flip and cook 13 minutes on the other side.

I see. You brown one side first... on high heat?

- Yes, on high heat.
- Okay.

You actually do browning, because you want to seal all the juice inside.

So, what you do is you place gently, cook about 2 minutes.

2 minutes on one side. And then flip. OK.

Wait.

Place the indented side up in the pan and fry over high heat for 2 minutes without using a lid.

And you see, this side is turning white.

You see? Then, it's about time that you flip.

- Nice.
- This is a nice color.

It looks too brown for many people. But you do have to do this.

No, no, no. That's great.

- Okay, this is perfect.
- I see.

And then turn the heat to low.

And then cook for 13 minutes.

- 13 minutes from this point.
- Yes. With a lid on.

With a lid on? OK.

So you're also sort of steaming it a little as well, is that right?

Okay. So how shall we use our 13 minutes?

Okay, we can clean up, first of all. And prep the sauce.

- The sauce.
- For the hamburger steak.

- Ah, that's right. "Hambaagu" got to have a sauce.
- Yes.

So we have the ingredients; red wine and ketchup.

And this one in the middle is called "chuno" sauce.

- It's a special sauce we use for things like "tonkatsu," right?
- Yes.

"Chuno" sauce is a type of Worcestershire sauce.

In Japan, Worcestershire sauce is classified into three categories according to thickness.

The thinnest is the Worcester sauce, and the thickest is "noko" sauce.

Worcester sauce is smooth and has a pleasant spicy and tangy flavor.

In Japan, it's often used for vegetable stir-fry and "yakisoba" noodles.

"Noko" sauce is made with lots of fruit and vegetables, so it's thick and fruity.

Because it's thick, it doesn't seep easily into deep-fried foods, so the extra crispy texture lasts longer.

"Chuno" sauce is a medium-thick sauce with a mild, well-balanced sweetness and tangy flavor.

It's a versatile sauce that goes well with both stir-fry and deep-fried foods.

If you can't buy it locally, you can easily make something similar from scratch.

Just mix Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and sugar. Give it a try!

- It's been 13 minutes.
- Yes. Let's open it.

Open our Christmas presents. Woohoo! Look at that.

- Beautiful.
- None of the juices have seeped out. That's incredible.

Wipe off any browned bits from the pan and add the red wine,

"chuno" sauce, and ketchup.

Simmer over high heat for about 2 minutes to reduce and coat the hamburger steaks.

- Lovely.
- Yeah.

The wine and the ketchup are providing a nice gloss.

What they say, like "teri," in Japanese.

It's so easy to make. But once to you get the hold of how to make this hamburger steak,

then you can make Japanese style hamburger steaks, or Italian style... you can change the sauce.

For example, you can put some grated "daikon" radish and "ponzu."

Oh, yeah, make it a little bit lighter, a little bit more citrusy.

- Right.
- That'd be great.

- So, once it's thickened, we can just turn off.
- Okay.

Okay. Looks good.

- It's perfect.
- Looks more than good.

It's ideal. Are we ready to plate it?

Gorgeous.

Finally, filter the sauce through a tea strainer to remove any lumps and give it a more polished look.

Sprinkle with pepper to taste and drizzle with olive oil to finish.

Oh, that's beautiful.

- It definitely looks like a fine restaurant meal.
- Thank you.

- And it's got to be even better, because it's from your mom.
- Yes.

So we have beautiful hamburger steaks waiting for us. What else are we going to make?

We're going to make a carrot soup.

- It's a creamy and heartwarming soup.
- Lovely.

Is this also your mom's recipe?

- Actually, it's my dad's recipe.
- Dad. Was he a cook too?

Well, he wasn't cooking until he was retired.

But I think that right after he got retired, he was kind of...

feeling lonely not to be going to his company. He's having too much extra time.

So he decided to take lessons on cooking.

No kidding. He went to cooking school.

- Yes, not from my mother, but from special teacher.
- Great.

And he made this carrot soup, which was really nutritious and really tasty.

- Excellent.
- So...

I kind of praise him and he kept on cooking every time I see him.

Nice. So today we're going to have mom's hamburger stakes, and dad's carrot soup.

Sounds great. Let's take out the ingredients.

We have a carrot, obviously.

A potato, half a tomato, parsley, water, butter, "dashi," which is granulated broth, milk, salt, pepper and sugar.

- Yes.
- Let's talk a little bit about this "dashi."

"Dashi," which I love, is made from like "katsuobushi" or bonito flakes and "kombu" usually,

is great, but it's not what I think of, like, as a base for carrot soup.

I think more like consomme or bouillon.

Yeah, but I guess he found... he just found these ingredients from the fridge

and then found the "dashi" from the fridge,

and he thought he's going to combine everything all together.

And I think "dashi" plays a really good part in making everything kind of heartwarming.

It gives you the umami flavor.

And even though they're just regular potage it's a completely different thing.

Right. It's a little Japanese atmosphere.

First, prep the vegetables.

With potage soup, the vegetables need to be cooked thoroughly.

Peel a carrot and potato and cut into thin slices.

Dice a halved tomato.

Mince the parsley for garnish,

and you're all set.

Okay. All the peeling, slicing and dicing is done. What do we do next?

We're going to saute the vegetables first.

- Turn the heat to medium, I'd say.
- Medium heat. All right.

What's important is just coat the vegetables with a little bit of butter to enhance the taste.

And potatoes.

Is there anything we need to be careful for?

- Everything in the bottom... you just don't want to burn it.
- Okay. So we keep stirring.

Once the vegetables are evenly coated in butter, add water and granulated "dashi," and cover with a lid.

Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce to low heat and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes.

So it's been 7 or 8 minutes.

- Shall we check our burgers?
- Yes.

You see? The only purpose is, you want to soften everything, so once it's softened like this, it's good.

You can tell with your chopsticks that it's soft enough. All right.

Should be okay. And now we're going to use the blender to smooth everything.

Great. What if we don't have a blender?

- You can use a hand mixer.
- A hand mixer? All right.

Okay. And instead of putting... if you're using this blender, you want to kind of cool down a bit.

Okay. You want to let it cool down a little.

Hot ingredients give off steam which builds up pressure inside the blender, which may blow off the lid.

It also deteriorates the blade.

So, cool the contents to room temperature then blend until smooth.

Return to the pot and reheat.

So we're heating it up again, and this is when we add the remaining ingredients, I suppose?

And then you want to add some milk, but the... kind of, you want to dilute to the point where you like.

- Okay. Can you use cream if you like cream?
- Yes.

Salt and a bit of sugar, I think a bit of sugar tastes really good.

- Isn't that pretty?
- It is gorgeous.

My father was so proud when he was serving this soup.

- Yeah, because he knows this is beautiful.
- It is.

Okay, so the soup is ready.

Little bit of pepper.

Just a bit of parsley.

Okay, so my dad's carrot soup is ready.

That's a soup to make dad proud. Well done.

So it's the two of us, and the two of your parents!

Your mom's hamburger steak, your dad's carrot soup.

What a brilliant combination they make.

All right. Let's start with hamburger steak.

"Itadakimasu."

Lovely. It's soft and fluffy, juicy and hearty and meaty.

- It's wonderful.
- Thank you.

And the sauce, it is excellent.

Goes really well with both the meat and any vegetables that happen to be on the plate.

When you buy... purchase the regular hamburger steak, it's just different.

It's kind of lighter. But this one has a meaty flavor.

And since it's slowly cooked, it ends up really plump and fluffy.

Oh, so good. But let's not forget your dad's soup as well.

Dad's carrot soup. It's beautiful.

"Itadakimasu."

- Ooh, that's awesome.
- Yeah.

It's carrots, and it's potatoes, and it's love. It is so good.

And you didn't add much, but I can tell that there's "dashi" in there.

The umami is definitely there.

So it's got this nice sort of smoky, tangy flavor as well. It's amazing.

- When you add the "dashi," granulated "dashi," it gives you the complexity.
- Right.

What I respected my father was that instead of,

you know, getting all different kinds of ingredients, which a lot of beginners do,

he instead kind of digging into the refrigerator, finding the leftovers

and cook very simple food, which I think he could have become a really nice chef.

That's amazing. What a way to honor your parents and to celebrate cooking with our friends in the world.

Yes. Thank you so much.

Today, I shared with you some of my childhood memories together with my two favorite comfort foods.

The little things my mother taught me are very important in everyday cooking.

Focus on what's important to make the most of your time.

That's how you can cook up tasty food, and become a better chef.

I hope you'll enjoy my mom and dad's recipes as much as I do.

Well thanks to both you and your parents for an amazing meal and a wonderful lesson.

- Thank you.
- And thank you for joining us right here on Dining with the Chef.

We will see you here next time. Bye bye.

Let's review today's main points starting with Rika's Mom's Hamburger Steak.

Place the ground meat, onions, and seasonings in a plastic bag and knead until sticky.

Form into patties and make a dimple on one side.

Fry the chilled patties, dimpled side up, over high heat for 2 minutes.

Flip over, cover and cook on low heat for 13 minutes.

Add the sauce ingredients, reduce, and coat the hamburger steaks.

Plate and sprinkle with pepper and olive oil.

For Rika's Dad's Carrot Soup, saute the sliced vegetables in butter.

Add water, granulated "dashi," and simmer until the vegetables are tender.

Then cool and blend.

Return to the pot and add milk, salt, and sugar.

Reduce to desired consistency and serve.

Why not enjoy these special recipes that are Rika's comfort food at your house?