hambak steak
Comfort food. This is it. The Korean hambak steak shares some qualities with a salisbury steak, but what sets it apart is is the combination of sweet, tart and salty flavors. The hambak steak is like the Japanese hambagu. To be perfectly honest, I don’t know what the material difference is between the two, because the ingredients are virtually identical in most cases. I’ve seen hambak steak primarily served at fast casual Korean restaurants. I like to have mine brushed lightly with an accompanying sauce and topped with a fried egg.
Ingredients:
Makes 5 hambak steaks/patties
Steak ingredients
1 pound of ground beef (In my version I use 100% ground beef, a lot of recipes use a pork/beef combo, but I prefer it without pork)
3 tablespoons of ketchup
1 ½ tablespoons of Japanese Worcestershire sauce (this is a must, it’s sweeter and less savory)
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
3/4 cup of panko bread crumbs
1 egg
3 tablespoons of UNSALTED butter (for cooking the hambak steak in)
The sauce
1 ½ tablespoon of ketchup
1 ½ tablespoon of Japanese Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 tablespoon of water
I highly recommend this brand of Japanese style Worcestershire sauce
Hambak steak/patty ingredients
Directions:
Mix the ground beef, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, mayonnaise, sugar, panko bread crumbs and egg in a bowl. I use my hands (with gloves) to mix all the ingredients well.
Separate and shape the meat mixture into 5 equal sized patties, about 3/4” thick. The consistency of these will be much less dense than a regular hamburger patty. That’s normal and it’s OK.
Heat up a pan on medium to medium low heat. Do not go higher than medium, these are also cooked at a lower temperature than regular hamburger patties. Melt the butter. I realize 3 tablespoons is a (very) generous amount, but it will protect the patties from getting overcooked on the outside and will be used later for the sauce.
Using a large spatula, gently place the patties in the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and cook each side for 4.5 to 5.5. minutes on each side. Use a large spatula when (gently) flipping sides.
Once the hambak steaks have been cooked, set them aside on a different plate. Make sure to keep the residual butter/fat that’s been left in the pan.
In the same pan that you cooked the hambak steaks, on medium high heat, add the sauce ingredients (ketchup, Worcestershire, sugar and water) Cook for about 3-4 minutes.
Assemble your hambak steak meal: I like to place white rice on bottom, then the hambak steak, then just brush the sauce on top. (I would highly recommend using the sauce just brushed on top, because it can turn the dish very quickly into a salt bomb)
Next, add a fried egg and scallions. Enjoy!
