I'm back, Dungeon Meshi Maniacs! What were you up to last week? Uh hu, uh hu. Sounds fun! For me, after a week of surf and sun it is time to get back to the dungeon. And more importantly back to the kitchen! I'll miss the walks on the beach but time away makes you miss the things you have in your everyday life. In my case it's a kitchen with good pots and pans! Which we will need for this week's dish, Hamburg Steak With Changeling Sauce.
Good old hamburg steak. One of the most common foods your favorite anime character orders in a family restaurant. Here's the wild thing, DMMs. We skip THREE WHOLE CHAPTERS to get to this dish! It's a lot of background and set up that have nothing to do with the Dungeon Gang. And when it comes to the non-main cast I only have to say
Okay, okay. That's a lie, DMMs. You got me. I care A LOT about that story but this isn't a Dungeon Meshi recap blog. We are cooking our way through the dungeon so I normally only cover the story that gets us to the weekly dish. This is still important so here are the high points. Kabru, remember him, has gone back to the surface only to find out not only are the Canaries on the island. They are really good at their job and catch the Lunatic Magician in no time.
Good for the world but very bad for the Gang. Remember, they've done a few sketchy things while trying to save Falin. Things like DARK MAGIC! Kabru see's how things will go down if the Canaries catch up to the Gang.
Mountain Man Senshi is adorable but he wouldn't last in prison! There's not much to cook and Chilchuck will sell him for smokes! So Kabru takes a wild chance and gets in the middle of things.
Not for nothing but I think touching a cop is a good way to go to prison yourself, DMMs. Gotta give it up to Kabru though. He is doing something to save others. Why exactly? We'll get to that down the line. But his intervention gave Thistle an opening. You see, Chicken Falin came to the rescue.
That's a long drop down, DMMs! Thistle gets away and the hunt is on! What about the Gang? Well...they managed to find more Changelings.
Oh my! I think I need a moment, DMMs. Talk amongst yourself. Here's a topic. Hamburg steak is neither a hamburger nor a steak. What's up with that? It's a mystery no one has ever been able to solve! And the story doesn't even try because Senshi just up and makes hamburger steak with the changelings to cure them of their alterations.
Ground beef and ground pork! You'll combine both for your patty. This gives a juicer and fuller patty, DMMs. The best ratio that I've found is 2 to 1 of beef to pork. My recipe uses half a pound of beef to a fourth a pound of pork. Just scoop those out and put them in a bowl. Don't mix just yet, DMMs! You need binders and seasoning too!
You don't want the patties to crack open during cooking and the first step is put in some binding agents. Ours are a 1/3rd cup of Panko crumbs, an egg and two tablespoons of milk. These will help soak up some moisture and make the patties "stickier". The spices are simple. Salt, pepper and ground nutmeg? You bet, DMMs! Nutmeg rules and is the perfect punch-up for any dish. It'll add a bit of oomph to the taste without increasing the heat. Salt and pepper to taste but I use a teaspoon of the nutmeg for this. Just put it all into the bowl.
Gross! And it's about to get grosser, DMMs, because you have to use your own two hands to combine this. Good food is messy work! Power through it until it is all mixed together and feels sticky. Once you get to that level make the patties as thick as you want. I made three with my mixture.
Okay, starting to look like food. Now for a fun part. You get to toss the patties, DMMs! Back and forth between your hands! I'm not kidding. Look at this cool video that Editor helped me shoot.
Looks pretty professional, doesn't it? Why do this? First off, it makes you feel like a real fry cook. But mostly you are knocking the air out of the patties. Remember earlier when I said you want the patties to not crack open? Any air left in the patties when you fry them will get too hot and try to escape which will cause ruptures! Sorry if I just blinded you with science, DMMs. Now for the not fun part. You have to put these in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes. You just beat the crap out of them, DMMs. They need to rest. Waiting! It's the bane of all cooks. Fortunately you don't have to just sit there twiddling your thumbs. You have mushrooms to chop.
"The ocean sun has roasted your brain, you salacious sludge!" I can hear you furiously tap on a telegraph machine. "That's clearly and onion!" I see you've played Mushroomy/Oniony before, DMMs! You are correct. I am subbing out the mushrooms for an onion. Why? Two reasons. I actually prefer onions to mushrooms when it comes to beef. Second, I am out of mushrooms. We got back from vacation the day before I cooked and didn't have a chance to visit my mushroom guy. The cooking is actually pretty similar though. You slice the mushrooms or dice the onions.
Heat a pan over medium heat and add a tablespoon of olive oil when it's hot. Just toss in the onions or mushrooms into the pan. Cook the mushrooms until they brown and cook the onions until they are translucent.
Mushrooms or onions, they will smell great! Move your mushrooms or onions to a bowl and let them cool. By now the patties should have rested enough so it's time to cook. Using the same pan keep the heat at Medium and add two tablespoons of olive oil. Add the patties when warm. You are going to cook three minutes per side.
Looking good if you were making burgers but we have more to do. A secret weapon to make these a bit more juicy. And beefier! Beef bullion!
Love this stuff, DMMs! It's always good to have on hand and you'll need some not just for the patties but also for the sauce that's coming up. For now turn the heat to Low, add three tablespoons of your beef bullion and cover the pan.
The patties will literally stew in their own juices for seven minutes. You'll at least be rewarded with the smell as you wait. After those seven minutes have passed move the patties to a plate to rest. They've worked hard, DMMs! You gotta give your food a breather.
Butter, ketchup, tonkatsu sauce! I think I've mentioned before that tonkatsu sauce is one of my favorite condiments. Wait...have I mentioned that to you before, DMMs? I can't remember because I talk about how awesome it is to everyone I met. Some call me Tonkatsu Nih as a result. It's a sweet and tangy sauce that is pretty similar to Worcestershire Sauce but not quite. You can use Worcestershire if you don't have access to tonkatsu, actually. For this sauce just add the mushrooms or onions, two tablespoons of butter, three tablespoons of ketchup, and three tablespoons of the tonkatsu sauce to the pan over medium heat.
This was actually my first time trying out hamburg steak, DMMs. Even though I'm a huge anime fan and have watched many of my favorite characters eating it at Legally Distinct From Denny's Restaurant I never thought to make it on my own. It was super easy and a great dish. We had it with tater tots and some salad. A great weekend meal! Be sure to try it yourself and let me know how it turns out. Have fun and until next week be sure to stay cool!
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