Crazy Good Loco Moco #FoodieReads

This was inspired by Under the Maui Sky (Maui Island Series Book 1) by Kellie Coates Gilbert.

On the Page

Under the Maui Sky by Kellie Coates Gilbert is the first in a series of eight books. While I enjoyed this book, I don't think I will be picking up any more of them. Well, if they were part of my Kindle Unlimited subscription, I probably would. But I have too many other books to read to pay for this series.

Ava Briscoe is recently widowed and she is left to manager the family's pineapple plantation while grappling with her grief and the discovery of her husband's betrayal.

On the Plate

There were plenty of Hawaiian foods mentioned such as kahlua pig and lomi lomi salmon. The restaurant on the plantation served some interesting combinations such as shrimp won tons with macadamia nut sauce and ham and gouda sandwiches with homemade bacon jam.

But what caught my eye was a loco moco with secret ingredients.

'Don’t forget Alani’s secret additions,' her mom reminded. 'She puts coconut and pineapple juice in the rice.'

"Christel and her mom loaded their plates with rice topped with beef patties and fried eggs smothered in gravy, enjoying every delicious bite while gazing at the stars in silence. Suddenly, her mother broke the quiet with gut-filled laughter. 'Who in the world named this thing Loco Moco?' Christel shrugged and took another bite. 'Who cares? This is crazy good'" (pg. 22).

If you follow my blog regularly, you may remember that I have already shared my Loco Moco with a Sea of Gravy and Puaʻa Loco Moco and a Gravy Debate. But I couldn't pass up the chance to play with adding coconut and pineapple juice to the rice.

Ingredients

Burgers (I made teriyaki-swabbed burgers)

• 24 ounces ground beef

• 2 Tablespoons minced shallots

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, approximately 1 Tablespoon

• 1" knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated

• 1 Tablespoon teriyaki sauce (recipe below)

Teriyaki Sauce

• 1/2 cup water

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 1 Tablespoon organic light brown sugar

• 1 Tablespoon molasses or more to taste

• 1 Tablespoon pineapple juice

• 1" knob fresh ginger, peeled and grated

• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, approximately 1 Tablespoon

Gravy

• 3 Tablespoons butter, divided

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onions

• 2 cups mushrooms (I used white beech mushrooms), brushed clean and separated

• olive oil, as needed

• 2 Tablespoons rice flour

• 1 cup beef stock

• 1 to 2 Tablespoons soy sauce, to taste

For Serving

• steamed rice with the secret ingredients (for 3 cups of cooked rice, I used 2 Tablespoons shredded coconut and 1 Tablespoon pineapple juice)

• fried egg

• assorted vegetables (I served sesame carrots, pickled turnips, and kimchi - all those recipes can be found in this post: here)

• freshly ground pepper, as needed

Procedure

Teriyaki Sauce

Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until smooth. Simmer until desired thickness. Set aside.

Burger

Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Mix until well-combined. Form the meat into 4 equal size patties, these were about 6 ounces each. Place on a parchment-lined plate and set aside until ready to cook. Just before cooking, swab one side with teriyaki sauce and place that side don on the grill. Before flipping, swab the burger again so that the newly swabbed side is face down.

Cook, as desired, on a grill or on the stove with grill pan.

Gravy

In a skillet, melt 1 Tablespoon butter with a splash of olive oil. Add in the onions and cook over low heat until translucent and beginning to caramelize, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and cook until they just begin to soften, approximately 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside. In a small pot melt the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in a splash of olive oil. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Pour in the stock. Whisk constantly until thickened to a nice gravy consistency. Season to taste with soy sauce. Fold in onions and mushrooms.

For Serving

Scoop rice onto individual serving plates. Spoon gravy over the rice. Position the burger on top of the rice and gravy, then top with a fried egg. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper, as desired. Serve immediately with assorted vegetables.

I can't say that this is my favorite version of loco moco, but the addition of the secret ingredients was interesting. I might do that again, but use more gravy next time.

I am adding this to the August #FoodieReads link-up.