Hamburg Steak à la Akahori Cooking School 1882

Akahori Cooking School 1882 in Tokyo is dedicated to Washuko—Western style food adapted to Japanese tastes and techniques. One of their most popular classes centers on Hamburg Steak, a classic Washuko dish that consists of a seasoned hamburger patty and a rich, meaty sauce spiked with ketchup.

Their version uses a 70:30 blend of ground beef and pork for the patty, seasoned with lots of nutmeg and sautéed minced onion; a milk and bread panade and an egg act as binder. They work the mixture aggressively, using the warmth of their hands to melt the fats into and help create stickiness by releasing myosin. They also slap the meat down after kneading to remove air bubbles.

To prepare the hamburg, they press a dimple into the center of the patty and fry it off; the rich mixture releases lots of its own fat. The sauce is a simple—but incredibly rich—mixture of demi-glace, butter and ketchup. Each patty was partially enrobed with the sauce before serving.