Tofu Hamburger Steak Recipe – Japanese Cooking 101 (2024)

FAQs

Why do Japanese like Hamburg steak? ›

Hamburg steak became popular during the 1960s as a more affordable way to serve otherwise costly meat. Magazines regularly printed the recipe during that decade, elevating it to a staple dish in Japanese culture.

“Hambāgu“ (ハンバーグ) is a Japanese style Salisbury Steak. It is a ground meat patty made with onions, egg, panko breadcrumbs – pan fried and served with a gravy, typically over rice.

Hambagu are eaten on a plate or served in sizzling on a cast iron skillet, covered in gravy. In Japan, hambagu are usually served with rice or bread, as well as a side of steamed or grilled vegetables or mashed potatoes.

Import ban

In late 2003, Japan suspended all imports of American beef due to a single BSE case in Washington. Japan had been the largest export market for US beef, valued at $1.2 billion in 2003. In December 2005, Japan agreed to remove the restriction on importing US beef.

Japan. In Japan, hamburgers can be served in a bun, called hanbāgā (ハンバーガー), or just the patties served without a bun, known as hanbāgu (ハンバーグ) or "hamburg", short for "hamburg steak".

So “Wagyu” refers to any cattle that is bred in Japan or the Japanese-style. Kobe steak is comprised of a very particular strain of Wagyu called Tajima-Gyu that is raised to strict standards in the prefecture of Hyogo. (Hyogo's capital city is Kobe, thus the name).

While the hambāgu is a Japanese reinvention of a traditional American hamburger, it leaves out the conventional toppings. This saucy, savory dish shines without the sesame bun, raw onion rings, or crispy lettuce.

Japan's "top three" wagyu brands — specifically Matsusaka Ushi, Kobe Beef, and Ohmi Beef — all hail from the Kansai region of Japan. While their bloodlines all trace their origins to Tajima beef, a subspecies of Japanese Black cattle from Hyogo Prefecture, each of these wagyu brands boasts a unique flavor profile.

Japan is widely known for its high-quality meat products especially, beef and pork. Some of the most popular meat cuisines in Japan include yakiniku (grilled meat), tonkatsu (breaded deep-fried pork cutlets), and shabu-shabu (hot pot dish).

Kobe beef is a special type of Wagyu beef that's famous for its marbling. In fact, some say that it has the most intricate marbling of any beef in the world. Kobe cattle must only be born in Tajima-Gyu, an area within Japan's Hyogo prefecture.

Do people eat hamburgers in Japan? ›

Burgers in Japan are delicious, fun, and very popular, especially in Tokyo!