Here's a recipe for Vegan Japanese Hamburger Steak-also called hambagu-that looks just like a juicy hamburger with meat! The secret to getting that full flavor from just plant-based ingredients is what you use for the vegetables and how you prepare them.
This Vegan Japanese Hamburger Steak (Hambagu) is made with a tofu base and potato starch to hold everything together. It's also oatmeal and soy meat free, and, of course, no meat.🌱
Since Japanese Hambagu is always served with rice, it's important to make a good sauce to fill you up and satisfy your appetite.
Our vegan hambagu sauce is ketchup-based, and it's a hit with adults and kids alike. It'll have you craving more rice in no time!
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🙏What is Japanese Hamburger Steak (Hambagu)?
When people talk about Japanese food outside of Japan, they usually mention sushi, ramen, gyoza (dumplings), and other Japanese dishes. But Japanese Hamburger Steak (Hambagu) is actually a great Japanese dish, too. If you live in Japan, this vegan Japanese hamburger steak is also a perfect dish for entertaining your guests from overseas.
The "hamburger steak" you find in Japan is actually based on the "Hamburg steak," a ground meat dish born in Germany.
That hamburger then crossed the ocean and became the hamburger we all know today.
The meat patty in the hamburger is just meat and salt, no binders. In Japan, we add onions, breadcrumbs, and other ingredients to make it more filling, which is what's known as the "Hambagu," a type of Japanese hamburger steak.
For those who prefer tomato-based Western food, we also recommend our Vegan Bolognese. Even without meat, it is a hearty and satisfying dish 😋.
🍔Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to get started:
Vegan Hamburger Steak Patty
- burdock root
- onion
- maitake mashroom
- garlic
- Firm Tofu (Taishi's Icchoyose Momomen )
- Koya-Tofu ( I recommend Shin-Asahi Tofu as the patty mixture becomes easier to bind together)
- ketchup
- potato starch
- salt and pepper
- sake
- mirin
Vegan Hamburger Steak Sauce
- ketchup
- mirin
- soy sauce
- Bull-Dog VEGETABLE FRUIT SAUCE(SEMI-SWEET)
- grated garlic
☝️For Flavorful Vegan Japanese Hamburger Steak
1) Vegetable Preparation
The key to making this vegan Japanese hamburger patty delicious is in the preparation of the vegetables.
Place the finely chopped vegetables in a pot or pan, sprinkle with salt, cover with a lid, and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes. This will bring out the flavor from the vegetables and produce a delicious hamburger steak.
2) Essential Vegetables
Don't forget to add burdock, onion, and maitake mushrooms as veggies. You can substitute maitake mushrooms with other types, like shimeji, but maitake mushrooms will give the dish a more hamburger-like flavor if possible.
All these veggies are full-on flavor, which makes the veggie hamburger a real standout. Tofu alone can be a bit dull in the flavor department, but with all these tasty veggies, it's a different story.Plus, you get a bunch of fiber, which is always a plus.
For exact amounts, please check the recipe card👇
🧙🏻♀️Instructions
It is made in three steps: making the patty mix, baking, and making the sauce.
STEP1. Patty Mix Making
1. Drain the tofu
First, wrap the tofu in paper towel, place a weight on it (about four times of tofu weight), and let it drain overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Cut vegetables
Soak koya-tofu in water until soft, squeeze well to drain, and tear into small pieces by hand. And finely Chop the vegetables.
💡Make sure the burdock root is finely chopped to prevent the hamburger from falling apart.
3. Saute vegetables
In a pan with oil, add the vegetables and a pinch of salt, sauté briefly, cover and cook for 10-15 minutes.
💡Give it a stir now and then so it doesn't burn.
4. Put ingredients in a bowl
When the sautéed vegetables are done, put all the ingredients together in a bowl.
5. Mix
Mix well by squeezing the mixture with your hands.
6. Check
If the mixture is soggy, refrigerate it well to make it easier to shape. If it's good to go, you can start cooking.
STEP2. Cooking
7. Shaping
Divide the patty mixture into four equal parts and shape them up.
💡To stop air getting into the patty, just pump them back and forth between your palms as if you were playing catch. This'll release the air and stop them from collapsing.
8. Cooking
Get a frying pan nice and hot, add a bit of oil and then place the rounded patties on the pan so they don't stick together. Brown on both sides over a medium-low heat, then add 50 ml of water, put the lid on and steam over a low heat.
💡When the surface starts feeling springy, you've got it. If it's sticky, just add a bit more water and steam for longer.
STEP3. Making Sauce
9. Simmer the sauce
Combine sauce ingredients in a frying pan and mix well.Then heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
10. Serve
Finally, pour the sauce over the vegan Japanese hamburger steak! Bon appétit!
🪞Tools
- kitchen knife
- chopping board
- Frying pan (Yanagi Sori iron frying pan )
- spatula
- bowl
🧸Storage
Once you're done cooking the hamburger, you can store it in a storage container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
If you want to keep the patty mixture, do the same and put them in a storage container in the refrigerator. In this case, cook and use up the day after you make them.
🪄Tips For Making Good Shaped Hamburgers
Drain the tofu well
The trick to making this vegan hamburger is to drain the tofu. Make sure you drain it really well by putting enough weight on it. If you don't do this, the burger will end up being soggy.
This makes it easy to fall apart when you're pan frying it, and the texture when you're eating it isn't as good as it should be. It takes a bit of time and effort, but it's worth it for a delicious vegan hamburger steak!
Chop burdock as finely as possible
Also, if the burdocks are chopped too coarsely, the patties will fall apart easily while cooking, so cut them as finely as possible. If you have a food processor, we suggest using it.
🎁Questions
Vegans can't eat meat, seafood, or anything made with animal products, like eggs, dairy, honey, soup stock, and gelatin. When you're entertaining vegan guests, be extra careful with processed foods. Animal products can be found in unexpected places, like wonton skins and sauces. When you're buying ingredients, check the labels to make sure there are no animal products.
If you're using Taishi's Ichoyose Momen, keep in mind that the weight can vary quite a bit from one piece to another. One time the tofu weighs 420g, another time 400g, and the weight of the tofu is different each time. So, we drain the tofu for 6 hours with a weight on top, and then take 125g from the weight and use that. This method ensures a consistent tenderness every time you make it.
If the patties are too soft, try to avoid steaming by adding water and covering with a lid. Instead, cook slowly and uncovered over low heat until the inside is fully cooked. This will take more time, but the patties will cook more evenly and won't fall apart.
If that doesn't work, try baking it in an 180°C oven for 15-20 minutes without preheating. It won't be as brown as we'd like, but it'll be cooked through and the shape will stay intact. This approach is easier and less stressful.
👨🏻🍳Recipe Using Leftover Drained Tofu
Here are some uses for leftover drained tofu:
🎈Vegan Recipes For Western Food Lovers.
Western recipes:
If you like this recipe or have already made it, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the COMMENTS 🐒. Also feel free to ask any questions or leave any requests!
📖Recipe Card
Vegan Japanese Tofu Hamburger Steak(hambagu)
Equipment
- kitchen knife
- cutting board
- frying pan
- Spatula
- Bowl
Ingredients
A Ingredients for Patty Mixture
- 70 g burdock root
- 70 g onion
- 50 g maitake mashroom
- 1 teaspoon garlic (finely chopped)
- oil
- 1 pinch salt
- black pepper (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon sake
- 1 tablespoon mirin
B Tofu for Patty Mixture
- 380 g firm tofu
- 1 koya tofu (freeze-dried tofu) (16.5g before being rehydrated)
C Seasoning for Patty Mixture
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon potato starch
- black pepper
E Sauce
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- ½ tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Bull-Dog VEGETABLE FRUIT SAUCE(SEMI-SWEET) (to taste)
- grated garlic
- water (if needed)
Instructions
Preparation 1 : Drain tofu
- Wrap a piece of tofu (about 380g) in kitchen paper and place it on a tray. Place a weight (1600g) about 4 times the weight of the tofu on top and let it drain in the refrigerator overnight (about 6 hours). *You can apply weights to the tofu by placing it between two trays to drain it. For example, you can use a 1-kilogram bag of sugar or a plate as a weights.380 g firm tofu
- When the tofu has reduced in weight to about 250 grams, remove it from the refrigerator and pat the surface dry with paper towel. Use only about half of the tofu (125g) for the patty mix. *Use leftover tofu in another recipe.*Because the weight of tofu can vary, even if you drain one piece overnight, it might not weigh 250g. So, after you drain the tofu overnight, you should use only 125g of it. This method ensures a consistent tenderness every time you make it.
Preparation 2: Tear koya-tofu into pieces
- Soak the koya tofu in water, drain thoroughly when soft, and break into small pieces by hand. Crush the tofu between your fingers to make it finer.1 koya tofu (freeze-dried tofu)
Preparation 3: Cut vegetables
- Finely chop vegetables in A. Chop burdock especially finely to end up with a nice patty.70 g burdock root70 g onion50 g maitake mashroom1 teaspoon garlic
Patty mixture making
- Sauté the vegetables in A in a pan with a little oil. When they begin to brown, add salt and pepper. Cover the pan immediately and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes. This will bring out the flavor of the vegetables and produce a delicious vegan hamburger steak. Saute until the onions are soft and the burdock is cooked. Stir occasionally with the lid open to prevent burning.oil1 pinch saltblack pepper
- Add the mirin and sake and cook, skimming off the water. When thoroughly cooked, remove from heat and allow to cool.1 tablespoon sake1 tablespoon mirin
- Combine sauteed vegetables, drained tofu, crushed dried tofu, and seasonings in a bowl. Mix well by squeezing the mixture with your hand. *If the mixture is soggy, refrigerate it well to make it easier to shape. If it's good to go, you can start cooking.2 tablespoon ketchup1 tablespoon potato starchblack pepper
Shaping
- Divide the patty mixture into four equal parts and shape them up. *To stop air getting into the patty, just pump them back and forth between your palms as if you were playing catch. This'll release the air and stop them from collapsing.
Cooking
- Get a frying pan nice and hot, add a bit of oil and then place the rounded patties on the pan so they don't stick together.oil
- Brown on both sides over medium-low heat, then add 50 ml water, cover and steam over low heat until evaporated. *If the surface is still sticky, flip the patties again and add another 50 ml of water and steam. When the patty is firm and springy, it is ready.
Sauce Making
- Add all the seasonings except the water from E to the pan in which the patties were cooked, stir, and cook over low to medium heat until thickened. Keep stirring with a spatula to prevent burning.2 tablespoon ketchup1 tablespoon mirin½ tablespoon soy sauce1 tablespoon Bull-Dog VEGETABLE FRUIT SAUCE(SEMI-SWEET)grated garlic
- If you prefer a lighter sauce, simmer it well to remove the ketchup acid first, then add water to thin it as you like.water
Serving
- Place cooked vegan hamburger patties on a plate and top with sauce. Serve with rice and grilled vegetables to your liking.
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Kou says
I've never been a huge fan of vegan hamburgers made with oatmeal or soy meat, but I really appreciate that this vegan hamburger can be made without either!
Vegin Vegan Vegun! says
I'm glad you liked it! Thank you.