Loco Moco Recipe
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Do I have one Ono breakfast recipe for you! My Hawaiian obsession continues with this classic Loco Moco recipe that is perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner. In Hawai’i, you can order it any time of the day or night and it will definitely fill you up!! It is pretty simple to prepare, and everyone in the family will love it.
So what is Loco Moco?
The local legend says is that a bunch of teenagers were hungry and looking for a quick meal. They rattled off some ideas and the owners of the cafe put it all together; a panfired ground steak patty served over a bed of rice, topped with a rich brown gravy and sunny-side up egg. Okay the egg may have been added later, but it has become part of the meal tradition.
Loco is Spanish for “crazy”, named for a guy they called “Crazy George.” Moco rhymed so they added it, even though it actually means “mucus/snot” in Spanish, lol.
How to make Hawaiian Loco Moco:
For the rice:
Steam your rice on the stove, in a rice cooker, or in your Instant Pot. Substitute Cauliflower Rice for Whole30, Paleo or Keto.
Heat one Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion slices and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until almost translucent. Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown and caramelized.
Add the garlic and cook for one minute, just until fragrant. Remove from skillet and place in a bowl.
Pour one more Tablespoon of oil into the skillet. Season the ground beef patties with salt and pepper, then place in the hot skillet. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side depending on thickness.
(I have 2 large patties instead of 4 regular sized. They take much longer to cook this way.)
Remove the patties to a plate to rest and cover with foil.
Place the onions back into the skillet and add the soy sauce (coconut aminos), fish sauce, beef stock to the skillet and bring almost to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Scoop out two Tablespoons of the hot liquid from the skillet and mix it with the cornstarch (arrowroot/glucomannan/xanthan gum) in a small bowl.
Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the skillet. Continue to simmer until gravy thickens, about 5 or 6 minutes.
Heat two teaspoons of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggs and cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, until the white is cooked through the the yolk is still loose.
Place one cup of rice on each plate and top with a burger patty.
Ladle the gravy over the patty, top with an egg and garnish with green onions.
Grab a fork, or chopsticks and dig in! This is Hawaiian comfort food right here in your own home.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- I used beef bone broth for a more intense flavor, but a good quality beef stock works well too.
- Whole30/Paleo/Keto substitute cauliflower rice and coconut aminos for the soy sauce.
- Substitute Glucomannan, Xanthan Gum, or arrowroot starch for the cornstarch if needed.
- Shoyu would be used in Hawai’i, but it is difficult to find on the mainland. Use a good quality tamari or soy sauce for the best flavor.
More delicious Hawaiian recipes:
- Instant Pot Kalua Pork
- Hawaiian Potato Mac Salad
- Ahi Poke
- Huli Huli Chicken
- Mai Tai Cocktail
- Pina Colada Pie – not exactly Hawaiian, but it has pineapple and coconut.
Mahalo!!
Hawaiian Loco Moco Recipe
Equipment
- Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 cups steamed rice 2 cups rice + 1 3/4 - 2 cups water
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 cup sliced yellow onion Maui onion if you can find one
- 2 cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 1 pound 80/20 ground Angus beef formed into patties
- sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 ½ cups bone broth or beef stock
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce shoyu/tamari or coconut aminos
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce substitute Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch see substitutions below
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
Instructions
- Steam your rice on the stove, in a rice cooker, or in your Instant Pot. Substitute Cauliflower Rice for Whole30, Paleo or Keto.
- Heat one Tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion slices and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until almost translucent. Reduce heat to low, and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until golden brown and caramelized.
- Add the garlic and cook for one minute, just until fragrant. Remove from skillet and place in a bowl.
- Pour one more Tablespoon of oil into the skillet. Season the ground beef patties with salt and pepper, then place in the hot skillet. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side depending on thickness. Remove the patties to a plate to rest and cover with foil.
- Place the onions back into the skillet and add the soy sauce (coconut aminos), fish sauce, beef stock to the skillet and bring almost to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Scoop out two Tablespoons of the hot liquid from the skillet and mix it with the cornstarch (arrowroot/glucomannan/xanthan gum) in a small bowl.
- Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the skillet. Continue to simmer until gravy thickens, about 5 or 6 minutes.
- Heat two teaspoons of oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggs and cook undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, until the white is cooked through the the yolk is still loose.
- Place one cup of rice on each plate and top with a burger patty. Ladle the gravy over the patty, top with an egg and garnish with green onions.
Notes
- I used beef bone broth for a more intense flavor, but a good quality beef stock works well too.
- Whole30/Paleo/Keto substitute cauliflower rice and coconut aminos for the soy sauce.
- Substitute Glucomannan, Xanthan Gum, or arrowroot starch for the cornstarch if needed.
- Shoyu would be used in Hawai’i, but it is difficult to find on the mainland. Use a good quality tamari or soy sauce for the best flavor.
Do not use xantham gum!! It’s disgusting slime that makes you want to vomit. Maybe there’s a way to use it but not like it’s written in this recipe.
The recipe calls for cornstarch. Xantham Gum is listed for those who are allergic to corn or on a special diet.