I’m going to show you how to make a tofu hamburger steak using shio koji. We Japanese call a hamburger steak, “hambagu”. We are going to mix in some tofu to make it unbelievably soft and juicy. This dish is light and refreshing but satisfying at the same time. And shio koji will do some magic as always.

Japanese Tofu Hamburger Steak (Hambagu) Using Shio Koji

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Sakura Yubi

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Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Resting Time 30

Total Time 1 20

Cuisine Japanese

Course Main Course

Servings 2 servings

Equipment

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1 Radish Grater

Ingredients

Meat Mixture

228 g (1 cups) ground pork

200 g (7.1 oz) tofu (A firm type (momen dofu) is preferable. But if you are using a smooth type (kinu dofu), drain some water (see instructions below).)
83 g (2.9 oz) finely chopped onion
2 tbsp (2 tbsp) shio koji

1 pinch (1 pinch) black pepper

Garnish

8 tbsp (8.1 tbsp) grated radish
8 leaves (8 leaves) green shiso leaves (Also called "oba leaves".)

Sauce

50 ml (1.7 floz) ponzu

directions

Draining Water Out of Tofu (If You Are Using Smooth Tofu – Kinu Dofu)

On a plate, wrap the tofu with some paper towels. Don't cover it with plastic wrap.
Put this into the microwave oven and warm it up for about two minutes at around 500W.
This is what it looks like right out of the microwave oven. As you can see, a lot of water has come out of the tofu and is absorbed by the paper towels. Let it cool a bit, and it's ready to use!

Making and Resting Meat Mixture

In a bowl, add ground pork, tofu, finely chopped onion, shio koji, and black pepper.
Give it a little mix.
Cover it with plastic wrap.
Let it rest for half an hour or longer.
While the mixture rests, enzymes called proteases in shio koji will break down proteins into amino acids to create umami. This reaction will also soften the meat. In other words, shio koji will make this dish extra delicious.

Preparing Garnish

Grate radish to make daikon oroshi. If you don't have a radish grater like this, you can use a food processor as well.

Slice green shiso leaves into thin strips.
To make it easier, stack them on top of each other, chop off the stems, and roll them up like a cigar. Cut it up in half, place the halves next to each other, and then slice them thinly. Loosen them up and they are ready to use!

Cooking Hamburger Steaks

Knead the mixture well.
Take a small portion on your hand and make a little patty and place it onto a lightly greased pan.

Turn on the heat to medium and let it cook without a lid for about five minutes.
When the bottom of the patties is lightly golden brown, turn them over.
Cover it with a lid.
Reduce the heat to low and let it cook for about ten minutes so the inside of these patties will be completely cooked.

Put up the heat to high and cook up those juices.
Turn the patties once again, and they are ready to serve!
Place the patties onto a plate, then put some grated radish on the patties. Then sprinkle some shio leave strips. Drizzle some ponzu. And our tofu hamburger steaks are done! Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Feel free to adjust the ingredient amounts to your taste.
What Is Shio Koji? (The Complete Guide)
How to Make Shio Koji (Recipe)

Shio koji products:
– If You Are Outside of Japan
Shio koji by marukome 200g (7.05 ounce): https://geni.us/8vWX0vj
Shio koji by marukome 500g (17.6 ounce): https://geni.us/tIoxH2b
– If You Are in Japan
Shio koji by marukome 500g (17.6 ounce) x 2: https://geni.us/Kbbw0C
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Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 495.3kcalCarbohydrates: 16.6gProtein: 27.3gFat: 34.8gSaturated Fat: 10.6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6.8gMonounsaturated Fat: 14.7gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 82.1mgSodium: 1861.1mgPotassium: 480.2mgFiber: 2.5gSugar: 3.6gVitamin A: 86.6IUVitamin C: 17.1mgCalcium: 161.2mgIron: 2.8mg

Keyword hambagu, hamburger steak, koji salt, salt koji, shio koji, tofu