Burger Steak

Burger Steak gives you a tender beef patty with enough mushroom gravy to cover a whole plate of rice. I fry the patties first, then make the gravy in a separate saucepan because the flour needs a full eight minutes in the butter before the water goes in. The problem people usually run into is a dry, crumbly patty. Breadcrumbs and a beaten egg help hold the ground beef together, while keeping the patties thin lets them cook through in just a few minutes per side.

The gravy is where I pay the most attention. Butter and flour cooked together for the full eight minutes turn brown, and that color carries straight into the finished sauce. If you have made my pork burger steak with mushroom gravy, the method here runs the same way with beef. Three tablespoons of butter make a rich sauce. Cut it in half if you want the beef cube to come through more.

Slice the mushrooms thin and hold them until the very end. They go in for one minute after the gravy is already smooth and thick. One minute keeps them firm. Pull the saucepan off the heat as soon as that minute is up.

What is Burger Steak?

Burger Steak is a Filipino rice meal of seasoned ground beef patties served over steamed rice and covered in brown mushroom gravy. There is no bun. The patty sits on the plate the way a steak would. That is where the name comes from.

The dish traces back to Hamburg steak, a plain ground beef patty that German immigrants brought into American restaurants in the 1800s. The American physician James Salisbury promoted his own version in the 1880s, and Salisbury steak became the common name for a beef patty served under gravy. In the Philippines, the fast-food version became the familiar one. Jollibee added Burger Steak to its menu in 1995, plating the patty with rice and mushroom gravy in place of mashed potatoes, and that format is the one that stuck.

The gravy carries the dish here. You make enough of it to reach every grain of rice on the plate. One patty with plenty of gravy makes a complete rice meal. Burger Steak is cooked at home as an ulam and packed for baon, and the patties can be shaped ahead and fried in batches through the week.

Ingredients

For the Beef Patties:

• Ground beef – Regular ground beef beats extra lean here. The patties are thin and fry fast. A little fat keeps them tender.
• Breadcrumbs – Plain breadcrumbs, about half a cup to a pound of beef. They take in the egg and the beef juices so the patties hold their shape when you flip them.
• Knorr Beef Cube – Grate it finely. A grated cube spreads through raw ground beef evenly.
• Egg – One beaten egg for a pound of beef is enough to bind the mixture.
• Onion powder and garlic powder – Use the powders here. Chopped onion gives off water in the pan and loosens a thin patty.
• Ground black pepper – About a quarter teaspoon. The beef cube already carries the salt, so fry the first patty and taste it before you season the rest.
• Cooking oil – Enough to film the pan, with more added between batches.

Mushroom Gravy:

• Button mushrooms – Sliced thin. They cook for only one minute at the end, and thin slices are what get them tender in that minute.
• Butter – Salted or unsalted both work. Melt it over medium heat and keep the heat steady so the butter does not brown before you add the flour.
• All-purpose flour – One tablespoon more than the butter. That extra tablespoon gives you a gravy thick enough to sit on rice.
• Knorr Beef Cube – Use the second cube for the gravy. Crumble this one, since it dissolves in the water on its own.
• Knorr Liquid Seasoning – About a quarter teaspoon, stirred in near the end. Use the regular Knorr Liquid Seasoning, not a tomato-based seasoning sauce.
• Water – Room temperature is fine. Pour it in a slow stream and the gravy stays smooth from the start.
• Onion powder and garlic powder – Smaller amounts than the patties use. Add them after the water goes in.

Garnish:

• Parsley – Chopped fresh parsley over the gravy. Green onions work too.

Grate the cube for the patties and crumble the one for the gravy. A grated cube disappears into the raw ground beef, while a crumbled piece can leave a salty pocket. Knorr cubes are sold in most Asian groceries and in the international aisle of larger supermarkets. Beef bouillon cubes from another brand work in both places. Some brands are saltier, so check the label and fry a test patty before adding any extra seasoning.

Cook the patties first. Once the roux turns brown, the gravy comes together quickly.

1. Combine the ground beef, breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, and ground black pepper in a large bowl.
2. Grate the Knorr Beef Cube straight into the bowl and pour in the beaten egg.
3. Mix with your hands until the breadcrumbs disappear into the meat and the color looks even throughout.
4. Scoop about a quarter cup of the mixture, roll it into a ball, and flatten it into a patty. Repeat until the mixture is used up.

Mix only until the ingredients are evenly distributed. The patties stay tender when the meat is handled lightly.

1. Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Lay the patties in the pan with space around each one and fry until the bottom is browned.
3. Flip and cook the second side until browned and cooked through, with no pink left in the center and an internal temperature of 160°F.
4. Move the finished patties to a plate and add more oil to the pan before the next batch.

Thin patties reach 160°F quickly. Check the first one with an instant-read thermometer and use that timing for the rest of the batch.

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add the all-purpose flour and stir without stopping for about 8 minutes, until the mixture turns brown and forms a smooth roux.
3. Crumble the Knorr Beef Cube into the saucepan, then pour in the water in a slow stream while stirring.
4. Stir in the onion powder, garlic powder, ground black pepper, and Knorr Liquid Seasoning until the gravy is smooth and thick. Add the sliced mushrooms, cook for 1 minute, and take the pan off the heat.

The gravy keeps thickening in the saucepan after the heat goes off. Stir in a tablespoon of water at a time to bring it back to a pouring consistency.

1. Arrange the patties over warm rice on each plate.
2. Pour the mushroom gravy over the patties and the rice around them, then scatter the chopped parsley on top.

What to Serve with Burger Steak

• Steamed white rice – There is enough gravy for a full cup of rice on every plate
• Garlic Mashed Potatoes – The American way to plate a patty under gravy, and this mushroom gravy works the same over potatoes
• Crispy Homemade French Fries – Good for dipping into whatever gravy is left in the saucepan
• Ensaladang Mangga – Sour green mango against a rich, buttery sauce
• Buttered corn – A spoonful on the side, the way it comes in a fast food tray

Storage

Burger Steak holds up well as leftovers, and the patties and the gravy do better kept apart.

• Refrigerator: Store the patties and the gravy in separate airtight containers for up to 3 days. Kept apart, the patties stay firm overnight.
• Freezer: Cooked patties freeze for up to 2 months in a sealed bag with the air pressed out. Freeze the gravy separately in a small container and stir it back together as it warms.
• Reheating: Warm the patties in a covered pan over low heat with a spoonful of water in the bottom. Heat the gravy in a saucepan and stir in water a tablespoon at a time until it pours the way you want it.

More Burger and Patty Recipes

• Stuffed Burger Patties – Beef and pork patties with cheese sealed inside, cooked the same way in a pan
• Salmon Patty – Chopped salmon patties for a lighter plate, good with mayonnaise and ketchup
• How to Make a Hamburger – The same beef patty put back in a bun
• Pork Cheeseburger – A pork patty with cheese for a cheaper burger night
• Tasty Sliders – Small patties on soft rolls for serving a group
• Cheeseburger and Hotdog Sandwich – Patty and hotdog in one sandwich for merienda

• Ground beef – Ground pork works, and a half-and-half mix of beef and pork makes a softer patty. My pork burger patties recipe uses pork on its own.
• Breadcrumbs – Crushed saltines, panko, or quick oats in the same volume
• Knorr Beef Cube – Any beef bouillon cube. For the gravy you can also swap the water for beef broth and leave the cube out of the gravy.
• Button mushrooms – Canned sliced mushrooms, drained and rinsed. Fresh shiitake caps work and taste stronger.
• Knorr Liquid Seasoning – Soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce in the same amount
• Parsley – Chopped green onions

Serve the Burger Steak right away while the gravy is still loose enough to spread into the rice. Share and enjoy!