Nikomi Hambagu (Stewed Salisbury steak)

煮込みハンバーグ（Nikomi hambagu）

🍽️What kind of dish is Nikomi Hambagu (Stewed Salisbury steak)??

Nikomi Hambagu is a stewed Japanese-style Salisbury steak.

“Hambagu” (Japanese-style Salisbury steak) is a staple dish loved by people of all ages in Japanese households. Among its variations, Nikomi Hambagu (Stewed Hamburger Steak) is a reliable method that minimizes cooking mistakes and delivers a deeper, richer flavor.

Hambagu is made by kneading ground beef (or aibiki mince, a 70/30 mixture of beef and pork) with finely chopped onion, forming it into an oval, and grilling it. The most difficult aspect of cooking regular Hambagu is the heat control: insufficient cooking time or temperature can leave the center undercooked, while too long can result in a dry patty.

💡Key Difference from Regular Hambagu

• While regular Hambagu (patty only) requires precise heat control, Nikomi Hambagu minimizes cooking errors.
• The patties are simmered in a sauce (such as tomato or demi-glace) after an initial grilling. This method ensures the center is thoroughly cooked without drying out the meat.

Arrangement: Adding mushrooms and vegetables to the sauce makes it a more nutritious main dish. Incorporating red wine and cheese elevates it into a sophisticated dish perfect for pairing with alcohol.

🎵The benefits of simmering hamburgers

• Ensures even cooking: Significantly reduces the risk of undercooking the center.
• No constant flipping: No need to constantly turn the patties during cooking.
• Visual appeal: The sauce covers any minor shape irregularities from the initial grilling.

👨‍🍳 Tips for Making Good Nikomi Hambagu (Stewed Salisbury steak)

Even though it’s a simple dish, paying attention to a few key steps will significantly enhance the flavor and texture.

• Onion Preparation
  • Chop the onion as finely as possible.
  • Pre-frying the onions will increase their sweetness and help them hold their shape better when cooked. Be sure to let the fried onions cool completely before mixing them with the meat.
  • Braising hamburger steaks in sauce helps to hide the unevenness of the steak’s shape. For this reason, we use raw onions. This method is more effective in saving time.
• Ingredient amounts
  • Use 60g to 80g of minced meat per hamburger.
  • Eggs help prevent the patties from losing their shape. As a guideline, use 1/2 an egg for every 250g to 300g of minced meat. Be careful not to add too much, as it can make the mixture too soft.
• Temperature control
  • The adhesive strength of the meat is temperature-dependent. Use ground meat straight from the refrigerator and work quickly to prevent the temperature from exceeding 15℃. Use ground meat straight from the refrigerator and knead quickly, ensuring the mixture temperature does not exceed .
• Kneading Process
  • First, knead the ground meat with salt only for about 1 minute. The salt causes the protein “myosin” in the meat to form a sticky, net-like structure. This not only binds the meat and other ingredients together, but also traps moisture during cooking, preventing the patty from cracking.
  • Add the remaining ingredients (onion, breadcrumbs, etc.) and knead for about 2 more minutes until the entire mixture becomes sufficiently sticky.
• Forming the Patties
  • When shaping the hambagu, be sure to remove any air from the inside. Roll the meatballs into balls as if playing catch, place them on the baking tray, and gently press down on the top. This will help prevent them from cracking during cooking.

🍞 Key Ingredients for Stability　

• Breadcrumbs: These absorb moisture from the onions, helping the hambagu remain fluffy and soft even after simmering. They also prevent the patty from shrinking during cooking.
• Nutmeg: The unique sweet aroma of nutmeg is effective in removing meat odors. While optional, it enhances the overall flavor.

🥫 Tip for the Perfect Sauce: Gastrique

Be sure to use the flavorful fat that renders out when grilling the hamburger patties as the base for your sauce.

While a simple combination of red wine, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce works, adding a gastrique imparts the depth, richness, and complex sweetness typically associated with a sauce aged for days.

Gastrique is caramelized sugar deglazed with vinegar or other acidic liquid, used to add sweet and sour flavors to sauces.

💡Key points for making Gastrique sauce

Boil the sugar until it turns dark brown. Timing is important; even a slight delay can result in a bitter taste.

Be sure to turn off the heat before adding the vinegar and water. Be careful not to pour liquids onto the hot caramel, as they may splash violently.

📋 NUTRITION FACTS : Nikomi Hambagu (Stewed Salisbury steak)

Nutrition　Facts
Calories	1226 kcal
Protein	78.5 g
Fat	62.5 g
Carbs	79.7 g
Salt Equivalent	11.7 g

📋 INGREDIENTS : Nikomi Hambagu (Stewed Salisbury steak) (5SERVINGS)

Hambagu

Ingredient	Amount
Onions	100g
Breadcrumbs	40g
Milk	100g
Aibiki Mince (Ground Beef/Pork)	300g
Egg	50g
Salt	4g
Pepper	1g

Sauce

Ingredient	Amount
Shimeji mushrooms	60g
Mushrooms	30g
Garlic	8g
Butter	5g
Flour	6g
Water	100g
Red Wine	100g
Canned Tomatoes	200g
Consommé	5g
Ketchup	20g
Kagome worcestershire sauce	10g
Sugar	3g
Vinegar	10g
Water	25g

🔪How to make Nikomi Hambagu (Stewed Salisbury steak)

Prepare the Patties

⋈*Preheat the oven to 230 degrees.（230 degrees Celsius is 446 degrees Fahrenheit.）

1. Finely chop the onion.
2. Soak the breadcrumbs in milk.
3. Knead the Aibiki mince and salt for 1 minute.
4. Add the onion, softened breadcrumbs, egg, salt, and pepper to the dough and knead with your hands for about 2 minutes.
5. If the dough is too soft, refrigerate for 1 hour.
6. Divide the dough into 5 equal parts, roll them into balls, place them on a baking tray, and gently press down on the tops to create a slight depression.
7. Place the baking tray on the middle rack of a preheated oven to 230°C and bake for 25 minutes.

Prepare the Sauce

1. Place the sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat.
2. Shake the pan occasionally to completely dissolve the sugar.
3. When the sugar is foamy and a deep caramel color, turn off the heat and add the vinegar and water.
4. Simmer until thickened.
5. Heat the butter in a deep frying pan and sauté the shimeji mushrooms, mushrooms, and garlic.
6. Turn off the heat and sprinkle flour all over the pan.
7. Add the water, red wine, canned tomatoes, consommé, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of Gastrique sauce, and the hamburger steaks.
8. Add about 1 tablespoon of the oil released from frying the hamburger steaks.
9. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce just comes to a boil.

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