Hawaiian Loco Moco Video Recipe - Eggs, Hamburger, Gravy & Rice

If you've had a workout being thrown about in crashing beach waves, then this hearty Hawaiian meal will fill any appetite! My Loco Moco Plate recipe video is just a click away futher below.

Loco Moco, while not made with native Hawaiian ingredients, is still an island original. It was developed here and it's served everywhere.

The basic ingredients are white rice, hamburger, gravy, topped with fried eggs.

Although it may seem a breakfast meal, locals get it anytime of day. You may not want to eat Loco Moco Plate every week, but it's worth a try, at least once. When in Hawai'i, sometimes you gotta go local. This meal is not for the faint of palate.

Boy, is it good going down. Just break the egg yolk and mix it with a slice of beef patty and gravy - try to make room on your fork for a little rice, too.

While just a meat beef patty, a hunk of beef is a good substitution for typical Mainland ham or bacon. It's simply seasoned with salt and pepper.

The white rice is just plain, and that's fine -- it there to soak up the rich beefy gravy.

The gravy brings it all together. The gravy is nothing unusual. I made mine with the pan dripping after frying the beef patty. Just add a little water and flour (to thicken the gravy.) You can boost the flavor with chicken or beef stock - I added one beef bouillon cube.

When I stayed in Waikiki a couple months ago, I got my first Loco Moco Plate Lunch at the Rainbow Drive-In. The Rainbow Drive-In is world renowned for it's cheap and tasty local cuisine, my kind of place. My huge serving is just under $8 bucks, and filled me up for the rest of the day. Just click here to see my video that features the Rainbow Drive-In.

Ground meat is about the cheapest beef you can get. Form one hamburger patty as thin or thick as you can afford to make it. For ground beef even at $3 per pound, you only need one 1/3 pound patty. This keeps the price per hamburger patty to about a dollar each (less, if you can find hamburger on sale.)

Eggs aren't as cheap as they used to be. I'm luck to get a dozen for two to four bucks, but for this recipe you only need one or two eggs. I can still get them at the Dollar Tree for half a dozen for a buck - not too bad.

Of course rice is still cheap - I get mine from a local Mexican grocery for 69 cents per pound.

For the gravy part you only need a tablespoon of flour, one beef bouillon cube (or a favorite stock) and a cup of water.

So if you want a cheap$kate taste of the Islands of Hawai'i, try my deliciously filling Loco Moco Plate. You won't need seconds -- if you can finish it!

Hawaiian Loco Moco  - VIDEO 

Play it here, video runs 3 minutes, 50 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here. 

Ingredients (one serving)

• 1 hamburger patty - about 1/3 pound of ground beef. Okay to use lighter ground turkey or chicken. Make hamburger patty as large as you can afford.
• 1 to 2 eggs - I like sunny side up or over easy. Okay to scramble, too. Cook the eggs any way you like.
• 1 cup Cooked white rice - follow package directions. Okay to use brown rice. I have a Sticky Rice recipe below, too.
• Black pepper to taste - I find that the gravy with a bouillon cube is salty enough for me. You can salt the eggs, though.

Gravy

• Meat drippings from frying - okay to pour out some grease.
• 1 cup of water - okay to add more if you like a lot of gravy, or cooking for 2 people (add an extra teaspoon of flour.)
• 1 tablespoon flour or corn starch - to thicken gravy.
• 1 bouillon cube of beef or chicken - optional, for extra flavor.
• 1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce - optional for more extra flavor.

Directions
Make a basic rice recipe according to package directions. Add water about 1 1/2 cup of water to 1 cup of rice. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, then cover pot. Cook about 20 minutes then turn off heat. Let rice rest for about 5 minutes, to make sure it cooks all the way through.

For Japanese-style Sticky Rice first rinse the rice a few times.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Add one cup of water to one cup of rice. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Cover and cook 15 minutes.

Turn off heat and allow rice to rest another 10-15 minutes.

If you have a rice cooker, then use it. Keep rice at room temperature until ready to use.

Once rice is done, you can start making Loco Moco.

Add hamburger to a medium/hot frying pan. Saute until brown on both sides, to your desired doneness. Depending how thick the hamburger patty, it will take about 5-10 minutes total. Make a small slice into thickest part of patty to check. Set cooked hamburger patty aside.

For gravy, use the same pan you cooked the hamburger - don't clean it out, that's where all the gravy flavor lies.

Drop in a bouillon cube into a cup of water. Break it up to dissolve. 

Add a tablespoon of flour or corn starch to bouillon/water.

Okay to use any favorite broth like beef ,chicken, or vegetarian.

Pour in the water/flour mixture into medium/hot pan. Scrape the bottom of pan to loosen tasty bits, and dissolve the bouillon cube.

Bring gravy to a low simmer. Gravy will thicken in 3-5 minutes. When ready add cooked beef patty to keep it warm in gravy. Turn heat to low.

Finally cook the eggs in a pan. Add non-stick spray or oil to a medium heated pan. Cook egg the way you like it. I make mine sunny side up or over easy. Cook until whites of egg are firm, but yolk still soft and runny. If you like a scrambled egg then do it your favorite way - it's all good.

Now time to assemble and chow down. Just add cooked rice to your plate and top with beef patty and pour on the gravy. Finally top with fresh cooked egg(s.)

If you have Hawaiian-style Macaroni Salad (click here for my recipe,) you can add a scoop, too.

Hindsight
This recipe is easy to double. Just cook an extra beef patty and eggs. The rice and gravy should be enough for two servings. If you want more gravy add another half cup of water and a teaspoon of flour.

My recipe uses a cup of rice, you will have some leftover, but rice freezes well. You can use leftovers for another day, or make one of my Fried Rice Recipes with it (click here.)

After frying the beef patty, it's okay to pour out some of the grease, but do leave a tablespoon for flavoring the gravy. You could add a teaspoon of Worchestershire sauce to gravy for extra flavor.

For this recipe I leave out salt, as a bouillon cube or stock has plenty for me. You can add some to eggs and meat when frying, if you like.

99 thanks to:
A great Hawaiian radio and internet station that I feasted on, selecting a few tropical tunes for my travelogue videos, called "Territorial Airwaves - Your Source for the History of Hawaiian Music."
Online at: www.territorialairwaves.com
 
 Song Title: Hula Blues. Performed live by Johnny Noble’s Hawaiians

To see other Hawaii Travelogue blog posts with video, photos, text & GIFs, just click on any link below:
Visit to O'ahu, Hawai'i - intro 
Windward Shore & Keneke Grill

The Road to Waikiki & a Lau Lau Truck 
Waikiki Beach & The Rainbow Drive-In
Waikiki & The Musubi Cafe
Breakfast in Honolulu
7-Eleven Span Musubi

Hawaiian Recipes:
Macaroni Salad & Sticky Rice
Kalua Pig & Cabbage
Mainland Lau Lau with Pork
Teriyaki Spam Musubi

Waikiki Beach & The Rainbow Drive-In - Hawai'i Travelogue Video

Take a walk on the Waikiki beachside with the Traveling Cheap$kate. It's a full plate of video footage featuring: a scenic stroll along the beach; a visit to the world famous Rainbow Drive-In for a Loco Moco Plate Lunch; and a fast food stroll for Spam Musubi.

My wife and I stayed across the street from Waikiki Beach on the 11th floor of Park Shore Waikiki Hotel, which has a view of Diamond Head. Everything we craved was within walking distance.

Click on any photo to see larger.

On the beach squealing posses of local kids caught waves on their boogie boards, while others soaked up the sun strolling and lounging. The area is bustling but we always found a comfy sandy spot to people watch.

Of course there are all manner of dining choices. Well, you know I'm going to find budget eats. Right down the street, about 4 short blocks away. is where I went the most: the Rainbow Drive-In.

 It's a locals hangout for cheap plate lunches and more. Amy tried the Mixed Plate of BBQ Beef, Mahi Mahi fish fillet, a slab of Boneless Chicken, plus 2 scoops of Rice and 1 scoop of Macaroni Salad, all for the price of $8.25. What a deal!

Click on photo to read menu item descriptions.

I ordered the Loco Moco Plate. It's what to get if you have a big appetite, especially after a day in the ocean surfing, swimming or boggie boarding. The Loco Moco Plate is 2 Eggs (any way you like them,) 2 Hamburger Patties, 2 scoops Rice, 1 scoop Macaroni Salad and, to quote their slogan, "Gravy all over." And it cheap, at $7.50.

This entree is not for the faint of palate. It's a delicious hot mess when you get eggs over easy. Nothing's better than mixing the yolk with all the other ingredients. Somehow it works. I've been to Hawai'i a few times and have never ordered a Loco Moco - it just seemed too deceptively simple, and too much.

The gravy is made from chicken broth and quite flavorful. The Hamburger is just plainly fried on a flat top. Rice is for extra carbs and soaking up the egg yolk and gravy. I especially like the Macaroni Salad. It's extra creamy with mayo. This version doesn't have shredded carrot, like in some plate lunches I've tried in Hawai'i. For my cheap$kate recipes for Macaroni Salad and Sticky Rice, just click here.

 The Rainbow Drive-In also serves a smaller Loco Moco Bowl that's easier to handle.

This blog post is a food 2fer. Not only do I review a Loco Moco Plate, but you get a fast food side of Spam Musubi from the 7 Eleven, that I bought around the corner from the Rainbow Drive-In.

Locals have their version of grab and go grub, and it's not a hot dog in a bun -- what they like is a sauteed slab of Spam on sushi rice, wrapped with a black band of dried seaweed (known as Nori.) Go into any convenience store, or deli case in a grocery, and you'll find a warmed heat-lamp case of Spam Musubi.

Now I know it sounds gross, but until you've tried it don't turn your nose up, too high.

You might not even know what Spam is, as it's become persona non grata in the food world. All it is, is a processed meat loaf in a can. It may be mystery meat, but if you can handle a hot dog, then you can handle Spam. Actually, Spam is made primarily from ground pork shoulder and ham. The Huffington Post did a short article about Spam, here.

Spam became popularized by the military during WWII. So anywhere American soldiers were stationed, including Hawaii and Korea, Spam followed, and was absorbed into the locals diet.

Japanese make up a part of the local populace, so they added "Hawaiian Steak," or Spam, to their traditional Musubi recipes. Musubi is any protein or veggie with sticky rice that's wrapped in dried nori, or seaweed. It's a small single serving, slightly shorter than a Twinkie.

There are many flavors of Musubi. I've tried breakfast Musubi, a combination of bacon, omelet and Spam. You can in anything including: cucumber, avocado, fried chicken, steak, tuna and salmon. Spam's typically sauteed, and sometimes marinated with soy and teriyaki sauce for extra flavor.

Bacon, Egg & Spam Musubi

So kick back and check out my latest Hawai'i Travelogue. It's a fun trip that won't cost you a thing. And do check back for my own recipes of Loco Moco and, of course, Spam Musubi. You might not want to chow down with me, but you will be entertained.

(As an aside, we had some of Amy's friends and workmates over when I just finished the video below. I showed it to them and got reactions that ran from outrage to laughter - just the reaction I hoped for. Hey, I know what I highlight foodwise is not for everybody, that's why I try to, at the very least, keep it fun.)

Waikiki Beach & The Rainbow Drive-In - VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 6 minutes, 20 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

99 thanks to:
Rainbow Drive-In
3308 Kanaina Avenue
Honolulu, Hawai'i 96815
808) 737-0177
Website: rainbowdrivein.com/

A great Hawaiian radio station that I feasted on, selecting a few tropical tunes for my Travelogue videos, called "Territorial Airwaves - Your Source for the History of Hawaiian Music."
Online at: www.territorialairwaves.com

Video song: "You're At A Lu'au Now" by Mel Peterson

To see other Hawaii Travelogue blog posts with video, photos, text & GIFs, just click on any link below:
Visit to O'ahu, Hawai'i - intro 
Windward Shore & Keneke Grill

The Road to Waikiki & a Lau Lau Truck 
Waikiki & The Musubi Cafe
Breakfast in Honolulu
7-Eleven Span Musubi

Hawaiian Recipes:
Macaroni Salad & Sticky Rice
Kalua Pig & Cabbage
Mainland Lau Lau with Pork
Loco Moco (eggs, hamburger, gravy & rice)
Teriyaki Spam Musubi

Macaroni Salad and Sticky Rice - Hawaiian Recipes

First things first - every Hawaiian Plate Lunch has the necessary sides of Sticky Rice and Macaroni Salad. For my upcoming recipes of Kalua Pig & Cabbage and Loco Moco, just refer back to this blog post for the following recipes.

For this cheap$kate rice and macaroni is priced right. I get white rice at my local Mexican grocery for way below a dollar a pound.

8, 12, and 16 ounce packages of dried macaroni can be had for 99.99 cents at my local 99c only Store. For this recipe I used small elbow macaroni, but you can use large elbow, too - whatever is on sale, really.

For Sticky Rice I rinse the dried grains of rice and cook it with less water. That's it. The rice clumps together but it's still tender. Too much water and the rice grains stay separate.

Of course you can make the rice any way you like. And if you have a rice cooker, then use that. If you like precooked instant rice, go with it.

Plate Lunches sometimes include Hapa Rice, which is a mix of white and brown rice. "Hapa" is the Hawaiian Pidgin word for "half," referring to a person of mixed race.

And for my upcoming recipe of Spam Masubi (like a serving of sushi fish on rice, with a soy sauce flavored and fried slab of Spam) you also add a little sugar and rice vinegar to turn Sticky Rice into flavored Sushi Rice.

My favorite side of a Hawaiian Plate Lunch is creamy Macaroni Salad. It obscenely simple to do. Just cook dried macaroni following the package directions, cool it down, then mix in mayo, finally season with salt and pepper.

Some Hawaiian restaurants make it with shredded carrot, so you can add some, for extra crunch.

When you order the typical Hawaiian Plate Lunch, it comes with two scoops of Sticky Rice and one scoop of Macaroni Salad. I like to reverse that. I prefer more cool Macaroni Salad.

Typical Kalua Pig Plate Lunch

You can see the influences of Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, Filipinos, and Portuguese immigrants workers on Hawaiian cuisine in my following series of Hawaiian recipes. So do check back for more, plus cool video of beautiful scenic Hawaii.

Ingredients for Sticky Rice (3-4 servings)

• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Water to rinse rice -- about 6 cups.

Directions for Sticky Rice
There are a few different ways to make sticky rice. Some use a bamboo steamer. It's easiest to use a rice cooker.

I don't own a rice cooker or bamboo steamer, so the following directions are for stove top cooking rice in a covered pot.

Put 1 cup of rice in a bowl that will hold at least 2 cups of water. Fill bowl and stir rice until water is cloudy. Dump water (not rice) and refill. Repeat 3 or 4 times until water is almost clear.

Add rice to a pot with a cover, Add 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover pot. Simmer water with rice 15 minutes.

Turn off heat, give the rice a quick stir (to release any stuck to the pot bottom,) and let sit for 15 more minutes, covered.

Finally season with salt and mix.

Hindsight
You can make rice ahead of time. Let it come to room temperature before eating. I sometimes microwave the cooked rice for about 15-20 seconds to get it to room temperature quicker (drizzle in 1/2 teaspoon water.)

For cooking the rice, a rice cooker is best, but since I don't own one, I resort to regular stove top cooking. It works fine.

For brown rice do the same, except: add another 5 minutes to cooking time, and 20 minutes of setting covered, with heat off. Brown rice takes a little longer to cook. You can also cook brown and white rice together.

This recipe is easy to double, that is, add 2 cups of water to 2 cups of washed rice.

Macaroni Salad Ingredients (4-6 servings)

• 12 ounces of dried elbow macaroni - large or small elbows.
• 1 1/2 cup of mayo - I used light, but okay to use regular or any vegan type you like. And add as much mayo as you prefer.
• 1/2 cup shredded carrot - optional.
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Water - enough to cover and boil macaroni.

Directions for Macaroni Salad
Add water to a large pot and bring to a boil. Add dried elbow macaroni and cook until desired tenderness, about 7 to 10 minutes. Okay to follow macaroni package directions.

After macaroni is tender, drain it and cool macaroni down with cold water -- so the cooking stops before macaroni becomes to mushy. Add macaroni to a large bowl.

Add shredded carrot (optional) to macaroni. Fold in mayo.

Mix it all together. Finally season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Hindsight
Add as much mayo as you like to this recipe. 

Some recipes call for half a grated onion. Okay to use a food processor, blender or old school box grater. Remove any left over large pieces of onion. You want the onion to blend in like a thick liquid. Some recipes leave out the onion, so this is optional.

Okay to substitute grated onion with dried onion salt or teaspoon of powdered onion.

To see other Hawaii Travelogue blog posts with video, photos, text & GIFs, just click on any link below:
Visit to O'ahu, Hawai'i - intro 
Windward Shore & Keneke Grill

The Road to Waikiki & a Lau Lau Truck 
Waikiki Beach & The Rainbow Drive-In
Waikiki & The Musubi Cafe
Breakfast in Honolulu
7-Eleven Span Musubi

Hawaiian Recipes:
Kalua Pig & Cabbage
Mainland Lau Lau with Pork
Loco Moco (eggs, hamburger, gravy & rice)
Teriyaki Spam Musubi