Shio Kombu Hambagu (Japanese Salted Kelp Hamburger Steak)

It was like a sudden pop of inspiration, why not adding shio kombu, Japanese salted kelp to hambagu? The umami-packed ingredient seems legit for a flavor boost when mixed with ground meat. And I happened to be craving meaty main dish for the past few days. Making such thought a reality surely sounds like a delicious plan.

Shio kombu hambagu (Japanese salted kelp hamburger steak) - 

Ingredients (about 4 pieces)?

• 300 grams ground pork
• 180 grams ground beef
• 4 tablespoons shio kombu
• 1/4 medium onion
• 1 small chunk radish
• 2 slices lemon wedge
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Some stir-fry cabbage (serve on the side, optional)

How?

Peel and finely chop the onion. Peel and coarsely grate the radish/daikon.

Bring out a big bowl, add in ground pork, ground beef, chopped onion, shio kombu, and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper.

There's not need to add any salt here since the shio kombu is involved. We are also going to use Worcestershire sauce for a flavor boost, both should be salty enough for the hambagu/ハンバーグ.

Mix these ingredients added to the bowl till evenly blended. Evenly divide to four portions then form into thick and chunky patties. You can toss the patties in between your palms while shaping them, which will help in firming up the patties.

Add the butter to the pan and switch to medium or medium low heat. Wait till the butter has been melted. Transfer the patties over and sear till the bottom gets a slightly browned color.

Use medium or medium low heat so there's enough time to cook through the center while not over-cooking the surface.

Flip and continue to sear the other side till slightly browned too.

Pour over 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. Flip the patties so that both sides get a nice coating from the darker sauce. Cook for about one more minute. 

Plate and top each patty with some grated daikon. It's up to you if you would like to drizzle some of the remaining buttery sauce over the patties. Remember to put couple more lemon wedges on the plate.

You can serve the shio kombu hambagu with rice or salad. As for me, this time I've prepped some stir-fry cabbage on the side instead.

So I guess my sudden pop of idea worked out just fine. The only thing that I would possibly change is using more ground beef next time. Maybe I'll go for half and half for the ground pork versus ground beef ratio and see how that'll turn out. 

Extended reading:

• Cheese hambagu チーズハンバーグ 

Seared Hairtail Fish Rolls with Asian Seasonings

Hairtail fish rolls has become a popular ingredient especially over the past year in Taiwan. Not sure if such product is available in other countries, but you can find frozen hairtail fish rolls in all major market here. Of course, you can always get the fillet version and roll it up yourself, shouldn't be too hard to manage.

I suppose its increasing popularity partly has to do with the invention of air fryer. The air fried fish rolls gets a delicious crunch on all sides, and they are a boneless bunch too. Parents feel safe to serve it to their children, I even see bento chain stores start serving hairtail fish rolls as one of the mains too, among other common items such as fried pork chop and braised chicken leg.

Seared hairtail fish rolls with Asian seasonings 香煎白帶魚捲佐辛香醬料 - 

Ingredients?

• 8 hairtail fish roll
• 3 tablespoons preferred cooking oil
• 2 to 3 garlic clove
• 1 to 2 red chili
• 1 stalk scallion

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon black vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Chinese rice cooking wine
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

How?

Use paper towel to pat dry the hairtail fish rolls, perhaps give it a gentle squeeze to draw out the moisture trapped in the center. Take a toothpick and pierce through to help holding up the shape while searing. 

If you can find the end of the fish roll, try to start piercing from there to the opposite side. 

Mix together all the ingredients listed under the "sauce" section. Whisk till nearly all the sugar has been fully dissolved. 

Peel and chop the garlic cloves. Destem the red chilies, also remove the seeds if you can't take too much heat. Destem and chop the scallion.

Take a non-stick pan, drizzle 2 tablespoons of oil, I used olive oil here. Switch to medium heat and wait till the oil gets warm. Transfer the fish rolls over one by one. Sear till the bottom turns golden brown.

Flip and continue to sear the other side till golden brown again. Once ready, plate and remove the toothpicks.

Still using the same pan, drizzle more oil if needed. We need enough oil to evenly coat the bottom of the pan. I actually added one more tablespoon here.

Add in all the chopped garlics, chilies, and scallion. Stir-fry till the color turns slightly browned but not burnt.

Pour over the sauce mixture and keep it at a light bubbling stage. Cook a little bit longer till the sauce has reduced just a wee bit. Pour the sauce all over the fish rolls and ready to serve.

I truly enjoy the crunchy top and bottom from the seared fish rolls, not mentioning the savory and aromatic seasonings to eat along with. The best part to me? I don't have to worry about the bones at all, that's really a great news for someone who's having a hard time eating fish with bones.

If you have an air fryer at home, use it to prep the fish rolls. You can actually get the crunchy coating all around, which is even better compared to the pan-searing method. 

Extended reading:

• Pan-fried mahi mahi with Chinese basil 鹽酥鬼頭刀魚頭肉