How I Developed This Copycat Recipe
Bikkuri Donkey (びっくりドンキー) is a popular hamburger steak chain that has won over young diners and families all over Japan. What makes this place special is its unique Japanese spin on the classic hamburger steak, offering a totally different experience compared to traditional burgers.
To get my recipe as close as it can be, I started by analyzing the real deal at Bikkuri Donkey.
I’ve been to Bikkuri Donkey a bunch of times in my whole life, but this visit was different. For the first time, I found myself really analyzing every aspect of the meal to make this recipe.
Here are my key observations:
- Sauce Characteristics: The sauce is notably thin and applied sparingly, creating a subtle flavor profile.
- Salad Dressing: The salad dressing appears to be mayonnaise-based with a twist. I detected hints of soy sauce and a distinct mustard-like aftertaste, suggesting they possibly incorporate a tiny bit of karashi mustard.
- Sauce Composition: The sauce has a distinctly Japanese flavor reminiscent of udon soup. In fact, my son ordered udon from the kids’ menu, and I noticed a similarity in the underlying taste. This led me to wonder if there might be a dashi element incorporated into the sauce.
- Hamburger Steak Texture: The onions within the hamburger steak are completely incorporated, losing all textural presence. I speculate that grating the onions might be a potential improvement to replicate the overall mouthfeel.
- Meat Composition: The hamburger steak has a smooth and soft texture that hardly feels beefy or meaty. Although they say beef is used, I suspect it includes a significant proportion of ground pork. The burger’s delicate consistency suggests the potential use of a lot of binding agents to achieve its unique softness.
There were also a few other things I noticed, but these are the main things I thought.
After playing around a few times, I think I was able to get the taste pretty close, although I may have cooked it a bit too much in the photo compared to the real thing. I used a lot of ground pork, so I was careful not to make it underdone, and it turned out like this.
Topping Options
At Bikkuri Donkey, the star of the show is their signature “Burg Dish” set. But their topping selection is where things get interesting. I went with the cheese topping today (because that’s my favorite), but let me break down the full lineup of options they’ve got waiting for you:
- OROSHISO: A refreshing combo of grated daikon and shiso leaves
- Pine: Sweet grilled pineapple
- Omudem: A fluffy omelette bathed in rich demi-glace sauce
- Egg: A sunny-side-up egg
- Fondue: Their special cheese blend, cascading over your burger
- Kurodemi: A generous pour of deep, savory demi-glace sauce
- Potesara packet: Hamburger steak wrapped up with melted cheese and potato salad inside
With this many options on deck, each visit can be a whole new experience.
Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to recreate Bikkuri Donkey’s burg dish at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the cooking steps and techniques with visuals. It also includes more in-depth tips and tricks and explains why I do what I do.
Divide the mixture into two or three equal portions. Pat each portion between your hands about 10 times, as if playing catch. This technique gets rid of any air bubbles and keeps the patties from falling apart when you cook them.
Lightly oil your hands, shape each portion, and then make a shallow dent in the center. Form the patties relatively thin to achieve the Bikkuri Donkey’s characteristic style. Looking back at the pictures now, ideally thinner than mine.
STEP
Adding the Cheese Finish
Arrange the cheese slices in a cross pattern over each patty. Cover the pan and let the cheese melt for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, until it’s got that perfect, gooey consistency.
Once you check the patties are cooked through and the cheese has melted, move them to a plate. Then, it’s time to make the sauce.
STEP
Creating the Signature Sauce
Use the same pan to sauté the chopped onion in its flavorful remnants until it softens and becomes translucent. This step gets the most flavor out of the onions while using up the juices from the patties.
Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer for about 30 seconds to blend everything together.
On a big plate, put your hamburger patty next to some freshly cooked rice. Drain and squeeze the soaked vegetables to get rid of the extra moisture, then top with the mayonnaise sauce and a cherry tomato. Finish by generously spooning the sauce over the patty.
I hope you enjoy this copycat recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!
Bikkuri Donkey Copycat Hamburg Steak
Recreate Bikkuri Donkey’s burg dish at home! This tender patty is made with a mixture of pork and beef, then topped with a Japanese-style sauce and served with rice and salad. It’s easy to make and tastes just like the real thing!
Ingredients
Prevent your screen from going dark
Instructions
Salad (optional)
Thinly slice daikon radish, carrot and lettuce leaves and soak them in a bowl of cold water. Wash and dry mini tomatoes. You can serve as much or as little salad as you like so I didn’t include measurements for this part.
Mix 2 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise, 1 tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu) and ⅛ tsp Japanese mustard (karashi) in a small bowl until combined, set aside for later.
Patty
Take a large mixing bowl and add 200 g ground pork, 50 g ground beef, ½ onion (grated), 1 egg, 4 tbsp panko breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp plain yogurt, 2 tbsp mayonnaise, ½ tbsp yellow miso paste (awase), ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp sugar, 1 pinch nutmeg powderand 1 pinch ground black pepper.
Knead everything together until well distributed and you have a uniform sticky mixture.
Divide the mixture into equal portions. Lightly oil your hands to stop sticking, and throw each patty between your hands about 10 times to remove excess air. Shape into an oval and make a dent in the center. Place each patty on a square of baking paper to make it easy to transfer to the pan later.
Heat a pan on medium and add a small amount of oil. Place the patties in the pan with the dent-side facing up and fry for 2 minutes on each side to create a nice crust.
Once both sides are browned, reduce the heat to low, add a few teaspoons of warm water to the pan and cover with a lid. Steam for 6 minutes or until cooked through.
Remove the lid and top each patty with cheddar cheese (optional). If you want it to look more like Bikkuri Donkey’s, you can cut cheese slices into strips and make a cross shape on top. Place a lid on top and steam until melted, then transfer to a warm plate.
Sauce
Reusing the same pan, add 2 tbsp onion (finely diced) and fry them in the leftover fat from the patties until soft
Once the onions are soft and golden, add 2 tbsp orange juice, 1 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu), 1 tbsp sake, 1 tbsp mirin and ¼ tsp dashi granules. Mix it well and let it boil for 30 seconds.
Serving
Drain the salad and squeeze to remove the excess water. Place it on the plate and top it with the seasoned mayonnaise and a mini tomato. Arrange a portion of rice and the hamburg next to it, then drizzle the hamburg with the sauce from the pan. Enjoy!
Taking one’s own life is a complex phenomenon that affects countless lives across the world.
It is often linked to emotional pain, such as depression, trauma, or chemical dependency.
People who consider suicide may feel isolated and believe there’s no other way out.
https://how-to-kill-yourself.com
Society needs to talk openly about this matter and help vulnerable individuals.
Early support can make a difference, and finding help is a necessary first step.
If you or someone you know is struggling, please seek help.
You are not without options, and support exists.