Food & Wine USA - (06)June 2020

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46 JUNE 2020

Japanese-Style Chili Burgers

with Yuzu Mayo

TOTAL 50 MIN; SERVES 8

This burger is a two-hander, topped with

Japanese-spiced chili, tomatoes, and

shredded iceberg lettuce. Be careful not

to overmix the beef before shaping it into

patties; a light hand yields tender burgers.

1 cup Kewpie mayonnaise

1 / 2 cup ketchup

1 Tbsp. bottled yuzu juice

1 (28-oz.) can whole peeled tomatoes

1 Tbsp. olive oil

4 lb. ground beef, divided

1 cup finely diced yellow onion

4 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1 / 4 cup tonkatsu sauce

2 tsp. gochugaru

2 tsp. turbinado sugar

11 / 2 tsp. ground coriander

11 / 2 tsp. ground cumin

1 / 2 cup (4 oz.) sake

1 / 4 cup cold water

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. smoked paprika

11 /^2 tsp. black pepper, divided

8 sesame seed hamburger buns,

buttered and toasted

8 fresh tomato slices

2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce

1. Stir together Kewpie mayonnaise,
   ketchup, and yuzu juice in a bowl. Refrig-
   erate until ready to serve. Process canned
   tomatoes in a food processor until
   smooth, about 1 minute. Set processed
   tomatoes aside.

Raising the Bar L.A.’s Ototo sake bar pays

tribute to a Japanese-American classic.

I’VE NEVER BEEN TO JAPAN, but I’ve long had an obsession with a Japanese burger chain

called MOS Burger. MOS, which stands for “Mountain, Ocean, Sun,” makes burgers for

the Japanese palate, which means options like crispy rice patty buns and meat basted

in a miso marinade, which I thought sounded just incredible. There are no tickets to

Tokyo in my immediate future, so I was incredibly excited when I happened across the

“Ode to MOS Burger” at Ototo, one of my favorite sake bars in Los Angeles. The hefty

burger arrives at the table dripping with a slightly sweet and deeply savory tonkatsu

sauce–spiked chili and plenty of yuzu-Kewpie mayo. While the burger might not be

from the chain itself, the ode might actually be better. —KHUSHBU SHAH

RECIPE FROM

OTOTO

LOS ANGELES

MOST WANTED

2. Heat oil in a small saucepan over
   medium-high. Add 1 pound ground beef,
   onion, and 2 teaspoons salt; cook, stirring
   occasionally, until meat is no longer pink
   and onion is lightly browned, about 7 min-
   utes. Add processed tomatoes, tonkatsu,
   gochugaru, sugar, coriander, and cumin;
   stir in sake. Bring to a simmer. Stir
   together^1 / 4 cup cold water and flour in
   small bowl; add to ground beef mixture,
   and stir to combine. Stir in smoked
   paprika and^1 / 2 teaspoon black pepper.
   Reduce heat to medium-low, and return
   to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, 10 min-
   utes. Remove from heat.


3. Preheat grill or griddle to medium
   (350¡F to 450¡F). Gently stir together
   remaining 3 pounds ground beef, remain-
   ing 2 teaspoons salt, and remaining 1 tea-
   spoon black pepper in a large bowl until
   just combined. Shape mixture into 8
   (6-ounce) patties, pressing to^1 / 2 -inch
   thickness. Place on oiled grates, and grill,
   covered, to desired degree of doneness,
   about 5 minutes per side for medium.


4. Place patties on buns. Top each with^1 / 3
   cup chili, 1 tomato slice,^1 / 4 cup lettuce,
   and 1 tablespoon mayonnaise mixture.
   —CHARLES NAMBA, OTOTO, LOS ANGELES
   MAKE AHEAD Chili can be made up to 3
   days ahead and stored in an airtight
   container in refrigerator.
   BEER Fresh Japanese rice lager: Asahi
   Super Dry
   NOTE Find Kewpie mayonnaise, yuzu
   juice, tonkatsu sauce, and gochugaru at
   Asian markets or on amazon.com. FOOD STYLING: MARGARET MONROE DICKEY; PROP STYLING: THOM DRIVER

photography by VICTOR PROTASIO

FW_0620_Handbook.indd 46 FINAL 4/16/20 11:44 AM