Guide to Hawaii Loco Moco

Some people may call it a breakfast, or some might call it the breakfast served at lunch, and some may even call it the hamburger volcano of gravy and eggs, but it's the Hawaii comfort food called the Loco Moco. A Loco Moco consists of: the rice, the gravy, the patty, the eggs, and the toppings. The patty had been a burger, however as time went on many sorts of ingredients were used and shaped like a patty, such as: formed patties, meatloafs, and seasoned seafood pokes. Originating from the Big Island it has become a staple at many plate lunch restaurants and has no association as a breakfast plate, which makes it a great choice at any time of day.

There are several categories for Loco Moco and that is: Sauteed Patties (1), Grill Patties (2), Fried Patties (3), Seafood Patties (4) types. When heading out to either a restaurant or a loco moco shop there maybe some confusion with the words “Loco” as a shortened way to say loco moco or “Moco” that sometimes refers to non-patty dishes or the gravy itself. This is a guide that looks at unique characteristics and details of a number of family recipes unique to a regional style; it may only be a general surface level of varieties that exist in the entire myriad that exists in Hawaii.

The Rice

The rice is usually white, medium-grain, Calrose rice is fresh from the rice-cooker and takes on the flavor of the gravy and the egg as its main flavorings. Like many plate lunches it can be served with two scoops of rice or a bed of rice in which the ingredients are placed on top as a stack. The reasoning in using medium-grain rice is that it is good for absorbing sauces due to its consistency and having sauce stick to the rice itself, however with fried rice variations short-grain is sometimes used as well. In early Fried Rice variations the rice that was used was still medium-grain to make the gravy the main flavoring of the dish. 

The Gravy

The gravy was seen as the flavoring component of the loco moco and is very important to the dish. There is a question that comes up when the gravy is being served on loco mocos and that question is “Would you like Gravy All Over?”. What it means is all over the rice or even more gravy that can at times pool around the rice itself for a nice dish presentation. Early on varieties included many stewed dishes that had their sauce used as the gravy, like: Beef Stew, Curry Stew, Tripe Stew, and Oxtail Stew. Chefs who work on their own version of a dish take great pride in the seasonings as well as the aroma of their gravy. 

The Patty

Thanks to many drive inns, restaurants, and loco moco shops the patty is iconic to the loco moco, but, its still okay if there are variations without a patty shape as well. The dish is most known to use ground beef, however ground pork and ground venison are also used depending on where the loco moco recipe is from. For those that do not eat meats there are modern takes that make use of fried patty shaped alternatives like: Ulu, Sweet Potato, or Tofu.

The Eggs

The eggs are important to the dish as it mixes well with the gravy to make it even more savory with another layer of flavor with the yolk. The yolk is important as it is packed with various nutrients and is simply delicious at the same time as it works perfectly with the gravy. The combination makes for a very rich gravy with a distinct taste of yolk that is absorbed by the rice and is an experience considered when choosing the patty. 

Topping

As a sort of add on from leftovers the toppings usually assist in the flavor of the already delicious gravy. This can mean that it may consist of a garnish like green onions for a bit of crunch, or diced local pickled things for a bit of bite, or even a sort of sprinkle for variety. There are some who consider the eggs to be the topping and have no additional toppings added as it is a much debated topic of what counts as the topping.

General Loco Moco List

#001) Loco Moco - single size

#002) Double Moco - double size

#003) Chili Loco - Chili

#004) Beef Stew Loco - Beef Stew

#005) Luau Loco - Beef Luau

#006) Curry Loco - Beef Curry

#007) Oxtail Loco - Oxtail Stew

#008) Meatloaf Loco - Baked Meat Loaf

The Grab and Go Loco Moco

Loco Moco is a part of any plate lunch menu in Hawaii and has been a strong contender as a favorite of breakfast plates that came from the Big Island and then traveled to the other islands as a mainstay later on. It gained in popularity around the 1970s and early 1980s and wouldn’t take long for the hamburger steak with sunny side eggs and gravy all over to reach other islands with its reputation growing, until it eventually established itself as a plate lunch favorite. While some may believe it to be a hamburger steak with eggs on top there are some restaurants that have taken a large interest into making loco mocos that are particular to the area's ingredients and even make regional variations. 

Surfers were some of those who would go to beachside restaurants that would serve up loco moco and would have an order of it after coming back from a mean set of waves out near the shore. For those that might be headed off to school or work with the sun rising and may need a to-go order there were loco moco bowls that were nicely packed and easily transported to their destination and eaten quite quickly. Thus it started to gain a reputation as a sort of to go meal, which is great for any plate lunch or quick fill up meal when having a busy schedule.

Breakfast Moco Madness

The breakfast plate lunch classic remained heavily unchanged for many years with only small changes or variations of the dish that were deemed a bit out there were left on recipe cards in home kitchens. But, there was a growing interest in Loco Mocos that were a bit larger and more varied in its ingredients, especially with the pan fried patty, like: Seasoned Ground Beef Patties, Plantation Meatloaf Patties, and Pocho Pork Patties, with sides of Spam, Bacon, and Sausages. 

On the big island after the War there were many dishes that would involve gravy as a key flavoring to a dish and loco moco was no exception. In some parts of the island where mushrooms were more easily available it wouldn’t be uncommon to find salisbury steak with mushrooms with rice on top of rice or ranches that would have beef patties with chili ladled over it and two sunny side eggs on top. Kama'aina would end up eating it as a hearty meal that would be easily made from leftover stew or fat in a pan for some gravy.

The classic loco moco would eventually become something grander as it would have creative versions made by chefs on different islands, however one of the restaurants worth noting is “Da Kitchen” who brought interest back into making more variations of the dish. The cooking ware used has always been pretty simple as it was a pan or a grill and something to collect the drippings and make a batch of gravy. A ladle would be used to measure out how much gravy is placed on a loco moco along batches of other ingredients that would be used as toppings to make sure they came out quickly.

Loco Mocos are Found All Over

Locally owned fast-casual restaurants had been serving loco mocos for a very long time and made a name for the dish, but it wouldn’t be hard to know why with how delicious it was. Visitors who came to these mom and pop eateries would find out there were many styles of cooking the patties and many gravies that were only found at particular places in particular areas and made them unique. Nowadays just about any place serving a Hawaii breakfast will have loco moco on the menu with even restaurant chains taking advantage of the love for the moco. 

Meaning of Loco Moco

The meaning of Loco Moco has become the definition of comfort food and has become the most iconic food for visitors from Japan. When asked what a loco moco may mean a few think of the direct definition of being a crazy mix, a few may get the feeling of a hibachi grill and returning from the beach, and some describe it as easy plate lunch food on the go. There is a sort of harmony of flavors that goes with each bite of the patty covered in gravy and egg and a bit of rice that hits just right with a little bit of macaroni salad that leaves a savory and creamy aftertaste. If there is a lazy day at the beach, there is nothing that speaks to the appetite better than the comforting loco moco.

Breakdown of Loco Moco

Loco Moco Chefs gained their experience at breakfast restaurants or plate lunch restaurants that had loco moco on the menu to learn how to properly make one. The cooking time that affects the yolk's softness, the seasoning of the gravy, and the meat that joins with the rice. It might be funny to think that there is a specialized cook for Loco Mocos, but people take their loco mocos seriously at times.The loco moco has all kinds of people who think about ways to bring the ingredients together in combination for their own version as they see their idea of what is seen as the perfect loco moco. 

The patty is a ground meat most of the time and when cooked on a pan or grill it will release its fat drippings that are used as the basis for the gravy. The gravy is made by using the fat cooked off  from the patty and any sort of additional fats that are saved and cooked with flour to begin making an enhanced thickener for the gravy itself. This thickener has a broth that is made usually from scratch or uses canned broth with added seasoning mixtures to give even more flavor to the already flavorful gravy that becomes the consistency of a stew. 

Categories of Hawaii Loco Moco

It is pretty standard in Hawaii dishes that the rice plays a key role in the type of dish that is being served as it plays its own part in the flavor profile of the dish. The usual suspects of Hawaii home cooking are found with: plain rice, seasoned rice, and/or fried rice that can compliment the other flavors, since a local moco has many layers. If there are any additional ingredients they are often placed around the towering loco moco in the order of the rice, the patty, and the eggs. Such ingredients that are common care: pocho sausage, bacon, link sausage, spam, and/or little smokies. The Cook will have their own way to balance the flavors and find out what works in the composition of ingredients on the dish. 

The ingredients that are used in loco moco were not chosen only for their flavor, but also what was available at the time like canned goods and affordable meats. There are different styles of loco moco that can concentrate on particular parts of the dish with some that have more seasoning in the rice, or the gravy that is complex and is full of flavor, or a meat that is salty and seasoned to be the chosen main flavor to be what is the focus of the dish. There is the plate lunch, umeke bowl, and saimin bowl as ways to display the loco moco.

Shaped Patties

A Hawaii shaped patty is important due to the nutrients in Hawaii soil as well as the feed that goes into the process of feeding the animals and that affects flavor, so look for some key things: that it's bred as Hawaiian beef cattle (aka. Made in hawaii), Hawaiian venison deer, Hawaiian lamb. The living conditions of the animal, and read up on the animal feed from the ranch, because people who are looking for a taste of Hawaii want that authenticity that only comes from the islands. If it's from the ocean it is good to make sure it is locally caught and sourced and the place serving it up or selling it has: good cleaning practices, a legal seller with sustainable practices, and is involved in ocean watch efforts of illegal fishermen, so that the buyer can make sure they will get fresh catches all the time when its season and not empty out the ocean.

Prepared Gravy

The strength comes from the Gravy in Hawaii and is used as one part of the loco moco and takes plenty of time to get the taste right with seasonings and collagens. Gravy in Hawaii has been said to be a little salty and often uses onion, celery, carrots, garlic, alaea salt, and black pepper. The seasonings were pretty standard cooking practices in creating the stock seasoning that would be added to the fat and thickener.

According to some of the old farms the flavor of the gravy was enhanced by the stock that was made with: cartilage, bones, ligaments, tendons, and skin from animals in order to have no waste and extract plenty of flavor. A pot of stock would need at least a day to boil (24 hours) and be properly clarified in order to gain a rich taste that would come from breaking down the ingredients and having the taste go into the liquid. When the stock is finished it is strained.

Farm Eggs 

It may seem a bit strange to look if eggs are sourced from the Mainland, but it makes a large flavor difference based on how long the eggs have been refrigerated and how the chickens are kept. In Hawaii there are even some cases where there are certain types of chickens used for eggs and sometimes eggs that are popular aren’t even from chickens, but from ducks. These eggs are what is going to be the main flavor that is inside the yolk with some being more savory or salty and even bland. As a cook it is considered when placing the ingredients together, so that the egg can bond the complex flavor of the loco moco together.

Slowly the loco moco will have each layer completed and eaten with its signature flavor that so many locals love and tourists love as well. When eating a loco moco it can transport someone back to Hawaii when they close their eyes and think of that combination of flavors that go so well together. 

Selections of Loco Moco

Many Hawaii Restaurants serve “Loco Moco” dish, and it doesn’t sound like the most exciting dish as there are similar dishes out there that are more Wester, but the dish is an important part of the food culture in the islands. Each region of Hawaii has their own favorite recipe they enjoy with the dish and even the menus may be layed out in a specific way as well for the portion size served, which tends to be on the larger size.

The different sizes consists of the: Mini (Small), Regular (Medium), and Big (Large). This can be explained through Hawaiian Pidgin English as well with: Da Mini (Single- 1 egg, 1 patty), Da Regular (Double- 2 egg, 2 patty), Da Big Buggah (Triple- 3 egg, 3 patty), Family (Tray- 6 egg, 6 patty). So, when ordering it is important to know a little bit of words used in Hawaii to know how to order what exactly it is, since some of the words may not be familiar to some. Now let us take a look at some of the wealth of varieties of loco mocos.

Loco Mocos- Patties formed of meat that are cooked with seasonings that allow for a gravy to be ladled over with sunnyside eggs on top. It is one of the most popular types of plate lunch in Hawaii and it is easy to cook at home. It is sometimes topped with green onions and cooked onions for extra color.

Meatloaf Locos- A mixture of meat with cooked vegetables and panko crumbs Baked in an oven to collect all the drippings for the gravy. The seasonings have a savory dashi in it as well, so that the flavor sticks out from the meatloaf and the gravy as the supporting flavor. At one point it was called Old Japanese style as the older generation made it with dashi to hide the fact there wasn’t as much meat in the meatloaf, but now it's a sort of comfort dish. 

Katsu Mocos- A Golden crispiness of a panko-fried katsu is served over steamed rice that sits in a pool of gravy, this is a treat for locals as they see it as more of a more fancy kine of loco moco that takes a bit more time to make. It isn’t complete without some chili pepper water and some green onions on top. Examples: Chicken Katsu Loco, Pork Katsu Loco, Katsu Laulau Loco.

Stew Locos- Softened up pieces of meat that have been simmering and cooking for an even more intense flavor of stewed gravy that is often served for those craving a stew. Its a quick way to make use of stew and kick it up a bit by adding a meat patty, which some people drizzle some local mayonnaise sauce on top. Examples: Beef Curry Loco, Luau Stew Loco, Beef Stew Loco, Oxtail Stew Loco, Chile Loco Moco, and Pork Roast Moco.

Braised Mocos- This braised loco moco features the method of cooking a meat in its own juices and added sauce that makes for a really juicy soft slow cooked dish. The rice is usually shaped like a trapezoid as a unique display from other loco mocos to stick out from the bunch. It is a dish best prepared in advance, since assembling the dish takes just about no time at all when put together. Examples: Braised Brisket Loco Moco, Braised Porkbelly Loco Moco, Braised Huli Loco Moco.

Kalua Mocos- The Imu is a specialty earthen oven of Hawaiian cuisine and making Kalua Dishes wrapped in tin-foil to collect the drippings is irresistible at times. So, when having all the extra drippings comes in handy for a gravy that has a bit of flavor of the luau-leaf it can become a very distinct dish. The meat can either be intact or the preferred way of being separated to seemingly look shredded. Examples: Kalua Turkey Loco Moco, Kalua Pork Loco Moco, Kalua Venison Loco Moco, Kalua Beef Loco Moco, Corned Beef Loco Moco, and Laulau Loco.

Chowder Locos- While lost to history the old boats who loaded and unloaded fish near the wharfs would have a bowl of chowder with a fish patty on top covered with a cream chowder and sunny-side eggs on top with a bit of lomi tomato. A fisherman's meal or a fisherman’s loco moco that would be quick to take on the go in the early morning and with all sorts of fish that could be made into seafood cakes. The seafood that would often be used would determine what sorts of locos were made. Examples: Ahi Patty Loco Moco, Salmon Patty Loco Moco, Scallop Patty  Loco Moco, Shrimp Patty Loco Moco.

History of Loco Moco

Richard and Nancy of the Inouye Family had opened a restaurant in downtown Hilo called “Lincoln Grill”. The restaurant “Lincoln Grill” is said to be the “Loco Moco Origin Store”, even though it is still debated if another eatery that specializes in loco moco is the originator “Cafe 100”. The popular “Loco Moco” is an iconic state dish that originated in Hilo on the Big Island and is important to the history of regional cuisine for “Big Island Loco Mocos”. 

In 1949, the Story goes “The Lincoln Wreckers” were from Hilo High School and played at Lincoln Park as an Athletics Club and would hang out at the Lincoln Grill. They would play the pin-ball machines, cards, listen to music from the juke-box, and get some good food. They would hold their meetings at the eatery and they didn’t have much money on hand, so they always looked for something filling, and affordable to go eat. The team asked Nancy Inouye to create a dish they could afford at 30 cents, so in a bowl of rice there was a hamburger patty with gravy, and the egg came later as the dish grew. 

Etymology

The name is said to have come from the teen from the club who was nicknamed “Crazy” (George Okimoto) who drank hot tabasco on dares. The group of teens had dubbed the dish “Loco” for crazy and Moco because it happened to rhyme with it. The story of Lincoln Grill continues to be legendary for the naming etymology, more so than an accuracy of history, since the near mirror image dish at Cafe 100 didn’t have the name of Loco moco for a long time.

Loco Moco Controversy

The date of Hamburger Steak with onions, gravy, and rice with two eggs on the side was eaten in days in early 1940s before the actual naming of loco moco. Or as some locals may say “Before the Tsunami” and would get their favorite breakfast at places like Isles Cafe. While there were places that had the grouping of ingredients together it wouldn’t be until the mid 1940s that the dish would be known to stand as its own with the stories of the 100th Battalion having made a similar recipe during the war (world war II). In 1946, Richard Miyashiro was discharged from the United States Army and go off to open Cafe 100 and serve up what would be known as a “loco moco”, however at the time it didn’t have the name yet. But, in the long run it would be credited as the first "Loco Moco" specialized eatery.