Stuff 93: Jennifer Loves to Cook

By J.J. Atwell

Loco Moco

Yes, I’m back with another recipe because, of course, Jennifer loves to cook! Doesn’t matter if I’m presenting as Jennifer or that guy. Cooking is fun. Fair warning: there is very little about CDing in this installment of Stuff. But you can compensate by trying this recipe while in girl mode. Thanks!

You may recall from Stuff #90 which Stana published on September 29, 2025 that I recently vacationed in Hawaii. That trip reignited my love for this specialized dish. I almost called it a delicacy, but realized that’s not the right word. Perhaps, it’s better to think of this as Hawaiian comfort food. 

So what is a Loco Moco? It’s an assemblage of yummy ingredients that is perfect for breakfast or any time of day. Basically, you get a dish of rice topped with a hamburger patty with gravy poured over it and topped with an egg.

Get Your Stuff

Ready to try it yourself? Great! Before we start though, I’d like to warn you that the hardest thing is to get all the parts ready at the same time. You’re basically making four different ingredients, each with their own cooking time. Oh, and you’ll dirty a lot of pots and pans making it. This recipe is per serving, but it’s easy enough to scale it up. Also, the portions of each ingredient are changeable according to individual preferences. Don’t forget an apron to protect that cute outfit. 

First, let’s gather the ingredients:

• Rice - ½ cup per serving of cooked white rice
• Eggs - 1 or 2 per serving
• Hamburger patty - 1 or 2 per serving. Preferably 80/20 lean/fat, at least 4 oz, but 8 oz is good
• Onion -1 medium diced (optional)
• Butter for sautéing if including onions or mushrooms
• Mushrooms - 4 oz sliced (optional)
• Water for gravy
• Gravy - ½ cup per serving, use a simple packet of brown gravy mix and the amount of water called for on the package
• Crispy fried onions or potato strings
• Salt and pepper to taste

Now that we have everything, let’s get started:

• Cook the rice. You can use the 90 second microwave packages to make this easier if you are only serving one or two people. If doing more than that, just make a pot of rice with enough to provide ½ cup for each serving.
• Grill the hamburger patty but don’t over cook it. You’ll find that medium rare burger is probably right for this dish
• Prepare a brown gravy by sautéing the onion in butter until translucent. Follow the directions for the gravy mix using a small pot and water, once boiling, add the onion and perhaps some mushrooms. Cover the pot and turn down the flame to simmer. Let it go for about 5 minutes. 
• Cook eggs as desired. I prefer over-easy or sunny-side so that the yoke is a bit runny.

Assemble the Dish

• This is best served in a shallow bowl
• First make a bed of rice
• Put the hamburger patty atop the rice
• Pour gravy over the hamburger and rice 
• Sprinkle crispy fried onions
• Top with egg and serve immediately

Remember, a recipe is a guideline not a hard and fast rule. In the Hawaiian islands you’ll find many variations on this versatile dish. Most often Spam replaces the burger. But you can also try ham, sausage or bacon instead of the burger. You may also want to try frying the rice instead of plain boiled rice. And adding your favorite grated cheese is always a good idea. 

I’ll be interested to hear how you customize this dish! Hope you enjoy this little bit of Hawaii!

I’ll Be Back

I’ll be finding more Stuff to write about. I welcome comments and suggestions here on Stana’s page or by email at Jenn6nov at-sign gmail dot com. Aloha.

Wearing L.N.C.

Lester Holt femulating on television’s Today.