Filipino Burger Steak

If you are from the Philippines, I'm sure you know where the Filipino Burger Steak originated. It may look like the more popular Salisbury Steak but it differs in sauce. Burger Steak which was made popular to the Filipinos by Jollibee (an American-style fast-food restaurant serving burgers and rice-based meals as well as other Filipino favorites like sweet spaghetti, palabok and hotdog sandwich) in the early 90's is made up of pan-fried beef patties that come with a flavorful brown gravy topped with sliced button mushrooms and served with steamed rice. It became a favorite to most Filipinos not just because of Jollibee's marketing campaign but more because of its affordability and its delicious taste.

Jollibee's burger steak first came out when I was in college. I really liked it back then. It's affordable and very filling! But I was on a tight budget and I couldn't be eating out as frequent as I wanted to...so I had to learn how to cook burger steak. Oh well, the truth is I asked my mom to find out how to cook it...and she did come up with her own version. For the burger patties, she combines ground beef, minced garlic and onions, bread crumbs, egg, salt, and pepper; divide it into equal portions; form each into round patty; and pan fry them. Her sauce was made up of butter, all-purpose flour, Knorr beef cube, soy sauce and water. She cooks it in low heat with a can of sliced button mushrooms and then pour it on the pan-fried patties. I must say that her version really tasted like the original Jollibee's Burger Steak, and I love it and had been doing the same version for years.

But now that I have 2 girls who loves mushroom sauce so much, I tweaked my mom's recipe and came up with a creamier and tastier version that has become my family's favorite since the first time I cooked it. For the burger patties, I eliminated the bread crumbs and added herbes de provence to the mixture, shaped my burger patties into oval instead of round so it will look more like a steak, and grill them for a better flavor. Then instead of my mom's brown gravy, I made mushroom sauce. These are just simple alterations but they sure give a big change to the texture and taste of the dish! 


Ingredients:
*Serves 4-6  

For Burger Patties:
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 small red onion, minced
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp Herbes De Provence
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
For Sauce:
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, sliced
  • 1 cup fresh or canned button mushrooms (I used fresh and because my daughters love mushrooms, I made it 2 cups)
  • 1- 10.5oz can cream of mushroom sauce
  • ¼ cup milk
  • 2 Tbsp soy sauce (If you are using Filipino soy sauce which is more salty, reduce the amount to 1 ½ Tbsp)
  • ½ Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • salt & pepper

Procedure:
1. In a bowl, combine ground beef, onion, garlic, egg, herbes de provence, salt and pepper. Mix until well blended. Divide into 6 equal portions (about 1/3 cup each) and flatten each into oval shape.
2. Grill or fry (I prefer to grill it) for about 20 minutes or until cooked and both sides are brown. Transfer to a serving dish. Keep warm by wrapping with foil and set aside.

3. In a saucepan, saute onions and sliced mushrooms until mushrooms are cooked. 
4. Add mushroom sauce and milk. Simmer while stirring until well blended. Add soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper to suit your taste (for me, the saltiness from soy sauce was enough so I just added pepper). Simmer for 3 minutes.
5. Pour the sauce over burger patties and serve with steamed rice.
 
 

21 comments:

  1. I am with your girls..I only wish that my kids are like yours..mine hate mushrooms:( I can even believe it since I love them so much:)
    your recipe is amazing..I loveeeeee this combination!! Nicely done, got to try it soon!!!

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  2. You're really amazing, Tina! You really cook so well and able to create so many different kinda food that're served/found in the Philippines! I guessed that's the best thing about being far away from home bcoz you'll be missing all the yummy goodies that can't be found anywhere but your very own country and the best way to curb all your cravings is to cook it yourself! This would be one thing I'm lacking of. ;P
    I love your burger steak esp the thick, creamy, yummy mushroom sauce! I'll try this soon but hope it'll turn out as good if I'm using pork or chicken. ;)

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  3. @Sandra: My girls just got their love of mushrooms from me. I cook it often, and now, they're so into it too! :)
    @Lyn: Both my father and mother used to cook a lot, and I've been to a lot of different provinces when I was working, so I got to eat all kinds of Filipino food when I was in the Philippines. Now that I'm far away from home, I make my recipes based on how I remember the taste and ingredients of the dishes that my parents prepared or dishes that I ate from the different restaurants that I got to visit back then. :)

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  4. Yum! I was watching a movie where the actors were enjoying a big burger, and then I visit your blog and find this good looking dish, hmmm, maybe it's a sign for me to make some!

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  5. Oh, these sound amazing!!! I'd love one of your burgers with your mushroom sauce...so much better than ketchup :)

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  6. Home made burgers are for sure more healthier and that mushroom sauce is great to go with it though we don't beef but looks tempting.

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  7. Love the sauce :))

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  8. This is a MUST MAKE for my meat eating friends! HUGS!

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  9. I've only tried Japanese version but this looks just as good. Tina, I've a little surprise for u @ Awards & Architectural Wonders Of Helsinki. Pls drop by to pick it up!

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  10. Love the addition of herbes de Provence! Sounds great.

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  11. That looks delicious :) Nicely presented too.

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  12. i love the creamy mushroom sauce and steak is my any time fav meal. :)

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  13. what a cool, fun and flavorful new way to do a burger! I love all the different seasonings and the method! Awesome

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  14. I'm drooling!! I need to try this next time i go to Jolibee!

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  15. Hello po, Thanks a lot for the recipe, I really can't thank you enough for all the great recipes you have here. I have been searching a lot of online recipes and tried some, but so far yours has the best output :) I am also bantanguena so nde po nalalayo mga choice of ingredients natin :) Maraming salamat po ulit. Keep posting and more powers to you! :)

    K.C.

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    Replies
    1. Hi! Thanks for the comment! It's people like you who inspire me to keep on doing this! It's such a pleasure to be of help in sharing the goodness of Filipino Cuisine!

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  16. Hello... I want to try this recipe, but I cannot find Herbes de Provence. What can I use in substitute of it? Thanks :)

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    1. Hi,
      Herbes de Provence is a combination of marjoram, thyme, rosemary and savory. If you can't find ready made herbes de provence, you can just combine the mentioned spices.

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  17. Thanks a lot for the recipe! I love the Creamy Mushroom sauce. I'll try this soon ☺ btw which milk is best Fresh milk or evaporated milk?
    Thanks much

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