SPRING HILL, Fla. — As we continue to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Awareness Month, our Chef’s Kitchen heads to Hawaii via Spring Hill.

Makanalani’s Hawaiian Fusion Food Truck offers a modern classic—the Loco Moco.

Makanalani Coopers wants to share her culture with the Mainlanders.

“I wanted to show people what real Hawaiian food tastes like — that it didn’t just mean ‘with pineapple,’” she said.

This dish is an egg, sunny side up, on top of a gravy laden burger and a bed of rice.

While preparing the recipe, Cooper explained the Loco Moco dish’s modern origins.

“It comes from kind of poor college kids. You have the rice, the burger and gravy and the egg. And it’s also kind of known as a hangover relief,” Cooper said.

Cooper offers the Loco Moco recipe for viewers to try!

You can also find her food truck here.

The Loco Moco

Ingredients                               
¼ onion                                                         
2 cloves garlic                                               
1 egg                                                                         
2 tbsp butter                                                             
2 green onions(garnish)                                 
5 tsp cornstarch                                                         
1 ½ cups beef broth                                                   
1 cup cooked rice       
1 tbsp Worcestershire
4 tsp shoyu (soy sauce)
2 tsp ketchup
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp pepper
Pinch of salt
½ tsp paprika

Preparation

Hamburger
Mix ground beef with onions, diced garlic, a splash of Worcestershire sauce and spice liberally.
Scoop ⅓ cup of beef to create patty.
Place butter on grill and grill patties for two to three minutes on each side, or until desired temperature.

Gravy
Use drippings from burger.
Pour in beef stock.
Mix in shoyu, ketchup and Worcestershire.
Add water and cornstarch slurry slowly into sauce –stir in thoroughly, checking for desired thickness.
Sunny Side Up Egg
Cover to steam cook the top of the egg.

Assembly
Place large scoop of rice on plate.
Layer with hamburger, gravy, and egg.
Garnish with green onion slices and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.

Tips from Makanalani
If you don’t feel like making your own gravy — you can get store bought.
Cooking is supposed to be fun — go at your own pace.