Teriyaki Burger/Japanese Burger Shop Style

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Teriyaki Burger (照り焼きバーガー)

I have more opportunities to have tasty hamburgers in the U.S than in Japan, however, I sometimes miss having a teriyaki burger, which I see in most burger shops in Japan. A burger with sweet and savory teriyaki sauce with a hint of Japanese mayonnaise is a great combination and is favored for everyone from kids to adults in Japan.

History of Hamburger in Japan

The hamburger arrived in Japan after World War II via the U.S military presence in the Sasebo City of Nagasaki prefecture. The burger stores sprung up around town.
In 1972, Japan saw the establishment of its own fast-food chain call “Mos Burger”, and they had teriyaki burgers besides their normal American style burger. Since then, most chain burger shops such as McDonald’s have teriyaki burgers on their menu, which have become a staple burger for the Japanese. 

What’s on a Teriyaki Burger?

The Burger: The main character of this recipe. So try to buy the freshest and best available ground meat possible. For this recipe, I didn’t add any bread crumbs, milk, and onion which I normally do when I make burgers. I tried to keep it simple100% beef patty. However, you can use any patty recipe you like.

Homemade Teriyaki Sauce: I made this teriyaki sauce thicker than the sauce I normally make for fish or chicken. Add potato starch water to thicken the sauce it will not be runny while eating the burger.

Lemon Mayonnaise: Mixed with a tiny amount of lemon juice and condensed milk.

Tomato: Although I used beefsteak tomato, you can use any tomato you like

Lettuce: I used butterhead lettuce, but you can use any lettuce of your choice

Buns: I used brioche buns. I wanted to use the buns with sesame seed on the top, but I couldn’t find it today…

Teriyaki Sauce is So Easy to Make

I see commercial teriyaki sauce sold in grocery stores here in the U.S but normally not in Japan. In fact, teriyaki sauce is made by really common Japanese ingredients that most Japanese households have. We never buy teriyaki sauce. You can use store-bought teriyaki sauce for your burger but I recommend making your own. It is normally made out of soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar or without sugar. I added grounded ginger and garlic for this recipe to have some kick in the sauce.

Any Kind of Meat for Teriyaki Burger

I use ground beef for my teriyaki burger recipe, but you can use any meat for this recipe. McDonald’s uses ground pork, and some other shops use a pork and beef mixture for their teriyaki burger.  Ground chicken tastes perfect with teriyaki sauce as well, if you mix with tofu and ground chicken, you can make it healthier. Of course, this teriyaki sauce perfectly goes with plant-based meat as well.

Teriyaki Burger with Egg On Top is Also Popular in Japan

Teriyaki burger plus a fried egg is also a popular menu at many burger chains in Japan. It’s called Teri-Tama (teriyaki + tamago) burger. You can make something similar by add fried eggs on top of your burger. I used fried egg rings for perfection but it’s not necessary. You can purchase similar egg rings at Amazon.

Check Out My Umami Fries Recipe

→AIR FRYER FRENCH FRIES WITH UMAMI SEASONING