Local Comfort food: Loco Moco
There’s something about the third trimester that makes comfort food feel less like a craving and more like a requirement for survival. Maybe it’s the aching hips, or the constant carousel of pillows it now takes to sleep at night. Or maybe it’s just that growing a tiny human is hard work — and some days, you need a plate of something warm, rich, and grounding to remind you: you’re doing okay.
This week, that dish for me was Loco Moco — the ultimate comfort food.
🌺 A Bowl Full of Aloha (and Gravy)
If you’ve never had Loco Moco, imagine this:
A bed of hot, fluffy white rice.
A juicy hamburger patty, seared and homemade.
A golden, sunny-side-up egg with a yolk that runs just enough.
And the star of the show — a waterfall of rich brown gravy, poured with love.
It’s messy, savory, and so, so satisfying — the kind of meal that hugs you back.
I made this one afternoon when the baby was doing somersaults and my ankles were starting to disappear. I needed something nostalgic and filling.
I made it barefoot in my kitchen with the windows open and a little ache in my back, and let me tell you — the moment I broke that egg yolk and watched it melt into the gravy, I nearly cried. (Hormones? Sure. But also: it was that good.)
Loco Moco
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked white rice short-grain or jasmine is my fave
- 1/2 lb ground beef 85/15 for juiciness
- Salt pepper, garlic powder to season patties
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp soy sauce optional, for extra umami
- Optional: chili pepper water or hot sauce for serving
Instructions
Form the patties:
- Mix ground beef with a pinch of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Shape into two patties. (I like mine a little thick — they shrink as they cook!)
Sear the patties:
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook patties 3–4 minutes per side, until nicely browned and cooked through. Set aside.
Make the gravy:
- In the same pan, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and let it brown for a minute. Slowly add the beef broth, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Add soy sauce if using. Simmer until thickened.
Fry the eggs:
- In another pan (or clean the first if you’re not pregnant-tired), cook eggs sunny-side-up. Keep those yolks golden and runny — that’s the magic.
Assemble:
- Scoop rice into bowls or onto a ceramic plate that feels like it has a story. Place a patty on top, nestle in the egg, and pour that luscious gravy all over.
Serve:
- With a napkin, chopsticks, and maybe a small dish of chili pepper water nearby.
💛 Why This Meal Mattered This Week
Loco Moco isn’t fancy. It’s not plated with microgreens or styled for Pinterest. But that’s what makes it perfect. It’s honest, grounding, and made with what you probably already have in the fridge. It’s a little like motherhood that way — simple ingredients, sometimes messy execution, but always made with heart.
This baby’s almost here. And in the in-between — in the waddling, stretching, can’t-bend-down stage of pregnancy — I’m leaning into meals like this. Things that remind me I’m still me. That I can still make something good with my hands. That slowing down can be sacred.
So if you need a little nourishment today, or just something hearty and healing to spoon into your soul, this one’s for you.
With gravy on my shirt and a full heart,
Kirsten 💛
(currently sitting very still because baby just hiccupped for the 12th time today)
Mahalo,
Kirsten Dawn
