It's all gravy, baby!

Millie's Loco Moco with Special Gravy, baby!

I stumbled upon a wonderfully rich, tasty, and full-bodied gravy when I made my homemade loco moco as pictured above. I promised friends I'd inbox them the recipe (my very own recipe, thank you) and I figured I'll blog about it, post on FB, and tag them instead. I think its better this way because: 1) I get to add content to my blog 2) I deliver on a promise...efficiently!

This is a multi-step recipe and that's why I think the flavors are just bursting in every corner of your mouth. So, if you really want to give this a try, plan for it, and let me know how your masterpiece turns out!

Here's to an early Happy Thanksgiving!

Ingredients:

Stew meat (the cubed kind from Costco, this was I had on hand at the time so I used it)
Chicken stock (not chicken broth, stock is richer in flavor I think)
Kosher salt
Butter
Half and half
Balsamic vinegar
Soy sauce (any kind. I had high potency Filipino kind on hand so that's what I used. You use what you got!)
Lemon
Brown sugar
Flour or cornstarch
Eggs
White rice
Flat leaf parsley
4 cup Ziploc tupperware
Lemon
Garlic powder
Ground pepper

Step 1: Marinate the meat, refrigerate it overnight to let the flavors soak in:

I used a 4 cup Ziploc tupperware to test out this recipe so my measurements will be based on this.

-Fill up the Ziploc container with about 2 cups of the cubed beef
-1 cup chicken stock
-squeeze half a lemon's juice in there
-splash of soy sauce (the mixture should be a medium-light brown. if it is a very dark brown color you've probably put too much soy sauce)
-1 tsp brown sugar
-mix everything really good!
-put on the lid and let your concoction marinate in the fridge

Step 2: Slowwww cookin' is best!


I used a crockpot to slow cook the beef on high for four hours.


-drop your beefy concoction in the crockpot
-put about 2 - 3 cups of chicken stock in the crockpot (it should cover the meat so that it does not become dry)
-this liquid will be the flavorlicious base for your gravy, baby!
-set the crockpot's timer to four hours on high


Step 3: Separate the beef and make the gravy



-once the beef is done, take the meat out of the crockpot and set it aside. let it cool completely.
-take the left over liquid and put that in a medium size saucepan
-(cook your white rice in your rice cooker now if you have one)
-bring the liquid to a boil in a medium saucepan
-add a splash of half and half
-add 1 tbsp of butter
-add 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
-add a sprinkle of garlic powder
-whisk in flour or cornstarch (I start w/ 1 tbsp of cornstarch in a cup put some cold water in it until it is slushy and whisk it in slowly until the gravy is to the consistency i like)
-sprinkles of ground pepper
-sprinkles of kosher salt
-i taste it. if it still needs a little flavor and color i add a tiny splash of table sauce (the non-concentrated kind)


Step 4: Slightly crunchify the beef and cook everything else now



-take the fully cubed beef and shred/cut it up length wise (don't cut the beef while its hot as you will allow heat to escape, leaving the beef dry and not as yummy)
-take a frying pan, add a little bit of Pam or oil of your choice, sprinkle garlic powder lightly over the beef, and slightly crunchify the mixture (not full on crunch so you get varied textures when you eat it)
-cook your eggs overeasy


Step 5: Plating, sharing, & eating


-Take a plate and put your cooked white rice first
-Take the slightly crunchified beef and put it over the rice
-Take your egg(s) and put that on top of the beef
-Drench everything with your gravy
-Garnish with parsley
-Take a pic of it, share it on FB and tag me :)
-Eat it!