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How I Developed This Copycat Recipe

Bikkuri Donkey (びっくりドンキー) is a popular hamburger steak chain that has won over young diners and families all over Japan. What makes this place special is its unique Japanese spin on the classic hamburger steak, offering a totally different experience compared to traditional burgers.

To get my recipe as close as it can be, I started by analyzing the real deal at Bikkuri Donkey.

I’ve been to Bikkuri Donkey a bunch of times in my whole life, but this visit was different. For the first time, I found myself really analyzing every aspect of the meal to make this recipe.

Here are my key observations:

Sauce Characteristics: The sauce is notably thin and applied sparingly, creating a subtle flavor profile.
Salad Dressing: The salad dressing appears to be mayonnaise-based with a twist. I detected hints of soy sauce and a distinct mustard-like aftertaste, suggesting they possibly incorporate a tiny bit of karashi mustard.
Sauce Composition: The sauce has a distinctly Japanese flavor reminiscent of udon soup. In fact, my son ordered udon from the kids’ menu, and I noticed a similarity in the underlying taste. This led me to wonder if there might be a dashi element incorporated into the sauce.
Hamburger Steak Texture: The onions within the hamburger steak are completely incorporated, losing all textural presence. I speculate that grating the onions might be a potential improvement to replicate the overall mouthfeel.
Meat Composition: The hamburger steak has a smooth and soft texture that hardly feels beefy or meaty. Although they say beef is used, I suspect it includes a significant proportion of ground pork. The burger’s delicate consistency suggests the potential use of a lot of binding agents to achieve its unique softness.

There were also a few other things I noticed, but these are the main things I thought.

One big mistake I made when I took this picture was I used knife and fork, Bikkuri Donkey’s hamburg is always eaten with chopsticks!

After playing around a few times, I think I was able to get the taste pretty close, although I may have cooked it a bit too much in the photo compared to the real thing. I used a lot of ground pork, so I was careful not to make it underdone, and it turned out like this.

Topping Options

At Bikkuri Donkey, the star of the show is their signature “Burg Dish” set. But their topping selection is where things get interesting. I went with the cheese topping today (because that’s my favorite), but let me break down the full lineup of options they’ve got waiting for you:

Oroshiso: A refreshing combo of grated daikon and shiso leaves
Pine: Sweet grilled pineapple
Omudemi: A fluffy omelette bathed in rich demi-glace sauce
Egg: A sunny-side-up egg
Fondue: Their special cheese blend, cascading over your burger
Kurodemi: A generous pour of deep, savory demi-glace sauce
Potesara packet: Hamburger steak wrapped up with melted cheese and potato salad inside

With this many options on deck, each visit can be a whole new experience.

Visual Walkthrough & Tips

Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to recreate Bikkuri Donkey’s burg dish at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.

This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the cooking steps and techniques with visuals. It also includes more in-depth tips and tricks and explains why I do what I do.

STEP

Prep Work

First, soak your shredded daikon, carrot, and lettuce in cold water.

While the vegetables are soaking, make your dressing and set it aside for later.

STEP

Forming the Patty

Put all the hamburger steak ingredients in a big bowl and mix them together with your hands.

Unlike traditional hamburger steak recipes that only need a little mixing, Bikkuri Donkey’s unique smooth texture requires you to mix it thoroughly until the mixture is all the combined and a bit sticky.

STEP

Forming

Divide the mixture into two or three equal portions. Pat each portion between your hands about 10 times, as if playing catch. This technique gets rid of any air bubbles and keeps the patties from falling apart when you cook them.

Lightly oil your hands, shape each portion, and then make a shallow dent in the center. Form the patties relatively thin　to achieve the Bikkuri Donkey’s characteristic style. Looking back at the pictures now, ideally thinner than mine.

STEP

Cooking the Patties

Heat a pan on medium with a bit of oil.

Cook each patty for 2 minutes on each side, creating a nice crust while sealing in the juices.

When both sides are browned, turn the heat down low, add some warm water, and cover the pan.

Let the patties steam for 6 minutes to cook through.

STEP

Adding the Cheese Finish

Arrange the cheese slices in a cross pattern over each patty. Cover the pan and let the cheese melt for about 30 seconds to 1 minute, until it’s got that perfect, gooey consistency.

Once you check the patties are cooked through and the cheese has melted, move them to a plate. Then, it’s time to make the sauce.

STEP

Creating the Signature Sauce

Use the same pan to sauté the chopped onion in its flavorful remnants until it softens and becomes translucent. This step gets the most flavor out of the onions while using up the juices from the patties.

Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and simmer for about 30 seconds to blend everything together.

STEP

Final Assembly

On a big plate, put your hamburger patty next to some freshly cooked rice. Drain and squeeze the soaked vegetables to get rid of the extra moisture, then top with the mayonnaise sauce and a cherry tomato. Finish by generously spooning the sauce over the patty.

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I hope you enjoy this copycat recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!