Han-ba-gu, not Han-ba-ga

I love my Japanese class, because we do things that are Japanese, not just befuddle me on the language. Now, eating, that's something I understand. So, what is the difference between hanbaga, and hanbagu? Well, a hanbaga is a HAMBURGER with bun. Hanbagu is what you see on menus here, and usually come with a side of rice. They are extremely moist, and have a unique sauce.

You'll find that it's a sort of meatball recipe.

My classmate, Jun-yi's son, Liam, loves hanbagu. So, we got a lesson in how to make it!
Here are the ingredients: ground hamburger, ground pork, onion, minced, carrot finely grated (more like pulvarized), egg, pankow, and salt.
Different than meatloaf, you saute the onions before mixing with the raw meat.
It was amazing how little pankow (dried crumbs) were used. So not like any meatloaf recipe I've ever seen. The egg and the pankow bind it together. But now for a secret ingredient:
Carrot, yes carrot (ninjin). You can find fine shredders in the stores here. Not only are there little holes, but sharp points up, that chew and shred the carrot at the same time. It looks like the same kind of thing they use to grind up the wasabi.
Here's the pro doing it... fast (hayai).
After it's all mixed together, it goes in a pan with butter in it. Cover, and brown on both sides.
Then, take away any blackened meat particles, add a bit of butter, and saute some mushrooms. There are so many varieties here, I love them all. And then what makes that unique sauce? Add catsup. Yep, catsup. Then, cream.
Add the hambagu back in the sauce to re-heat and meld with the sauce, then serve...
with rice. There's a simple daikon salad. Shred, and add mayonaise.
And then we ate! Hanbagu is cut off a bit, grabbed with a bit of rice, and NUM!