☆ Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 5:00 PM
Two days ago, I bought three fresh pork forelegs to make dumplings for the whole family.
But suddenly, my daughter's desire for tender hambock steak inspired me to repurpose the forelegs!
I opened the fridge and saw some vegetables and sweet apples that could be used for hamburger steak.
I thought, 'Yes, I'll make my family a special hamburger steak with pork forelegs today!'
Usually, hamburger steak is made with a mixture of beef and pork, but I decided to use only pork forelegs today to accommodate my fridge.
I was worried that it would be challenging, but I was confident that the vegetables and apples would add a moist and sweet flavor.
I decided to add more vegetables and apples to the dumplings.
Make your own special hamburger steak START!
Ingredients (for 3 roasts):
Ground pork front leg: 3 roots
Onions: 2+1/2 (medium)
Carrots: 1
Minced garlic: 2 Tablespoons
Green onions: 3
Seasoning: 2 Tablespoons
Breadcrumbs: 1 cup (You can use almond flour and cornstarch instead of breadcrumbs. The almond flour can add a nutty flavor and a bit of crunch, and the cornstarch can add a bit of texture. However, it absorbs moisture differently than breadcrumbs, so adjust the amount of cornstarch based on the consistency of the dough. If you add too much, it may become stiff.)
Salt: 1.25 Tablespoons
Whole pepper: to taste
One thing to keep in mind when using a blender is that you'll be chopping carrots, onions, and apples, so be sure to use the chopper blade.
If you use the shredder blade, it will turn the meat into a juice, which will be tough when used in meat batters.
Wash and prepare 1 carrot, 2 and a half onions, 3 leeks, and 1 apple for grinding in a blender.
Prepare 3 pork forequarters and 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.
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Instead of breadcrumbs, I used 150g of almond flour and 50g of cornstarch.
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First, I prepared the vegetables that would add flavor to the hamburger steak.
I blended two and a half medium onions, one carrot, and one apple in a blender.
To get a good grind without water, I cut the hardest carrots into small pieces and put them in the blender.
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Then I added the onion and grated it together, and it was easy to mix and grate thanks to the little bit of moisture from the carrots.
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Lastly, dice up a sweet apple and add it to the blenderto retain the moisture and sweetness of the apple and make the vegetables even softer.
To summarise, if you add the ingredients in the following order: firm vegetables → less watery vegetables → more watery fruits, you can effectively grind the ingredients using the blender's cutter knife without water.
Of course, the leeks were later sliced with a knife on a chopping board.
Grinding leeks in a blender breaks down their cell walls and releases an excessive amount of allicin, which can give off an unpleasant aroma called greenness.
For this reason, it's much better to use a knife to chop the leeks into small pieces for dishes where the delicate flavour and aroma is important, such as hamburger steak.
This way, the subtle flavour of the spring onion is preserved.
A blender is great for finely chopping hard or fibrous vegetables, but for vegetables that have a specific flavour, such as green onions, chopping them with a knife is a better way to bring out the flavour and aroma.
Now, it's time to make the meat mixture! In a large bowl, combine the grated vegetables and apples in the mixer with 2 tablespoons of minced garlic.
Mix 1/4 cup of milk with 2 tablespoons of flavouring, 150 grams of almond flour and 50 grams of cornstarch.
I usually use breadcrumbs, but today I used almond flour and cornstarch instead.
I was out of breadcrumbs.
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As it turned out, the almond flour added a nutty flavour, and the cornstarch kept the dough from getting too sticky.
I added 1.25 tablespoons of salt and a good grind of whole black pepper (a lot in my house).
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Add 3 sliced spring onions.
Toss in 3 pork forequarters, finely grated.
To these, I added two eggs and beat them vigorously until they became stiff.
When the dough was done, it looked pretty good.
After kneading them, I rolled them into balls and placed them in a frying pan with rosemary olive oil.
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For dinner, I placed three medium and one small hamburger steaks in a frying pan and sear them from front to back over medium-low heat until golden brown.
While the hamburg steaks were cooking in the frying pan, divide the dough into equal portions and place in a plastic bag.
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I flattened out the hamburger steak batter in a plastic bag to store in the freezer and thaw later for easier baking.
The hamburger steak sizzled in the frying pan, spreading a delicious smell throughout the house.
After covering the pan with a lid and letting it cook all the way through, the hamburger steak came out juicy and moist!
Happy smiles from the family
When I served the warm hamburger steak on a plate, the family cheered as if they had been waiting for it.
"Wow, the hamburger steak is really good today!" 😋
The almond flour used instead of breadcrumbs gave it a subtle savoury taste, and the cornstarch made it soft without being puffy.
The vegetables and apples made it sweet and rich, and everyone in the family really enjoyed it.
I also tried it with a fried egg on top...
Topped with parmesan cheese...
"I can't believe you can make such a delicious hamburger steak with no beef and just pork front leg!"
I shrugged unnecessarily at my husband's praise. 😊
Tip:
You can also substitute beef for pork or mix it up.
You can also add breadcrumbs, starch or almond flour to the dough for a softer texture.
Adjust the amount of salt to your taste.
When grilling the hamburger steaks, press down slightly on the centre to ensure that the meat cooks evenly.
Make the sauce (optional): In the same pan that you cooked the hamburger, sauté the diced onion, add the ketchup and steak sauce, bring to a simmer and pour over the hamburger.
