Wafū Hambāgu (和風ハンバーグ, Japanese hamburger steak)

Hambāgu is not a hamburger that lost its bun. It is the way the Japanese home table took minced meat and made it behave with rice: soft, oval, browned on the face, finished under a lid, and served with something sharp enough to clean the richness. In the wafū version, that sharpness is grated daikon and ponzu.

People worry this dish is neither one thing nor the other. Let that go. Yōshoku, Western-style food made Japanese through use, has its own honmono, and this one lives by restraint. No thick blanket of sauce, nothing hidden. The patty should taste like good meat, sweet onion, and the light bite of citrus soy.

The detail that decides it is the finish. Sear it hard enough to get a browned face, then add sake and cover the pan, because ground meat dries before it forgives you. The covered pan cooks the center with gentle moisture while the crust stays intact. A small hollow in the middle keeps it from swelling like a pillow, which is charming in bedding and less useful at dinner.

Grate the daikon just before serving and drain it lightly, not dry. Its cool, watery sharpness is part of the seasoning, especially when winter daikon is in shun, sweet and crisp. Set the white mound over shiso, pour ponzu around the steak, and serve it with rice and miso soup. Hot, cool, sharp. That's the shape of the dish.