– Asian burgers are a great way to punch up the American standard. –
One thing I don’t post here often are homemade burger recipes. Why is that? I do love a good burger, but for health reasons, I try to limit the amount of red meat I eat. It seems the older I get, the fewer things I’m able to digest. Sigh. So when I do post an Asian burger seasoning recipe here, you know it’s going to be worth those beef-points. Like my recipe for Steph’s Orgasmic Lamb burgers, which still make me arch my back a little when I take a bite. Ooooh god…
A couple of weeks ago I posted a review of Jaden Hair’s Steamy Kitchen Cookbook along with a recipe for coconut shrimp. Since then I’ve made a few more of Jaden’s recipes, and I thought I would share another one of my favorites with you – a burger! This hamburger seasoning recipe is brilliant – it’s not too salty, not too sweet, not too soft. When piled high with all sorts of fixins you end up with one hell of a meal, one that I’d say is totally worthy of my once- or twice-monthly red meat dinner.
An Asian Burger? WTF??
What about burgers makes them so “American” anyways? Certainly people eat beef all over the world, and in fact Hamburg is a town in Germany. Apparently burger etymology states that a pair of brothers from Ohio invented the hamburger recipe at a fair in Hamburg, New York, when they ran out of regular hot-meat sandwich fillings. People liked their product and they named their invention after the town they fair took place in.
Is this true? I have no idea.
Jaden’s homemade hamburger recipe has a decidedly Asian flavor, and if you like Korean barbecue, you’ll love this, especially if you go ahead with her directions to add kimchi and pickled carrots and cucumbers. We didn’t have any carrots or cucumbers on hand, so we just used plain old lettuce and tomato. This didn’t detract from the dish – it was still damn fine!
- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
- 3 tablespoons finely minced garlic
- 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
- 2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce, (or wheat-free tamari)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons finely minced scallions
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons high-heat cooking oil, (if grilling on stovetop)
- 4 burger buns
- Tomato slices
- Lettuce
- Quick carrot and cucumber pickle, (see below)
- Kimchi
- Ketchup
- Sriracha chili sauce
- Hot mustard
- 1 cup matchstick cut carrots
- 1 cup matchstick cut cucumber
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
- 4 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- In a bowl, mix the ground beef with the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, green onion, sesame seeds and black pepper. Form into four equal-sized patties. For best results, form a slight indentation in the middle of each patty and shape them just under one inch thick as they will puff up during grilling, especially in the middle. Let rest for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- In the meantime, prepare the Quick Cucumber Carrot Pickle. In a small bowl, toss the carrots, cucumber and sesame seeds with the rice vinegar and sugar.
- Assemble the condiments and garnishes of your choice for the Banchan Burger Bar.
- Preheat the barbecue grill for direct grilling over high heat.
- If you are cooking on the stove-top, set a large grill pan or frying pan over high heat. When a bead of water sizzles upon contact and evaporates, add the cooking oil. Place the patties on the hot grill or frying pan, not touching each other. Cook the patties 5 to 7 minutes on each side for medium (should be an internal temperature about 150°F.
- Serve with Banchan burger toppings.
Nutritional analysis does not include condiments for the Banchan Burger Bar, but does include the Quick Cucumber Pickle recipe.
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.
