– 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.
Sounds divine. I love ginger, but never put it in a burger. Must try!
Definitely a must try. It’s peppery and a little sweet. Divine!
This looks really good.
And I like the new comment plugin that shows my last post.
.-= Whitney
Ha! Thanks ;)
Your post and pic is making me wish for a big juicy burger right now. This looks awesome.
Thanks :)
Sounds fabulous. I love the idea of adding an Asian flare to burgers. I bet the added brown sugar gives the burger a bit more of a crust than your standard ground round. So any suggestions what to serve to the side–potato chips or fries sound all wrong. Maybe sweet potato fries with a pineapple/soy relish?
.-= ———->ReadyMom
Actually, an Asian salad with sesame dressing went really well with this. Sweet potato fries would probably be divine! Or teriyaki potatoes? Oh gosh, now I’m hungry again…
You take such great pictures. The one of this post looks so good I could eat it and think I had a burger. Can’t wait to try the recipe, too.
.-= ———->Alisa Bowman
Thanks, Alisa! I need to stop looking at these photos late at night – they make me want a midnight snack.
I always forget that I should NEVER read this blog when I am hungry. I am totally making these — they look too good to pass up.
.-= ———->Jennifer Margulis
Ha! Let me know how it goes when you give them a try!
Ooooh, I am making this as soon as I return to the U.S. from Asia. And recover from jet lag. Just what I need to bring some of those yummy tastes home with me, and give them an American twist.
.-= ———->Katherine Lewis
That’s great! Have a safe trip home :)
Awesome recipe! I made this and it worked out very well. Good switch from the standard burger, not to mention easy to do.
.-= ———->Matt_SF
That’s great! So glad you loved it. Jaden’s cookbook is really, really good.
Holy moly, that looks gooood. I hardly ever make burgers at home, but this is pretty darn enticing.
.-= ———->debbie
It’s calling to you…….. deeebbbbbiiiiieeeeeeeeee……..
Let me know what you think if you make it!
I made this for dinner .. grilled on stove griller and totally LOVE it.. even my 16 mo old toddler loves it!! .. she had hers with Mayo n Ketchup.. we had it with pickles tomatoes and lettuce..
.-= ———->Madame Sucre
Excellent! So glad to hear you loved it :)
Oooo… nice alternative to a the everyday burger.
.-= ———->TheRoosterChick
I like this recipe a lot. If you give it a try, please report back and let me know what you think!
These sound divine! I think I will try with ground turkey. Yum!
yay! i’ve missed eating korean bbq since giving up gluten (we used to buy the seasoning sauce at our local asian grocery store). now i can try it gluten-free!
This burger was AWESOME! We’re glad you shared it for everyone to enjoy! I ended up with a VERY ginger-flavored burger but with the sriracha and spicy mustard it counter-balanced well. Keep up the good work Steph!