Art of food

Passport & Plate - Cheese burger with crispy Abura-age buns

Japan | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 2 photos

Ingredients
Ingredients (serving size : 4)

For Hamburger patties
Ground beef 500g
Minced onion 1small
Minced garlic 2tbs/2cloves
Minced lotus root about 1 cup
Grated lotus root about 3tbs
Egg 1 medium
Salt and ground pepper to taste
Nutmeg(optional)
Cooking oil for coking the patties

For condiments
Ripe tomato slices
Waercress a handful
Mozzarella,&guoda cheese mix/Cheese of your choice
Ketchup/tomatosauce
Extra virgin olive oil, drizzle over the buns to serve
Dried basil leaves to taste

For Hamburger buns
Aburaage( Thin sliced deep fried tofu) 8 small pouches/4 rectangular sized, cut in half and pan fry or heat in the oven until crispy

 

How to prepare this recipe
1. Put all the ingredients for hamburger patties in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add a pinch of nutmeg. Mix with your hands until evenly combined.

2. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion with your hands into a patty about 1.5cm thick. It is good to make them into a ball shape first, and pat them into a disc with your hands.


3. Place the patties onto a tray. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to rest. Chilling the patties will help them hold together, and allows the flavors to blend.

4. Heat a large frying pan over medium low heat. Grease the pan with cooking oil. Put the patties and cook until browned on each side. (When they are fully cooked, you could melt cheese and cover the pan until melted if you would like)


5. Meanwhile, toast the buns in the oven or in another frying pan. Melt the cheese on the bottom halves and drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top halves.

6. To serve, assemble your burger the way you like it. Buon Appetito!

*You could add red wine, ketchup and a bit of soy sauce to the pan after the patties are cooked to make a Japanese style gravy in a pan*

You can get all the ingredients I listed and cook the way I did. Or, feel free to experiment and substitute. You can substitute ground beef with anything that can be made into hamburger patties. You can go totally Asian(Japanese), and use firm tofu or Okara, soy pulp if you are vegetarian. I think this burger would taste really good with teriyaki sauce, and a bit of wasabi. Or simply ketchup or tomato sauce if you are too hungry to take the extra steps like me.

 

The story behind this recipe
This special recipe is totally unique and original. People might call this a fusion cuisine since this cheeseburger is highly influenced by my Japanese background and love of Italian food. Everyone who had a chance to have a bite was amazed how good it tasted.

I came up with this recipe when I had a craving for a good ol’ burger and fries at home one evening. I get cravings every once in a while. The problem, though, was I did not have all the right ingredients for a typical American hamburger, and I was tired and hungry from work.

It is often difficult to find the right ingredients where I live, the rural area of Japan where you have to drive a while to get to a supermarket. I looked through the fridge, and decided to experiment with the stuff I had around, which included forging for wild greens for condiments.

Since I did not have buns or any bread, I decided to substitute with Abura-age.The Aburaage does not have much flavor and really a versatile ingredient, so I thought it would bind the delicate flavors of other ingredients really well.I thought they might be too crispy to hold the patty and condiments at first, so I melted some cheese on the bottom halves, and drizzled some extra virgin olive oil on top halves. I really liked how they were crispy outside and a bit moist inside, so I left what I did in the recipe.

I did not have any greens, so I went to a little creek by my house to pick some wild watercress. I thought the spiciness of the watercress would add a good kick to the burger.

Also, I used my mother’s famous hamburger steak, or “hambaag” as the Japanese call it. She often makes it with grated and chopped lotus roots. It seems to add more flavors and make the patties juicy when they are cooked. I love the crunchiness of the lotus root bits. My family and friends request her to make it often. It freezes well, so you can make ahead of the time, and reheat when you need it.