Nobody needs a reason to eat a burger. People across all age groups love it. They work out the whole week and devour it on the weekends (probably sometimes a few more during the weekdays). A burger also makes a great after-work party dish, when you want to rustle up something for a group of friends, in no time. A well-chosen side dish is just the thing for a rocking and comforting burger party. Nobody waits to dig into comfort food like this. Sometimes we should just forget about calories.
Myriad burger flavours
Whether you are a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian, whether you love that sinful, fully loaded burger or you prefer the low-fat versions, whether you are looking for Vegan or Gluten-free ones, there is a burger for everyone. And everyone has their favourite preference for the burger filling. Although brands like Burger King and McDonalds are very popular in India, a lot of other restaurants and bars have their own killer burger versions. A lot of home chefs and food-ordering websites in India are now delivering gourmet burgers to the doorstep.
Tried a black burger yet?
If you follow food trends around the world, you might know by now that the latest additions in the burger world are the red and the black burgers. Black burger is getting popular all over the world, including India. So what is this Black Burger made up of? The burger bun batter has a black element in it, which gives it a distinctive black colour. This colour can come from activated charcoal, black sesame paste, squid ink or from edible black colour. Chefs and food enthusiasts are actively trying out other elements to make black burgers.
Make your own signature burger
Based on an internet survey by Slurrpy, we found out that people also prefer making their own burger versions at home, which not only come at half the cost of the gourmet burgers available in trendy eateries, but they can customise it according to their food choices! Be it the Asian Tuna Burger, Hawaiian BBQ Bacon Burger, Crab and Blue Cheese Burger, Salmon Burger with Tartare Sauce, Pulled Pork Burger or the good ol’ Beef Burger, you name it and you can make it. Burgers are fun and a great option when you have sudden guests coming to your house, and you want to impress them with your culinary skills with the least effort on your part. BBQ burger parties are catching up in India too!
Size matters
There are monster burgers available in countries like Britain. For instance, a monster burger meal has been created by Dave Cameron recently, who is the Head Chef at The Hog in Horsley, Gloucester. He challenges people to have this monster burger feast having 12 crisp onion rings and 1 lb of potato chips, along with probably a salad as a side.This monster burger has around 1.5 lbs of beef mince, 1/2 pound of beef brisket and 1/2 pound of pork. This monster burger is worth 6,000 calories! Although it is fun to participate or see such a challenge, it is also sad to see such wastage of food, which could happily feed atleast six starving people in the world!
Then there are mini burgers too. Enthusiasts have been making mini burgers for quite some time now, and some of them are just one inch tall and one inch wide. These have tiny burger patty and even tinier French fries to go with them. Tiny burgers are getting popular. People can eat these without guilt, yet they can maintain a healthy lifestyle. In the world where people are learning the advantages of portion control, mini burgers come as a rescue. You not only satisfy your crazy burger cravings, but you end up taking a few selfies with this cute liliput!
What’s the issue with a veggie burger?
In India, there are many vegetarians (like the Jains) who don’t eat potato due to religious reasons. For them, the easily available potato burger is not acceptable. There are others who don’t prefer eating potato. Although there are other good veggie-based burgers available in the Indian market, these can be ridiculously expensive at times. If not made with the right ingredients, veggie burgers can be irritatingly crumbly, dry, flavourless or can even taste like cardboard. So why not take advantage of the fresh summer bounty? Here are a few vegetarian burger patty variations that you can try making at home:
- Smoked black beans and Asiago cheese
- Beetroot and mushrooms
- A mixture of pumpkin and lentils
- Falafel patty
- Eggplant and parmesan
- Zucchini fritters
- Portabello mushrooms, brie and caramelised onions
- Spicy black bean burger
- Tandoori paneer
- Patty with soya chunks
Apart from adding a cheese slice, do add a dash of sauce. It is important to add generous amounts of sauce to keep the patty moist and to avoid dryness in each bite. Explore your burger with homemade Marinara sauce, Tartare sauce, Barbeque sauce or Guacamole! Fries are always great with a good burger. You might also add a side of Coleslaw or potato salad to your burger, for a special touch!
Tips and tricks while cooking the burger patty
The raw burger patty should be slightly bigger in size than the burger buns. So when you make the burger patty little bigger, the proteins in these shrink on cooking or grilling and finally, the sizes of the burger patty and the buns become similar. You can make the burger patties ahead of time.The burger patties can be heated in a preheated grill for just 5 min on each side, but make sure that you don’t press them down with a spatula. After the patty is grilled or cooked, place the cheese slice on the top of the patty and grill for just 2 min, until the cheese just starts melting. If cooking with beef, use ground chuck (80% lean ground beef) if you want your patty to be low-fat. Try wholegrain burger buns as these are healthy and rich in fibre.
Ooey Gooey Chicken Burger with Chipotle Cream
Ingredients for the burger:
- Sesame seed buns (split): 3
- Minced chicken (use the juicy thigh meat): 1 kg
- Oregano powder: 2 tsp
- Cumin powder: 2 tsp
- Sliced pineapple rings (cores removed): 3
- Chipotle chilli powder: 1 tsp
- Finely chopped parsley: 1/4 cup
- Finely chopped cilantro: 1/4 cup
- Salt: 1 tsp
- Worcestershire sauce: 2 tsp
- Eggs (large): 2
- Breadcrumbs: around 3/4 cup
- Lettuce leaves: 6
- Crisp, cooked bacon: 9 pieces
- Pickled gherkins (sliced): 1/2 cup
- Cheddar cheese slices: 3
- Onion rings: 3
- Tomato and onion rings: 3 each
Ingredients for the Chipotle Cream:
- Sour cream: 1 cup
- Maple syrup: 2.5 tbsp
- Dijon Mustard: 1.5 tbsp
- Chipotle chilli powder: 1/2 tsp
- Salt: according to your taste
Method:
- Grill the pineapple slices on a preheated grill, until little charred (each side for around 4 min).
- Mix oregano powder, cummin powder, chipotle chilli powder, salt, parsley and cilantro with the hands.
- Add the worcestershire sauce and whisked eggs and keep on adding the breadcrumbs until you can shape the meat into solid patties of medium thickness.
- Preheat the oven/grill to 400 degree F. Grill on a preheated grill for 5 min on each side. Please note that you need to grill longer if you have made thicker pattice. Don’t press down with a spatula while grilling.
- When grilled on both sides, put a cheese slice on the top of the patty, and when the cheese starts melting, remove from the grill.
- For the Chipotle Cream, simply whisk all the ingredients together.
- To assemble, put the base of the burger on the plate and place the grilled pineapple ring over it. Add a dash of Chipotle cream. Put a lettuce leaf. Over that goes the chicken patty and cheese.
- Top up with pickled gherkins, bacon, tomato and onions. Finally, put the top of a burger bun over it. Your gourmet chicken burger is ready. Serve immediately, accompanied with fries.