“Burger” - synonym of “fast food” is what we usually grab when in a rush or when in need of a quick fix. But not when burgers and fries are served at home. I was dubbed as “Burger Queen” by the kids some time ago and I quietly believe it is because this is the only “burger outlet” that serves up enough fries in one go to satisfy their craving for shoestring fries. The burger is really only secondary to them.
Nonetheless, I try to jazz up the burger in whatever possible way I can because I just cannot face the fact that I am serving the family an unhealthy meal and one without much thought being put in. Since there is nothing much I can do about the calories, salt and fats level, I try to at least put more effort into the other aspect. Over a period of time, there is now a set way I go about making the burger a little different and not just one with a patty in between a bun.
While the children felt that the burgers and fries are good enough for a restaurant standard, I wonder which paying customer will have the patience to wait 2 hours for the food to be served no matter how good it is.
Beef burger:
- Onions – Cut onion cross-sectional (about 1 cm thick) and separate into individual rings. Reserve the inner rings for making mushroom sauce as these tend to be smaller. Melt a knob of salted butter in a non-stick pan and brown both sides of the sliced onions.
- Mushroom sauce – Dice up reserved onions and 2 to 3 Swiss Brown mushrooms. Melt a knob of salted butter in a pan, stir-fry onions till translucent and add in mushrooms. When cooked, stir in 1 leveled tablespoon of plain flour. Lastly pour in 150 ml of chicken stock and let simmer till the sauce thickens.
- Beef patty – Mix salt, black pepper and grounded thyme in a small bowl. Sprinkle over both sides of beef patty before grilling.
(The beef burger is usually topped with mushroom sauce, onion rings (if desired), sliced cheese and a squirt of ketchup before sinking in the teeth.)
Breaded Chicken burger:
- Mayonnaise sauce – Remove skin and seeds from cucumber, and finely dice about one third of the cucumber. Remainder of the cucumber can be cut into 1-inch sticks and served as a side. Mix real mayonnaise and Japanese mayonnaise (in the ratio of 1:1) with cucumber. Japanese mayonnaise tend to have a smoother consistency but slightly sweeter. Mixing both types of mayonnaise together yields a better flavoured and smoother paste. 1 to 2 teaspoon of lime or lemon juice can be added for an extra tangy kick.
(Mayonnaise sauce pairs well with breaded chicken patty.)
Burger Bun:
- To up the flavor intensity, halve burger bun and spread with garlic and herb spread. Lightly toast the bun in oven.
Fries:
- In addition to sprinkling salt to fries, toss with a generous amount of Japanese powdered seaweed before serving.
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