Home cooking: King beef burger

Just how traditional is the beef burger? Since 1921, when the first fast-food burger sold for 5 cents in Kansas, folks across the world have chomped down on this German export.

This recipe isn’t your ordinary, sodium-heavy, commercial crowd-pleaser. This is the stuff that makes flocking to backyards and patios for our favorite get-together food worth the effort and time.

Chef Philip Huang from Nook at Aloft Guangzhou Hotel University Park recommends using minced beef from a cut of meat that has a little fat. This will not only add flavor, it also ensures a tender burger by preventing the patties from drying out during cooking. Topside (a prime lean cut of beef from the rear) is the recommended mince for making burgers, as it contains just the right amount of fat.

Ingredients (makes 2 burgers):
500g minced beef
2 tsp corn flour
2 tsp of red wine
1 tsp of chopped mixed herbs
2 tsp of butter
4 tsp of olive oil
1 medium yellow onion
2 hamburger buns
Minced garlic and shallots
Lightly whisked salt and ground black pepper

For garnish:
2 slices of cheddar cheese
2 fried eggs
Pickled cucumbers
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced onions
Tomato sauce
Lettuce leaves
Bacon slices

Preparation:

1) Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add oil and red wine and then the herbs, onion, shallots and garlic, and cook for two to three minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and set aside to cool.

2) Place corn flour in a bowl. Mix in the ground beef and add the cooked, cooled mixture ingredients from step one. Mix well and make two patties.

3) Preheat a pan to medium-high heat. Fry the patties for four minutes till the beef is cooked through. While the patty is frying, place the hamburger buns, buttered and inside up, on the preheated pan and toast until golden.

4) Place a slice of cheese on the burger patty and put it into the microwave oven for ten seconds.

5) Assemble your beef burger in any order. It should include the burger, lettuce, tomato, pickled cucumber, fried egg, sliced onions and bacon. Serve hot with a side of fries and mixed salad.

// This recipe is courtesy of Chef Philip Huang from Aloft Guangzhou Hotel University Park.