This week is all about the burgers since this weekend is Memorial Day, and the unofficial start to summer and grilling and meat and all those things. We’re starting with this bobotie burger.
I love a good burger and I think it really is the one food that I crave (like, crave) more than any other. However, rarely do I succumb because is there anything worse than a bad burger? An unseasoned patty, a soggy bun. Lackluster toppings. Weak cheese. Add sub-par fries to the mix and I’ve just crushed all my hopes and dreams for nothing.
That was overdramatic (maybe not really) but the point is that I believe in the burger and believe that it can be fantastic. I also think that it can be fun, and that’s what I’m trying to do this week by twisting up recipes you may remember seeing before and making them up in a way that will shake up any summer barbecue. Sort of the reverse of what I did with the Aussie Burger Chili. Summer food to winter, winter food to summer. It’s a two way street with a little imagination.
I’m not going to waste any time and start with the weirdest one straight away: the Bobotie Burger. No tame burgers here. Don’t worry, you can handle it.
A lot of years ago I cooked South Africa and in doing so made its national dish, bobotie. If you’ve ever looked at the ingredient list you may have shaken your head like I did. BUT, if you’ve ever tried you’d agree with me that the flavor defies logic to make one tasty dish (custard? Good. Jam? Good. Beef? Good…). My kitchen success wasn’t a fluke and the deliciousness has subsequently been confirmed at The Animal Kingdom lodge. Bobotie is Bomb.
Which is why I made it into a burger. I took all the weird flavors and mixed it in with ground beef. The cranberries became a cranberry mayo, and the custard became a fried egg that spewed its golden liquid all over the whole thing. It packs a load of flavor, proved to be a bit messy, but also that every bite was totally worth it.
Recipe notes:
I don’t particularly like mayo and I know others in this camp. Don’t let that deter you; rather than making a cran-mayo, just slice up the jellied cranberry and use that as a topper instead. Don’t just omit the flavor. That would be wrong, and bad.
Think eggs on burgers are gross and excessive? Try it, and you’ll never go back.
- 1 pound lean ground beef (I like 90/10)
- 4 TB grated yellow onion
- 1 TB apricot jam
- 1 TB fruit chutney (I used mango)
- 1 tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- ¼ cup jellied cranberries
- 3 TB mayonnaise
- 4 eggs
- 4 hamburger buns
- Lettuce to garnish (optional)
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Make the burgers: In a medium bowl, combine the beef, onion, jam, chutney and spices. With your hands, combine well and form into 4 uniform patties.
- Grill about 3 minutes per side, depending on how you like your beef cooked. Once they are cooked to desired amount, set aside to rest about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add about 2 TB of the jellied cranberries. Heat in the microwave about 15 seconds to loosen it up. Mix in the mayo and remain cranberries. Set aside.
- In a frying pay, in a generous amount of oil, fry each egg to over-easy. Set aside.
- Assemble the burger: bun-mayo-lettuce-burger-egg-mayo-bun.
- Devour. Enjoy.
- Don't like mayo? Rather than making a cran-mayo, just slice up the jellied cranberry and use that as a topper instead. Don’t just omit the flavor.
Written over red bean ice cream.
Bobotie Burger
South Africa's national dish made into a flavorful Bobotie burger with a cranberry mayo and fried egg - a true taste explosion!
Ingredients
- For the burgers:
- 1 pound lean ground beef (I like 90/10)
- 4 TB grated yellow onion
- 1 TB apricot jam
- 1 TB fruit chutney (I used mango)
- 1 tsp curry powder
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- For the mayo:
- ¼ cup jellied cranberries
- 3 TB mayonnaise
- For the rest:
- 4 eggs
- 4 hamburger buns
- Lettuce to garnish (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
- Step 2 Make the burgers: In a medium bowl, combine the beef, onion, jam, chutney and spices. With your hands, combine well and form into 4 uniform patties.
- Step 3 Grill about 3 minutes per side, depending on how you like your beef cooked. Once they are cooked to desired amount, set aside to rest about 5 minutes.
- Step 4 Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add about 2 TB of the jellied cranberries. Heat in the microwave about 15 seconds to loosen it up. Mix in the mayo and remain cranberries. Set aside.
- Step 5 In a frying pay, in a generous amount of oil, fry each egg to over-easy. Set aside.
- Step 6 Assemble the burger: bun-mayo-lettuce-burger-egg-mayo-bun.
- Step 7 Devour. Enjoy.
1. (excellent) burgers are just about the only savory food I crave; like with all red meat but beef stew, I don’t make steak or burgers at home and they are always a huge treat when I’m out.
2. yes to cranberry especially on sandwiches. It’s definitely my favourite condiment.
Same!