Korean Kimchi Burger with spicy Mayo

I love Korean food.  Today I make a Kimchi burger for lunch.  I will make Kimbap next week.

Korean Kimchi Burger with spicy Mayo

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Serve: 2 persons

Ingredients:

Ø  180g beef (minced)

Ø  1 garlic clove (finely grated)

Ø  ½ tsp fresh ginger (finely grated)

Ø  2 tbsp breadcrumbs (made from day-old bread)

Ø  ½ egg (beaten)

Ø  1 tsp soy sauce

Ø  ½ tsp brown sugar

Ø  1 tsp olive oil

Ø  2 soft large seeded burger buns (halved)

Ø  2 iceberg lettuce leaves

Ø  90g kimchi (canned)

Ø  1/8 tsp grounded black pepper

Ø  ¼ tsp white wine

Ø  ½ shallot (finely grated)

Ø  1 tsp corn flour

Ø  6 tbsp light mayonnaise

Ø  2 tbsp gochujang (spicy Korean chili paste) 

Method:

1.	Divide the 90g kimchi into 3 equal portions.  Take one portion and minced for seasoning the beef.  Squeeze out a bit of kimichi juices before mincing.  Shredded 60g for topping and set aside.
2.	Place the beef, minced kimchi, garlic, ginger, breadcrumbs and shallot in a big bowl. Season with soy sauce, brown sugar, black pepper, white wine, shallot and corn flour.  Mix with your hands until evenly combined. Overmixing makes the meat tough.
3.	Divide the mixture into 2 equal portions.  Shape each portion with hands into a patty about 7 cm in diameter and 1 cm thick.
4.	Put the patties on a plate.  Cover with cling wrap and place it in the fridge for 1 hour to rest.
5.	Preheat the oven at 140°c.  Place the burger buns on a tray in an oven for 5 minutes until a bit crispy.
6.	Heat the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat and cook the patties for 4 minutes on each side or until browned and cooked through.
7.	Transfer the patties onto a plate, set aside and keep warm.
8	For the gochujang-mayo sauce – Mix the gochujang and mayo sauce in a bowl.
9.	Generously spread the bottom halves of the toasted burger buns with gochujang-mayo sauce.
10.	Top with the patties, lettuce and shredded kimchi and cover with the burger bun tops.
11.	Serve with salad or chips.

Tips:

1.	It is important to use mince from a cut of meat that has a little fat. This will not only add flavour, it also ensures a tender burger by preventing the patties from drying out during cooking. However, mince that is too fatty will expel the excess fat during cooking, causing the patties to shrink and toughen considerably.
2.	Flavors vary between different brands of kimchi. Some are too salty and spicy. Adjust seasoning as necessary.

Stew beef with beer

My husband loves beef and beer.  I bought a piece of high quality beef skirt from Tesco this morning.  I cooked this dish for our dinner. The beef skirt is juiciness and tenderness.

Stew beef with beer

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1-1.5 hour(s)

Serve: 2 persons

Ingredients:

Ø  320g quality Beef skirt/stewing steak (cut into 2-2.5 cm pieces)

Ø  1 onion (150g, chopped in slices)

Ø  2 potatoes (250g, peeled and cut in cubes)

Ø  2 carrots (220g, peeled and cut in cubes)

Ø  2 garlic cloves (peeled and cut in slices)

Ø  ½ tsp black pepper

Ø  1 cup beer

Ø  25g rock sugar

Ø  1 beef stock cube (crumbled)

Ø  1 bay leaf

Ø  1 tbsp brown sauce

Ø  1 tsp soy sauce

Ø  1 tsp dark soy sauce

Ø  1 tsp vegetable oil

Ø  20g margarine or butter

Ø  2 tbsp corn flour (mix with 1tbsp water)

Ø  1.5 cup water

Ø  1 tsp dried thyme

Method:

1.	Season the meat generously with thyme, soy sauce and black pepper.
2.	Add vegetable oil in a pan over a medium heat and add garlic.
3.	Place the meat in batches in the pan and fry each side for 30 seconds.  Set aside.
4.	Add margarine or butter into the casserole over a low heat.  Add the bay leaf, onions, potatoes and carrots inside the casserole.
5.	Then toss the beef and garlic back into the casserole.
6.	Add the rock sugar, brown sauce and dark soy sauce.
7.	Pour the beer, beef stock and water over the meat. Stir well and then cover with a lid and braise over a low heat for one hour until the beef soft.
8.	Add corn flour sauce into the casserole.  Stir and mix them well.  Put it inside the casserole; stir thoroughly until the sauce is thickened.
9.	Serve with spaghetti or rice.

Tips C: Sometimes this takes 1 hour, sometimes 1.5 hours.  It depends on what cut of meat you use and how fresh it is. The only way to test is to mash up a piece of meat.  If it falls apart easily, it is ready.