Saturday, June 5th, 2010
BAM 5: Mini Renkon (Lotus) Hamburgers,
Ninjin (carrot) with Mirin and Butter and
Rice.
Renkon hamburgers are little sliders that make for a great presentation. You can serve them as appetizers or as a meal. If you serve it as a meal, you can eat it as a traditional hamburger with buns or you can eat it Japanese style with rice and vegetables.
Ingredients (8-10 Mini burgers)
380 grams (0.8 lbs) of ground beef*
1 clove of garlic (grated)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
1/2 cup of chopped onions
1/4 cup of grated renkon
1 egg
1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs
2 small renkon (lotus) (Use to make 16-20 slices of renkon and grated renkon)
1 teaspoon of sesame seed oil
1 spring onion for garnish
Sauce ingredients
1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
1 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
Put the above ingredients into a measuring cup and add enough water to make it
1/2 a cup and mix well.
2 tablespoons of grated
daikon oroshi (any part of the daikon will do.)
Thickening sauce
1/4 teaspoon of katakuriko (potato starch) or you can substitute with corn starch
2 Tablespoons of water
Directions
1) Mix the beef, salt, pepper, nutmeg, soy sauce, oyster sauce and garlic and mix well until it starts to get sticky. Use your hands.
2) Add the chopped onions, egg, panko and grated renkon and give it a quick mix until incorporated.
3) Peel your renkon. Grate 1/4 cup or about half of a small renkon. (You can use your
daikon grater) Slice the rest into thin slices about 1/8 of an inch (or about 4mm).
4) Place sliced renkon into water for
aku nuki.
Make little hamburger patties that are slightly smaller than the diameter of your renkon.
5) Assemble your burgers by sandwiching the patties between two slices of renkon and press lightly.
6) Heat your frying pan with 1 teaspoon of sesame seed oil.
7) Add your burgers and fry on medium to low heat for about 1 and a half minute on each side.
8) Add the sauce, cover and simmer on low for 5 minutes.
9) Add the daikon oroshi and thickening mix and stir quickly and simmer for 1 minute.
*Japanese tastes prefer a 70-30 ratio of ground beef and ground pork, known as aibiki niku. Ground beef has plenty of deliciousness so it’s not necessary but I have to admit it goes well with the daikon sauce.
Chop up your onions fine.
Grate your
renkon with your
daikon Grater
Slice your renkon thin and put your sliced renkon into a bowl of water.
Put some meat between two slices of renkon and press lightly while keeping the patty at least 1 inch thick.
Push the sides of the meat in until they fill up the holes in the renkon.
Add the sesame seed oil and fry your mini burgers.
Flip and fry the other side.
Cover and simmer with the sauce for 5 minutes.
Garnish with green onions and serve with rice and cooked vegetables.
DEEELICIOUS! You can serve these burgers with many different types of sauces. Next time, I’ll post a rich red wine sauce to go with these burgers.
