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Monday, October 18, 2010

I cooked: Jamie Oliver's Cracking Burger

The general misconception about burgers are that they are bad for you, more so if you've watched the movie Super Size Me.


Even burgers can be a light fare if you make them with lean ground red meat - lean being the operative word - is a great choice for women who are trying to shed pounds. It's an excellent source of protein. And protein takes longer to digest, helping you feel full and cutting the likelihood that you'll snack later on. - Bonnie Gluck, M.S., R.D., a clinical dietitian at New York Methodist Hospital in New York City.

Well, not all burgers are bad for you, especially if they are homemade with fresh ingredients and prepared by hand with beef mince. We made some burgers this weekend using Jamie Oliver's Cracking Burger recipe and they turned out really well. The burger was wonderfully juicy and more superior in taste, unlike fast food restaurant burgers which can be a little dry. And best of all, they're healthy and not greasy (we used less than 1 tbsp of oil for this recipe).

So, the next time we throw a BBQ, we're ditching the Ramly burgers and making our own.


Jamie Oliver's Cracking Burger
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 8 minutes
Makes 3

Ingredients
5 Jacob crackers
4 sprigs fresh parsley, finely chopped (or 2 tbsp dried parsley)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
220g good-quality beef mince
1 medium egg
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Olive oil
Iceberg lettuce, washed and dried
1 tomato, sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 burger buns
3 slices Cheddar cheese


1. Place the crackers in a plastic bag and smash up until fine (we used a rolling pin). Break any big bits with your hands and place in a large bowl.


2. Add the parsley, beef mince, and mustard to the bowl.


3. Crack in the egg and add salt and pepper. Mix everything well.
4. Using your hands, divide into 3, and mold each piece into a roundish shape around 3/4 inch thick.
5. Drizzle the patties with some olive oil, put on a plate and refridgerate until required. This will help them firm up.

6. To cook, preheat a frying pan for 4 minutes on high heat, then turn down to medium. Place the burgers in the pan and use the turner to lightly press down on the burger so that it is in full contact with the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side and remove from heat.
7. Halve your burger buns, spread with some butter and lightly toast them in the frying pan for 30 seconds.

8. Assemble your burger with lettuce, onion, tomatoes and cheese as desired. Serve your burger with a side salad or some chips if you're feeling naughty.

Ready for assembly
A mighty fine burger

Your carbs, protein, dairy and vegetable, all packed in one burger.


Note: It is important to cook your burgers well as raw hamburgers contain harmful bacteria such as E.coli.

*This recipe was featured on DailyBuzz Moms- Burger Bonanza on 17 April 2013.

8 comments:

  1. the patty seems to break lah.. maybe cos I've minced the meat too finely.. How do you get the same texture as those ramly type??

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  2. Crackers in burger patties?? That's new to me! Sure nice to bite

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  3. Thanks everyone!

    tummy rumble: the texture of this burger is nothing like ramly burger. the egg should hold the burger together and not crumble. Putting it in the fridge for at least an hour before cooking also helps.

    zoe: the crackers didn't really add any crunch. we're thinking it might be designed to keep the burger moist (?) or purely added to make it his own unique recipe.

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  4. Yup, this recipe's good. even with crushed unsweetened cornflakes!

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  5. Yup, this recipe's good. even with crushed unsweetened cornflakes!

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