I have had a hard few weeks (sorry I don’t normally start a blog with “I” but you will hopefully get it as you read on).
So, I’m going to get the moaning out of the way first and get onto the stuff that inspires me….food…yeppers and alcohol; double (shot) yeppers.
Ah it’s nothing drastic, it’s just frustration at living in a country where things are done however and whenever one pleases. An example, we were at a reputable Colombo lunch restaurant recently and ordered two beers which arrived promptly. My other half asked for an ashtray (I quit 6 months and 2 days ago 🙂 – funny how one remembers inane dates like that and then forgets your best mates birthday). The ashtray arrived when our drinks were finished….errrr kind of defeats the object. He was too shy to light up and put the cigarette out on the floor because it’s a rather posh place. We declined the lunch menu because of that and went to the Colombo City Hotel which has the best chicken sandwiches at around 70 rups. No booze but plenty of other establishments around.
Another point of irritation – you get a tuk tuk from the World Trade Centre to the Galle/Matara bus stand – most ask for 250 rups. Find a metered tuk tuk and it will cost you 100, and usually the drivers are much friendlier too.
ANYWAY – I was going to complain about the new banking regulations about receiving foreign currency into a rupee account but I feel better at having vented the above so I’ll give that a miss.
So let me lighten up and share with you one of the BESTESTS comfort foods ever:
Indian Chicken Burger
This is quite possibly my favourite burger in the world (although I am partial to Burger King but don’t go spreading that around). McDonalds are bearable only when enormously hungover and KFC zingers used to be ok until they started under cooking the meat and it was actually still bloody – yuk. Don’t let that put you off. This is a stunner.
Makes 4:
Ingredients:
- 400g chicken mince (breast can be difficult to manage when minced so ask for a mix)
- 2 or 3 ginger pieces, very finely chopped
- 3 or 4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
- 2 onions – one finely chopped for the burgers, one sliced into rings (for serving)
- as much coriander as you can stomach 😉 I use one large handful finely chopped including the stalks
- Big tbsp of salt
- 1 tsp garam masala
- bread crumbs – fresh – about 1 slice
- 1 or 2 eggs
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp lime or lemon juice
- 1/2 green chilies (optional), chopped & de-seeded
- vegetable oil
Method:
- Mix everything together except onion rings, rest the mix for 10/15 minutes in the fridge.
- Mould burgers into 4 patties
- Fry slowly in vegetable oil until slightly browned and fully cooked.
To serve:
- Mix some mayonnaise with fresh coriander leaves, lemon, salt and pepper.
- Toast burger buns if wished
- Spread with mayo mix, sliced tomatoes, onions and lettuce, top with hot burger and add more mayo mix or ketchup if preferred. Or even some cheese – nom nom.
DELISH!
Oh and as for the drink. Beer (lager works best for me). If you’re not a fan…a nice glass of white would do the trick too….but no Chardonnay please 🙂 – that would be an insult to the dish. A softer Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio would work much better. If you are a red drinker you can’t go wrong with a good Merlot or Cabernet (possibly better). May be a touch heavy but it will offset the coriander. If you’re into the harder stuff…I’m afraid only a Margerita or Caipirinha would be acceptable.
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