
Gochujang Pork Burger with cucumber kimchi
Ingredients
for the burger
1 large pinch of salt
2 tbsps water
500g pork mince
2 tbsps breadcrumbs
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large red chilli, finely chopped
1 small bunch of fresh coriander, roughly chopped
1 pinch of white pepper
60g gochujang paste
60g Korean red pepper flakes
2 tbsps vegetable oil, for cooking
for the kimchi
1 cucumber
1 carrot
4 spring onions, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1 pak choi, roughly chopped
1 tsp Korean red pepper flakes
1 tbsp gochujang paste
2 tbsps rice wine vinegar
1 small bunch coriander, roughlychopped, stalks included
sea salt & black pepper
for the Korean mayo
120g mayonnaise
60g gochujang paste
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp fresh coriander, finely chopped
to serve
4 brioche burger buns, halved and toasted under the grill
Method
To make the burgers, dissolve the salt in the water, add to the pork mince and work with your hands in a bowl for 2 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients apart from the Korean red pepper flakes and mix for one minute. Create 4 evenly-sized balls of burger meat and using a ring mould or pastry cutter lightly greased with oil mould the meat balls to make burgers. Once shaped, roll the edges of the burger in the Korean red pepper flakes and cover with cling film on a tray. Put in the fridge to firm up for a minimum of 1 hour before cooking.
To make the kimchi, using a peeler, peel long strips of cucumber until you reach the inside seeded layer of the cucumber, then turn and peel again. Discard the seeded part (or chop up and use in salad). Peel strips of carrot in the same way. Mix all the cucumber kimchi ingredients together, season with a large pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper, cover and refrigerate until needed.
To cook the burgers, pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Lightly oil the burgers with the vegetable oil, heat up a griddle pan on a medium to high heat and griddle on both sides for 2 minutes to achieve nice-looking griddle lines and some caramelisation. Place the burgers on a non-stick oven tray and put in the oven for 8 minutes.
To make the Korean mayo, mix the mayo with the gochujang, red pepper flakes and chopped coriander.
To serve, spread a spoonful of Korean mayo on both cut sides of the toasted brioche bun, top the burger with cucumber kimchi and get yourself a napkin! These are great with some sweet potato fries.