Asian Burger with Stir Fry Slaw and a Steamed Bun

There are many variations for burgers out there, but one I don't hear about often is an Asian-inspired burger. My requirements in coming up with my own version was to flavor the ground beef with the ingredients I used when I made filled steamed buns, create a simple stir fry topping that features cole slaw vegetables, and finally make steamed buns to use in place of traditional hamburger buns.

First, I mixed the ground beef mixture together and set it aside to give the flavors a chance to develop. Unfortunately, I didn't measure the amount of beef I used, but it made about 3 burgers. I definitely didn't use a pound, probably not even half a pound, but I kept the amounts for the flavorings the same.

Up next was the stir fry slaw, a mixture of shredded green cabbage, onions, garlic, a bit of green bell pepper, and sliced green onions. For the sauce I failed and didn't measure anything, but I used about 1/2 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup water, corn starch, a teaspoon of sugar, oyster sauce, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and white pepper. I can't remember if I added any salt, but I don't think I did because the soy sauce I have seems saltier than other brands. For the vegetables, I think I chopped 1/4 of a head of cabbage since it shrinks down drastically after cooking, 1 medium onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, a 1/4 of a bell pepper, and however many green onions I felt like. There definitely was extra slaw left over so I know I probably made more than I needed, but stir fry tastes awesome the next day.

When it came time to make this, I used a cast iron skillet over the wok. Why? I was sick with a cold; my head was stuffy; the skillet was out and already dirty. What I forgot was how well cast iron not only heats up, but retains that heat. As you can imagine, it got to be so hot that the oil evaporated. Whoops! Fortunately, the kitchen didn't smoke up black, but windows had to be opened and fans were required to air the house out. My bad. Also fortunately, the stir fry had an incredibly smoky, charred flavor, and I managed not to burn anything. This, folks, is why I don't cook when I'm ill.

After setting the stir fry aside, the steamed buns were ready to be cooked, the dough having been kneaded and set aside to rise before I made the meat mixture, which I remembered just now and I don't feel like editing the above. I used the same recipe I used last time, though I divided the dough into eight balls, and after shaping I pressed them down flat so they wouldn't be completely like a dinner roll. I steamed them for 15 minutes. Because I could only steam 4 at a time, the burgers weren't started until after the last 4 buns were steaming.

As far as hamburgers go, these were incredible, like a stir fry-potsticker-steamed bun all in one bite! The flavor of the burgers came through very well, but the slaw was the biggest hit. I was initially concerned with how well the buns would hold up to the burger, though I needn't have since they held up fine. I really liked the chewiness of the buns.

Recipe after the jump.

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Asian Burger with Stir Fry Slaw and a Steamed bun

This recipe will be very vague, and I truly am sorry for that. I should have written the ingredients down as I went along, but being sick I just wasn't thinking. What's here is my best attempt at remembering all I did.

For steamed buns and ground beef filling, click here

So as I said, I used a very straightforward, basic steamed bun recipe. Divide the dough into eighths, shape into balls, and flatten after you place the buns on a square of wax paper, on a baking sheet, before letting rise. Steam for 15 minutes.

For the ground beef, I used enough beef for 3 hamburgers, so maybe 1/4 pound, though I really have no idea! Everything else was kept the same.

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Stir Fry Slaw
Recipe by Christina Provo

ingredients ~

2-3 cups shredded green cabbage
1 medium onion, sliced into half moons
1/4 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces, plus additional for serving
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons corn starch
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
Vegetable oil for stir frying

directions ~

1. Mix chicken broth and water, corn starch, sugar, oyster sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, and white pepper together in a small bowl; set aside.


2. Heat skillet or wok over medium high heat until just beginning to smoke. Adjust heat as needed. Have a dish nearby to place ingredients after stir frying.


3. Add a teaspoon of oil to skillet. Drop in garlic and green onions and stir until green onions look charred; remove to dish. Add another teaspoon of oil, then add the onions and bell pepper and cook until charred marks are visible on onions. After you remove those, cook cabbage in the same way with another teaspoon of oil. Once cooked, add back the vegetables in the dish and stir to mix. Pour the sauce on top, stirring constantly; remove skillet from heat and continue to mix until sauce has thickened. Place in dish and keep covered until ready to eat.