Teriyaki Beef Burgers, with Cherry Tomato Soy Salsa - Kikkoman Competition Entry

When Kikkoman set me the challenge of creating a non-oriental recipe using their Soy and Teriyaki sauces, I decided to go as 'Western' as was possible with my recipe idea, and came up with this sumptuous Teriyaki seasoned Beef Burger, served on an All American Burger Bun, with a side of freshly prepared Cherry Tomato and Soy Salsa. Whilst trying not to be too smug, let me tell you that Gary gave this recipe the absolute seal of approval, declaring it 'one of the best burgers I have ever eaten.' Let me tell you - praise doesn't come much higher than that!

Teriyaki Beef Burger with Cherry Tomato Soy Salsa and Fries

This recipe shows that Soy and Teriyaki sauces can be used as a great and flavoursome seasoning to everyday cooking, both add a depth of flavour that compliments almost all food-stuffs, and can be used readily outside of Oriental style dishes. Soy sauce has a distinctive Umami taste (translated from the Japanese "pleasant savoury taste") which is considered to produce an almost 'meaty' flavour. Soy sauce is a great way of adding a savoury flavour to dishes without going overboard on salt. Teriyaki flavourings combine soy sauce with sugar, and mirin (a type of sweet rice wine) to make a sweeter marinade. Both sauces can be used to marinade, to season, or even as a condiment, wherever and however you might want to add an extra level of savoury or sweetness to your food.

Kikkoman Soy Sauce Selection

Anyway... back to the burgers... here's what you'll need. (I made my own easy burger buns here, but you could skip this step if you wanted to)

Ingredients

For the All American Style Burger Buns (makes 6)

350 grams strong white flour
7 grams fast action yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp salt
30 grams unsalted butter
250 ml tepid water
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp sesame seeds

For the Teriyaki Beef Burgers (makes 4 large (almost half-pound) burgers, or 6 quarter-pounders)

500 grams lean minced beef
1 large red onion, diced
3 tbsp Kikkoman Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 tsp caster sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1 free range egg, lightly beaten
plain flour, for coating

For the Cherry Tomato Soy Salsa

250 grams cherry tomatoes, peeled
1 small red onion
1 red chilli
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp dried coriander
1 tbsp Kikkoman Soy Sauce
1/2 tsp caster sugar
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
salt and pepper to taste

Method

To make the All American Style Burger Buns

• Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, and add the yeast, salt and sugar (don't let the salt touch the yeast at this point or it will kill it)
• Chop the butter into small cubes, and rub into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
• Pour the water into the flour mixture, a third at a time, and mix together until the dough comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Place in an oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm, and leave in a warm place to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.
• Turn the proved dough back out onto the worksurface, and knock the dough back to it's original size. Divide the dough into 6 equal sized pieces, roll each into a smooth ball, and then flatten down into a disk shape (about 2 cm thick)
• Place the buns onto a greased baking tray, a few inches apart as they will grow, and cover with a clean tea-towel. Return to the warm place to prove and rise again for about 40 minutes.
• Uncover the buns, brush the tops with the milk, and sprinkle over the sesame seeds.
• Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees for 20 minutes, or until the buns are golden brown, and sound hollow when the bases are tapped. Remove and place on a cooling rack.

To make the Teriyaki Beef Burgers

• Finely chop the onion, and fry in a little oil for 4-5 minutes until softened and starting to colour. Set aside to cool completely.
• Once the onions have cooled, add them to the minced beef in a large mixing bowl, and add the Teriyaki sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and beaten egg. Mix together well.
• Divide the mixture into 4 or 6 equal portions, depending on how big you want your burgers. Shape each patty by forming it into a ball in your hands, rolling it in a little of the plain flour to seal it, then flattening it down into a flat disc. Make sure that you flatten the burgers enough that they are thin enough to cook through well, and are big enough to fill your burger buns to the edge (they will shrink a little when cooked).
• Cover with clingfilm and refridgerate for at least one hour before cooking.
• To cook, place on a hot barbeque or griddle, and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the meat is cooked through.
• Serve on one of your All American Burger Buns, with all the trimmings!
  
  

  

  Teriyaki Beef Burger on All American Burger Bun

  
  

 To make the Cherry Tomato and Soy Salsa

• Finely chop the onion and chilli pepper - I use a small food processor to do this to get them really fine.
• Peel the skins from the tomatoes by submerging them in hot water until the skins split, this allows the skins to peel away much easier.
• Roughly chop the tomatoes.
• Put all the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.  

Cherry Tomato and Soy Salsa

This is my entry into the Kikkoman recipe challenge. Kikkoman kindly sent me the product to use to develop this recipe, however this is not a sponsored post. For more information on Kikkoman products, visit their website here.