Just to invent

I should have done some work last night, but instead, I made these. Korean Galbi Burgers. Worthhhh itttt. It turned out to be a very, very delicious surprise. Why a surprise, you might ask? It's just that, in my humble opinion, cultural fusion recipes can go so, so wrong sometimes...most times, actually. I've had many a fuck-up in my kitchen, scratching my head over why some "chinese-style-potato-casserole-cheese-thingy" didn't quite work out, and had many a restaurant visit where I sat holding greasy tacos with unusual fillings.

Other times though, fusion can go oh so right. This is one of those other times.

Honestly, a Galbi burger recipe has been sitting in the back of my mind for many a year now. I've just never gotten around to actually putting it together. One, why eat a Galbi burger when you can actually just eat Galbi short ribs, fresh off the grill, dripping with that salty, sweet soy-garlic marinade, right? Two, repeat reason one. 

I suppose though, that's not a good excuse. Allowing the fear of failure, the fear of falling short of the "originals" or "legends," to override inventiveness is certainly not an attractive trait. A few weeks ago, I started a post bemoaning how I didn't feel creative anymore. My life had become rote memorization, repeat, seeking out past wel-known comforts. Broiling steaks, making risottos, eating noodles and dumplings, nothing particularly new. In that post,  I wanted to complain, rant, feel lost, as I so often do on this blog. Where does that get me though? 

Well, no more, and needs must. I never finished that post, and instead, closed the browser and sat around thinking of past creative recipes, recipes that I had thought of long long ago (when I had been in a creative state), recipes that had been set aside on a shelf for later contemplation.

If you're someone like me, someone who no longer has access to a grill and who doesn't have the faintest idea of where to get some thick, good quality beef shortribs easily, then consider this burger homage to Galbi short ribs. This is a heavily marinated, extremely flavorful burger that should be eaten well-done. "Well-done ground beef?!" you gasp.  Yes, well-done, because even so, the patty will be dripping with sweet and salty juices, meaning you certainly won't be reaching for some mouth-wetting liquid unless it's a frothy, cold beer because, duh, beer and burgers. In fact, this marinade gives the beef much more liquid than anything found in the traditional ground beef burger that, by the time you finish pan-frying the patties, you'll have a thick sauce in the bottom of you pan. Keep this sauce; you'll want to plop some large eggs into it to fry and later place atop the burger patty.

Now, burgers are pretty versatile - there are so many accompaniments and/or toppings you can add or detract. In this case, I blanched up some mustard greens with a pinch of salt, whipped up some sambal-mayonnaise for my toppings, and added a fried egg, all nestled within some Challah rolls. If you have an aversity to any of these things, you can certainly alter the topping combination any whichever way you want. Even so, I highly recommend this combination, highly recommend. It's very balanced. The mustard greens give this sweet-salty burger patty some earthiness and crunch, while the saucy fried egg gives the burger a much needed creaminess. The soft and chewy challah also lends some sweet egginess, and of course, sambal and spice. A substitution off the top of my head is using kimchi instead of Chinese mustard greens. If you've got that on hand, go for it. Either way, give this a try before you start using lettuce and tomato.

Korean Galbi Burgers
 6-8 burgers

2-3 lbs 73% lean ground beef

1 C dark brown sugar

1 C dark soy sauce

1/4 C black vinegar

2 TB sesame oil

1 C water

6 large cloves garlic, minced

2 TB salt

6-8 large eggs

to serve

Challah buns

sriracha or sambal

mayonnaise

5 stalks Chinese mustard greens, chopped, blanched, and drained/dried*

freshly ground black pepper

*Note: You can replace the greens with Kimchi.  

Mix together the brown sugar, soy sauce, black vinegar, sesame oil, water, minced garlic, and salt, stirring until all the salt and sugar have dissolved. Add this marinade to the ground beef in a large bowl, mixing thoroughly by hand until all beef is coated. It will be a little wet. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the beef marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 

On the next day, divide and shape the ground beef into the number of desired patties. Note that the mixture will still be wet and sticky, which is totally fine. Also note that the patties shrink up a lot when they are cooking, so make the raw ground beef patty larger than you want your final product to be. Heat a large, dry, non-stick skillet on medium heat. Then, place you patties into the hot pan (you'll hear the sizzle) - if you have a small pan, do this is batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Cook the patties until set and browned on one side, then flip patties over so they can brown on the other side. After flipping, cover the pan with a lid, as there will be lots of sizzle and spray, and cook patties until they are firm to touch. Then remove from pan and let cool.

There will be lots of sauce/juice in the bottom of the skillet. While the pan is still hot, crack in the eggs and fry until desired runniness, coating the fried eggs with the sauce. Whisk together the mayonnaise and sambal. 

Assemble the burgers by slathering the sambal-mayonnaise on the bun, placing the patty on the bottom, followed by the egg and the cooked greens. Serve hot.