This, my friends, was a really good burger. Not a traditional one by any means but certainly one a really juicy one that I want to eat again.
It can be made with either ground pork or beef and will be vaguely reminiscent of satay, as it should be considering the main components are the same. I topped mine with arugula, pickled daikon radish and shiso leaves but grated carrot tossed in a little pickle brine and some red onion would have been nice as well.
1 lb ground pork or beef
3 Tbsps chunky peanut butter (or almond butter should there be a peanut allergy sufferer among those dining)
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsps olive oil
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns, crushed
1/2 tsp Chinese five spice
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
Salt to taste
4 hamburger buns
Toppings of your choice
Put the olive oil, the Szechuan peppercorns and the crushed red pepper flakes in a large skillet over low heat. Heat for a few minutes until the oil is very fragrant and a light brown color.
Pour 1/2 the oil and spices into a large bowl. Set the skillet with the remaining oil aside, off the heat.
Add the ground meat, one tablespoon of the peanut butter, the Chinese five spice and salt to taste to the bowl with the oil. Using your hands, mix well but quickly.
Form into 4 patties without packing the meat too tightly together as it will get tough if you do.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Heat the skillet containing the remaining oil over medium heat. As soon as it sizzles, add the hamburgers and cook for 2/12 minutes on each side for medium rare beef, or about 4 minutes on each side for pork. Remove the burgers from the pan and set aside under a foil tent to rest.
Put the pan back on the heat and add the remaining peanut butter, the ketchup and the rice wine vinegar to the pan juices. Stir well to create a homogenized sauce.
While this is coming together, put your hamburger buns in the oven to toast. This will only take a few minutes.
To assemble: put a hamburger on the bun, salt lightly and top with some of the peanut sauce. Add your toppings. As mentioned above, I used shiso leaves and arugula for greenery and a bit of daikon radish for acidity and crunch. To pickle my daikon radish, I shaved some into a bowl and added rice wine vinegar, the juice of half a lime and some salt and left it for 20 minutes while I dealt with the burger making. I think that red onion would have been a good addition. Spread some of the remaining sauce on the top bun and place over the toppings.
Inspiration recipe here.