Burgers on a Budget
By Dinah Makani
Are you hungry? I know I always am, but rather than constantly heading off to the local take-away, why not embrace your student budget and make your own burgers at home.
If there are two things students struggle to manage it’s time and money so here are two quick and easy burger recipes that won’t break the bank. Whether you opt for the big and beefy creation or the guilt-free veggie burger, it will be nothing short of delicious!
Now, time to don those aprons…
Burly Beef Burger
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil for frying
1 medium onion
1 clove of garlic (optional if you don’t want stinky breathe)
250g of minced beef
1 small egg (beaten)
1 tsp tomato ketchup
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (if you don’t have this coriander will give an Asian inspired taste)
Salt
Pepper
1. Finely chop the onion and season with salt and pepper.
2. Take the minced beef and add it to the onions.
3. Grate the garlic until very fine and mix well with the beef.
4. Add a squeeze of tomato ketchup and add in the egg.
5. Time to get your hands dirty! Mix together until all ingredients are combined it. At this stage you can leave the mixture to stand for a while and for the flavours to mix and mingle – enough time for you to grab yourself a beverage and mingle yourself.
Ok, enough boozing it’s time to get back to the task in hand…
6. Take palm-sized amounts of mixture and pat out into burger shapes
7. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and fry the burgers until browned.
8. Slap them between burger buns and scoff until your heart’s content!
Vivacious Veggie Burger
As robust as the beef burger but luckily for you vegetarians, no animals! Hooray!
Ingredients:
Two medium potatoes, chopped into large chunks
One large onion, chopped
Two large peppers, chopped (whichever colours take your fancy– I like green!)
One carrot, peeled and chopped
One tin of mixed beans, drained
Breadcrumbs
(Optional for those of you who like a spicy kick) – 1 small green chilli, chopped
1. Boil the potato chunks in slightly salty water. Once soft leave to cool.
2. Peel off the skin and mash the potatoes, ensuring that they are not completely mashed but retain a chunky texture.
3. Fry the onions, peppers and carrot adding the chilli once cooked.
4. Once all of the ingredients have been cooked, add them into a bowl and mix together until firm. (If there is excess liquid, add some plain flour).
5. Pat the mixture into burger shapes.
6. Pour some breadcrumbs onto a plate coat the burgers thoroughly.
7. Gently fry the burgers in the oil until crispy and golden.
8. Toast some buns and wedge the burgers between - now sit back and enjoy.
Saucy Salsa
And while you’re in this creative mood, why not try adding an exotic accompaniment to your burger. For a tasty fresh tomato salsa, try this…
Take two tomatoes and one medium onion and chop coarsely. Add some chopped coriander to the mixture and finish with a drizzle of lemon or lime. Voila, you have yourself one saucy salsa!
