Curry Hambagu

Last month I was on a curry frenzy. For two weeks I had nothing but Kimchi curry, pork curry, chicken curry, green curry, and coconut curry. With nothing but curry thoughts running in my head, I was inspired to make this curry flavored hamabu but rather drenching the patties in curry sauce, I decided to infuse curry flavor into the meat. As for the sauce, I made a smokey tartar sauce that really paired well with the meat. If you love hambagu and curry then you are in for a treat!

I'll unveil the tartar recipe next week so stay tuned!

Makes 8 medium sized patties

Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 1 lb 90% lean ground beef
• 1/3 cup finely chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup panko (bread crumbs)
• 1 1/2 tablespoon tamarind paste
• 3 tablespoons coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flake
• 1 1/2 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3/4 cup of water

Directions:

• Combine the egg, beef, green onion, panko, tamarind paste, coconut milk, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, salt, garlic powder, pepper flake, garam masala, curry powder and smoked paprika and knead the mixture until it's evenly combined.
• Divide mixture into 8 equal parts.
• Make 8 meat balls and toss each ball from one hand to another until it forms into a 1 inch thick patty. 
• Heat 1 tablespoon cooking oil in a pan in medium heat and fry 3 patties at a time. 
• Make sure not to overcrowd the patties or they will not cook evenly (unless you have a large frying pan).
• Cover the lid and fry until the bottom is browned.
• Turn over and fry the other side. Pour in 1/4 cup of water, cover the lid and let the patty steam for 4 minutes or until the water is evaporated.
• Transfer the patties onto a plate and repeat the same process with your remaining patties.