This recipe came about literally on the (cock)spur of the moment. I was in Waitrose and eyed a really good deal on chicken burger patties by the brand Heck and it got me thinking...
If you don’t have any chicken burgers to hand, you could always make your own using a burger press. My sister-in-law Patricia gave me one as a gift a few years ago and I have been pressing out burgers in every imaginable form since them; from butternut, mushroom and walnut veggie burgers to venison, foie gras and caramelised onion decadence… Pft! Please don't ask me about quantities. Press it and see...
for the yakitori chicken burgers
Step 1 - burger marinade
Take your chicken burger patties, bought or made, and place in an container with an airtight seal according to the number of burgers needed
Cover in sticky yakitori marinade and make sure all surfaces of the burgers are coated thoroughly. Yes, I do know how to make yakitori from scratch, but I recommend that you don’t bother. Brands like Kikkoman (actually a bit on the thin side) or even Yo Sushi knock it up at very reasonable prices and at arguably better quality than you can produce from scratch. If you're a purist, see below.
Place the marinated burgers in a sealed airtight container in the fridge overnight or for at least 8 to 12 hours.
Step 2 - preparing accompaniments
There is no reason you should not have this dish with fries or the range of hipster alternatives such as sweet potato fries, or other side dishes in which case go for it. But, I think the better option in terms of flavours is celeriac remoulade.
For my favoured accompaniment, here is the basic recipe for my beloved Belgian "superstar salad" celeriac remoulade (selderijsalade). All you do for the perfect accompaniment for chicken yakitori burgers is add in toasted/blackened sesame seeds to taste. And, of course, don't forget to use Japanese Kewpie Mayonnaise instead of the usual suspects.
Step 3- preparing the other burger ingredients
Cut an onion into chunky rings, about a centimetre thick. The number of onion rings will correspond to the number of burgers being cooked. Dip in tempura batter and fry until almost golden brown in a shallow pan. You can make the tempura batter from scratch or use one of the many available options from supermarkets.
Oven-bake or grill the marinated chicken burgers (yakitori is best not fried), placing the largely cooked onion tempura ring/s beside it in order to fully brown the batter
Shred iceberg lettuce and finely slice ripe tomatoes, cucumber and pickles such as gherkins (or umeboshi plums if you’re feeling really fancy). Place these on the base of the preferred bun ( I personally think sourdough brioche works the best, but it’s all down to personal preference). Time it if you prefer your buns warmed (Ooh, er, Missus) in which case, also place them into the oven and/or grill as relevant. When it it’s properly summer, you can can actually do it on the barbeque outdoors as it really should be.
The Purist Appendix
Yakitori Marinade
Cook the following ingredients over a medium heat for about 15 mins until the sauce is glossy. Allow to cool and use as a marinade.
100ml soy sauce - I recommend dark soy, but it's down to personal preference
100ml mirin
50ml sake
2 tbsp caster sugar according to many recipes; I prefer 3 tbsp of honey
Personal top tip: while the marinade is cooling, grate in root ginger and yuzu zest using an extremely fine grater.
Tempura Batter
70g cornflour
30g plain flour
pinch of salt
80ml sparkling water, chilled
small handful crushed ice
1 egg
Method
Sift and mix the flours with a pinch of sea salt in a bowl
Whisk the egg in a smaller bowl using chopsticks until the yolk and white are barely combined; avoid over mixing
Add the crushed ice to the cup in which you have measured your chilled sparkling water
Gradually add the whisked egg and ice/water to the flour, each a bit at a time, stirring but not over mixing so that the mixture remains a little "lumpy"
Dip in the sliced onion and fry until golden brown, turning if necessary
Personal top tip: if you're making these burgers for a small number of people people, you'll almost certainly have batter left over. Once you've done your onion rings, use it to make a side dish of other tempura. Really good things to try are sliced raw radish, sliced cooked beetroot, courgette flowers and small bouquets of rocket
Alternatives
There are plenty of vegan and vegetarian burger patties out there, the problem is whether they will absorb the flavours of the yakitori marinade. The only way you'll find out is to experiment. But, this is a tried 'n tested vegan burger recipe I use that does.
Sauté 400g of diced small mushrooms and 1 diced green bell pepper in a little sesame oil, adding a dash of the yakitori marinade. When soften, allow to cool in a mixing bowl
Add approx 200g diced Quorn pieces—chicken flavoured or plain—or smoked tofu to the bowl. Pour in your yakitori marinade and fold in. Marinade for at least 4 hours
Drain off any excess marinade into a small container—you can use it to baste your burgers during cooking. Add 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs, folding in so that they also absorb any excess marinade
Using a burger press, shape this thick mixture into patties. NB: it is a fairly messy process as you press out the excess marinade, so keep a damp cloth or sponge near to hand. How many burgers you get out of this will vary on your press. I usually get three, but my press is fairly large
Grill or fry as you would any burger patties
For a vegan tempura batter: use 50g cornflour; 30g plain white flour; 2 tbspn rice flour; 1 tspn baking powder; ½ cup sparkling water. Simply mix the dry ingredients together and then add the sparkling water. Stir until smooth, but don't over mix.
Prepare and assemble your burgers as per the method above substituting a vegan mayonnaise alternative.
For a great pescatarian version, follow the vegan burger recipe above, substituting 300g of skinless cod fillets (or comparable white fish) that has been poached, cooled, deboned and flaked. And, if you want to really fancy it up, add a couple of handfuls of cooked, shelled small shrimp into the mix being marinaded. For some reason you need more fish to achieve a decent burger.
Another alternative which bypasses the burger making altogether is to simply marinade slim-cut tuna steaks in the yakitori and use in lieu of the burger patties.
Pairings
Beer is the fail-safe option with most Japanese "fast food". No surprise then that I love this dish with Duvel, Vedett, Sapporo and Staroprnem
On the wine front, I've found that yakitori dishes, whether chicken, veggie or pescatarian can work well with lighter red wines such as certain pinot noirs. But I think that my enduring preferences for this dish remain Bordeaux whites (sauvignon blanc), white Burgundian wines (chardonnay) and Spanish Albariños.But, no, I can't remember exactly which wines.
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