Heinz Chilli Sauce Off: Gourmet Seafood Burger

DISCLAIMER: GUEST POST BY: Daniel Cheung

Me with Lisa Faulkner

At the end of October I was invited by my sister, Bistro Becs and the people from Heinz Chilli Sauces to take part in a 'Sauce Off' challenge; a cookery contest amongst foodie journalists and bloggers to create and cook a delicious and innovative dish using one of the five Heinz Chilli Sauces (Fiery Sriracha, Jerk BBQ, Peri Peri, Sweet Chilli and Hot Pepper) at L'Atelier des Chefs on Wigmore Street. What's more the evening was hosted and judged by TV cook and personality Lisa Faulkner. 

As the sauces are supposed to represent various personality traits, it was a must for me to use the Fiery Sriracha being as I am hot and fiery myself and whilst I had time to think up a dish, it was a busy work time for me so I hadn't had time to practise at home prior to the event.

After careful consideration my dish was selected, a gourmet seafood burger comprising prawns, scallops and salmon and a generous helping of the Fiery Sriracha sauce - I also added a bit of the Sweet Chilli to the brioche buns too and the finish was great. 

Heinz Chilli Sauce Gourmet Seafood Burger

We had 45 minutes to cook and then the lovely Lisa tasted all of the dishes and made her decision. We then sat down as a group and tucked into each other's dishes too with a glass or two of wine - lovely. Stand-out dishes on the evening included Eat Cook Explore's Spicy Crab dish which was announced, unsurprisingly as the winner but I also loved Big Spud's Jerked Halloumi Kebabs too - and there was some other great dishes - also I got photobombed by William from Gogglebox who was also taking part! 

Not just that but it was a really fun evening and I realised that cooking competitively can be more than a little stressful, as can cooking to a time limit! Was also great meeting lots of nice blogger sorts such as the above as well as Jo Eats London, Rock N Roller Baby, Circus Mum, Chloe Pierre,  London Unattached, and Secret Temple not to mention a lovely lady from The Sun.

When I sat down with Lisa to taste and give her comments to me, she was complimentary about the flavours and presentation of the dish - and whilst I wasn't one of the winners I was chuffed she liked the burger and I thought it was frankly delicious!

Here's how:

(Makes x4 burgers)

• 1 pack prawns
• 8 large scallops 
• 2 fillets salmon
• 6 spring onions
• 2 cloves garlic
• Thumbnail of fresh ginger
• Handful of coriander leaves
• 1 red chilli
• 1 lime
• Panko Breadcrumbs
• Heinz Fiery Sriracha Sauce
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• x4 Brioche Buns
• Heinz Sweet Chilli Sauce
• Gherkins

Firstly pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees.

Now roughly chop the sping onions, garlic, chilli and coriander and place into a bowl. Peel and grate in the ginger too. 

Now roughly chop the prawns, scallops and flake in the salmon, add the juice of a whole lime and a  generous tablespoon of Fiery Sriracha Sauce and 3 tbsp panko breadcrumbs and use a wooden spoon to combine. Once fully mixed, use your hands to mould into four rounds and pat down into even sized tight patty's. 

Now add the rapeseed oil to a pan and get on a high heat, before placing each patty in and frying for 4 minutes, then turning over and doing the same on the other side. Now place onto a baking tray and place into the oven for a further 8-10 minutes until cooked through.

In the meantime, dry fry the brioche buns in a griddle pan, then place onto a plate. Add a teaspoon of the Sweet Chilli Sauce onto the bottom bun and once the burgers are ready place on top, and then add a gherkin, halved on top. Voila - enjoy!

A London Lunch No.8: Rare Str'eat Burgito, Borough Market

For the past eight months I’ve been working within skipping distance of Borough Market and have enjoyed a flurry of fantastic lunchtime eats.

A new favourite is the fantastic Burgito, from Rare Str-eat, a new company that describes itself as ‘gourmet food on the go’. If the burgito is anything to go by, they have achieved just that.

With an approach championing high quality ingredients, combined with a fun take on British food, the burgito is as it sounds, a combination of a burger and a burrito – two wonderful things.  

Piled onto a tortilla wrap sits three delicious burger patties made with rare-breed Galloway beef, a little green leaf salad, a homemade, tangy and warm tomato relish, various pickled gherkin and the ingenious addition of Comte cheese (surely one of the finest things in life). Fried, sweet caramelised onions and a slathering of sweet mustard complete this concoction before it is rolled up to make the ‘ito’ part of this dish.

To say it is good would be an understatement. Not only is this a clever take on two food items that London seems to be obsessive about at the moment, but it is delivered so well, and with such friendly service. I predict Rare Str’eat will be around for some time.

Located in the ‘Green Market’ area of Borough Market, you can pick up a Rare Str’eat burgito for a mere £5.00.

A London Lunch No5: Byron Burger

Having worked in the West End extensively over the past few years, there are several lunch spots that I would describe as the perfect hangover go-to. Byron is most certainly a contender.

I have eaten in several Byron outlets, for there are 28 here in London alone, but my favourite is the brightly hued one on the Charring Cross Road in Soho.

If you are a Byron virgin, then my recommendation is to simply go for the signature Byron Burger. A medium cooked, pink beef burger (no horsemeat here) topped with smoky bacon, Cheddar, lettuce, sliced red onions and tomato and a little relish - it has made me happy as an egg on more than one occasion.

Priced modestly at £9.25 for a decent sized burger, it’s a beauty in a bun. You can add your own choice of toppings and or sauces as you wish and I tend to add on some avocado as it is such a natural bedfellow with bacon and together with everything else it just makes a wonderful, meaty burger full of contrasting textures and complementing flavours, all contained in a fluffy bun and with a very good ratio of burger to bun – none of this biting in and getting a mouthful of bread and nothing else.

I recommend sharing a couple of sides so as not to miss out - the French fries and onion rings are both well worth a try, they have that almost dirty level of grease without making you feel disgusted with yourself after eating them.

Even if you’re a vegetarian there is a very good burger option on the menu for you – the adventurously titled ‘Veggie’. This is a grilled huge Portobello mushroom, unctuous goat’s cheese, roasted red peppers, sliced tomato, spinach leaves, red onion and deliciously garlicy aioli. Having several vegetarian friends I have had a bite of this on a few separate visits, each time being very good – however for me, this is no substitute for a meaty hamburger.

If you’re in a particularly naughty mood then I can 100% vouch for the chocolate milkshake – it is an indulgence and not to be undertaken unless having a light meal as will fill you up!

Each restaurant has it’s own ‘personality’ and style, and the Charring Cross Road Byron has the look of an all-American diner, and the menu matches the look. I have only ever experienced excellent, helpful and smiley service, which makes me think the recruitment process is also good here.

There are seven burgers on offer as well as a choice of salads and I’m slowly making my way through the menu – so far I haven’t been disappointed.

Expect to spend up to £20 for a burger with sides and a drink.

Can I get a bun with that burger?

Indian Spiced Bean Burger with Skinny Slaw and Sweet Potato Chips

So in a bid to shed a pound or ten pre-Christmas, I’ve decided a bit of healthy eating is in order, and to kick start this I’m doing a full week completely meat-free.

As I’m the person that does 99% of the cooking at home, the boy is also being subjected to this, so I thought I’d need to be slightly creative to avoid accusations of serving up ‘rabbit food’ so the first evening was a vegetable curry, which went down well on Sunday evening as both of us had what can only be described as a ‘skin-full’ on Saturday night and last night I made an alternative to burger ‘n’ chips.

I made my first ever bean burger, which I flavoured with some Indian herbs and spices and served with a home made spicy coleslaw and some sweet potato chips. This was also well received by the pair of us – and although we enjoyed it, I did think whilst eating it, that next time I’ll improve it with some chopped chorizo – but then I’m always thinking about ‘next time’ and new ways with everything I cook. The sweet potato chips and coleslaw were great accompaniments, and both a lower calorie version of the usual suspects, they really complemented the spices from the burger too.

Also please note from my picture the ridiculously thick size of the patties, again, a learning, and next time I will try to make these more compact, but overall it was a good dish and one I’d eat again with or without the addition of meat.

Here’s how:

Sweet Potato Chips:

• 300g sweet potatoes

Half a red chilli, finely chopped

3 Cloves Garlic

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Peel and cut into chip or wedge shapes, then rinse thoroughly. Add to a pan of boiling water and cook for fifteen minutes. In the meantime add some olive oil into an ovenproof dish and place into a pre-heated oven. Drain the sweet potatoes and shake in the colander then add to the dish and move around to make sure all have an oil coating. Scatter the chopped chilli, and pop in the unpeeled garlic cloves (feel free to add more or omit if you’re not a garlic fan or if you have a hot date later!) Season well and cook for twenty minutes or until they start to crisp.

Skinny Slaw

• 2 carrots coarsely grated

½ white cabbage coarsely grated

1 red onion coarsely grated

1 tablespoon paprika

3 tablespoons of low fat natural yoghurt

Salt & pepper to taste

Simply combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Makes a large bowl full, perfect for 4-6 people or if you’re only two, then great for keeping in the fridge to perk up salads or sandwiches for lunch the next day.

The Burger (makes 4 large patties or 6 smaller ones):

• 200g butter beans, cooked and cooled

200g chickpeas, cooked and cooled

200g kidney beans, cooked and cooled

1 small red onion finely diced

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

About two tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves and stalks

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp Garam Masala

1 small red onion finely diced

1 red chilli finely chopped

1 egg, whisked

100g breadcrumbs

2 cloves, finely ground

To make the burger pop all of the cooked beans into a large mixing bowl and crush up with a potato masher, leaving the mixture quite coarse (don’t put through a potato ricer). Add the coriander and all of the herbs, onion and garlic and stir through with the egg. Gently add in a tablespoon at a time of the breadcrumbs until you have a texture that would hold well in a burger. Then shape into patties with your hands and top each side with some additional breadcrumbs.

Heat a tablespoon of olive or vegetable oil in a non-stick pan and once hot add the patties and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes or until golden brown. When you turn over to cook the other side, add a slice of Emental cheese so it melts nicely into the burger.

The Extras

• Burger buns of your choice 

2 tablespoons of natural yoghurt with a tablespoon of fresh, chopped mint

1 tub of salsa

Leaves and/or sliced tomato

Sliced red onion

Once your chips are almost done and your skinny slaw is ready – add in your burger patties to the pan to cook. To assemble I added some shop-bought (Sainsbury's) salsa to the bottom bun, then a slice of juicy beef tomato, the cooked burger with melted cheese next and then to finish a spoonful of the cooling minty yoghurt dressing.

Plate up and serve - good for veggies and meat lovers too.