Vietnamese Hamburger | Banh Hambuhguh

I got sick earlier this month because of some food I bought for lunch, so one new year resolution for 2011: Try to bring lunch everyday instead of going out to buy it. The other day I packed a vietnamese hamburger. Yes, vietnamese hamburger - the burger I grew up on, because way back when, when we couldn't afford to eat at the fast food restaurants, Mom would make these. I still prefer them over any fast food burger. Our family always try to make them anytime we have a backyard BBQ in the summer.

I tweaked it just a little from how it's usually made.

For 8 Burgers:



Dice half a yellow onion and mince 2 cloves of garlic


The tweak: Instead of raw onion and garlic, I browned it in a little oil first to bring out more flavor.


Mix together 2 lbs of ground beef, the sauteed onion and garlic, 1 tbsp. of sambal chili paste, 3 tbsp. of fish sauce, chili pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper to taste.


Form 8 quarter-pound patties.


It's winter with a blanket of snow outside, I'm not crazy enough to go start up a grill...plus I don't even know how. hehe Pan grill will do, because thats how it was done growing up. On medium high heat, grill the patties a few minutes on each side. Don't press down on the patties to retain the burger juice.


Juicy! Serve with a sesame bun, lettuce, and your preferred condiments. I like it with or without ketchup. Might have to try it with a little sriracha next time. Bar Louie used to have an Angry Burger that was served with sriracha, pretty good. I don't see it on the menu anymore though...

Cut back on the spices if kids are eating. Unless they eat spicy, the kick will get them.

Found these two recipes for Vietnamese Hamburgers that I want to try too!
with Lemon Grass Flavor
with Pickled Carrot and Daikon