Fiction-Food Café: Japanese-Fusion Hamburger

Thought I'd share my Asian food inspired burger creation with y'all! I made these for B and I one night and they turned out great. I'm very pleased with the results and I hope you'll give this recipe a try!

Japanese-Fusion Hamburger

Ingredients:
*Recipes for the ingredients with an asterisk are given farther down.
Hamburger Buns, toasted or grilled
Leafy Lettuce Bits (green leaf, red leaf, or arugula)
Daikon Relish*
Miso Burger*
Tomato Slices, thin
Tamagoyaki Slices*
Wasabi Mayo*
Roasted Seaweed, crumbled/shredded (furikake is also a fine option)

Directions:
1. Build the hamburger in the order the ingredients are listed.
Tips:
a. When putting on the daikon relish make sure the portion of relish you are using is drained well (like, squeeze it in your hands or something).
b. Two thin slices of tomato, overlapped, along with 1 large slice of tamagoyaki, or two smaller ones overlapped, work great per burger.
c. When building the burger, squeeze the wasabi mayo on in a zig zag.
d. If you have sheets of seaweed instead of the already crumbled kind, simply cut a section off the sheet & fold & crumple it like a tiny wad of paper. Cut it into little strippy bits using a pair of clean kitchen scissors. You'll end up with pretty little seaweed squiggles!

Daikon Relish

Ingredients:
2 Cups Daikon Radish, peeled & finely chopped (or pulsed in a food processor)
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp. Rice Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Aji-mirin Sweet Rice Seasoning (optional)

Directions:
1. Put the daikon bits in a medium bowl & add the Kosher salt. Using your hands combine the salt into the daikon thoroughly & then add enough water to cover the daikon. Let it sit for about 30 mins. or until the daikon bits are more tender.
2. In a small pot on high heat combine the vinegar, sugar, & optional mirin until the sugar dissolves. Let the mixture bubble for a minute & then remove it from the heat.
3. Drain the daikon & run it under cold water a few times, draining each time. Pat dry with a paper towel. Return the daikon to its bowl & pour on the vinegar & sugar mixture. Toss to coat thoroughly (with your hands works great) & sit in the fridge until you're ready to use it.

Miso Burgers

Ingredients:
1 lb Ground Beef
1/2 Onion, finely chopped
3 Tbsp. Miso Paste (I used shiro/white)
4 Tbsp. Panko Bread Crumbs
1 Large Egg, beaten
1 tsp. Oil

Directions:

1. Put the 1st 5 ingredients in a medium bowl & combine with your hands until everything is well incorporated. Form & flatten patties to your desired size.
2. Pour the oil into a large pan & spread it around with a paper towel. Heat the pan on medium (towards the lowish side) & add the raw burger patties. Cook about 3 mins per side. Remove from pan & get ready to build a rockin' hamburger.
Tip: Don't press the burgers down while they're cooking or else you'll loose the essence that makes them nice & juicy!

Tamagoyaki (Grilled Rolled Egg)

Directions:
Recipe here.

1. Double the recipe to create a very large tamagoyaki.
2. Transfer the finished roll to a cutting board & carefully cut it at a diagonal to get large slices, about 1/2" thick.

Wasabi Mayo

Ingredients:
1 tsp. Wasabi Powder
1 tsp. Water
2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise

Directions:
1. Whisk all ingredients in a small bowl & pour into a squeeze bottle or a sturdy plastic baggie with a tiny opening cut in one corner (or a small icing tip poking out of a small hole cut in a plastic baggie).