Fried and Prejudice

When it comes to burgers the options for what you can slip between the breads is almost limitless In an interview Jerry Murrel of Five Guys Burgers and Fries an American fast casual restaurant said his favourite burger is just a plain hamburger with nothing but raw onions Even if they often cook fancy dishes at their restaurants chefs make no apologies for liking what they like Just a headrsquos up their descriptions are likely to leave you hungrylsquoI like extra spicersquoNeelam Singh founder and chef The Burger CompanyI like my burger with a crisp and delicious patty topped with melted cheddar cheese crunchy iceberg and super hot bhut jolokia sauce Unlike regular red chilli the spiciness in that sauce has a different kick to it I believe my taste for burgers has evolved over the years As a child I liked it simplemdashpatty veggies cheese and a bun However it also felt incomplete to a certain degree As I grew older I kept experimenting Back then there was limited access to exotic ingredients Sometimes I used bread instead of a burger bun The patty was made with leftover sabji my mum made Experimenting with usual and unusual ingredients led me to my current favouritelsquoIn the US our burgers are called sandwichesrsquoChef Freny Fernandes founder and chef MonerIn India burgers are usually made from chicken patties which is weird because when I went to the US they called them sandwiches Only a ground beef patty is called a hamburger And the best Irsquove ever had was in NYCmdashdryaged beef Muenster cheese and lots of caramelised onion I try to replicate that whenever I really want to eat a burger but instead of the dryaged beef I have to go with a regular lamb patty I also dig the buttermilk fried chicken burger Itrsquos made by marinating the chicken for 12 hours in buttermilk before covering it with breadcrumbs and deepfrying it I layer it with sriracha aioli pickles Romaine lettuce and onionslsquoMarinate chicken with peri peri overnightrsquoDarshan Desai founder Hashtag ONEPicShadab KhanA burger should be fun Classic burgers sometimes miss this element and heavily focus only on the meat I prefer making mine with a zing of flavour that blends perfectly with the meat My first experimental burgers were in my university student accommodation where I marinated a chicken breast with periperi sauce overnight and added whatever I could find in my fridge olives baby spinach cheddar cheese Itrsquos still my comfort burger and I suggest readers try it too I make it once or twice a week on a cheat day or to reward myself for completing a task At HashtagONE Irsquove created the TruffleEddy burger which has a truffle edamame patty and Seoulful burgers slathered with tobanjan a spicy Korean saucelsquoI top it with brie cheese and bacon jamrsquoChef Vicky Ratnani founder and chef Speak BurgerI like a welltoasted brioche bun lightly buttered spread with a sharp French mustard mayo topped with crunchy fresh lettuce juicy fat slices of tomato grilled onions kosher pickles topped with juicy charcoal grilled patty of meat topped with brie cheese and bacon jam There are layers of flavour and texture in every bitelsquoBeing Parsi I add farcha and cutletsrsquoChef Arnez Driver head chef La Poz PlaceA burger to me is like a piece of art It has to have its own personality The burger should also have several textures mdashthe softness of the buns oozing creamy spread the juiciness of the bulging patty crunch and freshness of the lettuce Each bite should have all these elements combinedBeing Parsi I predominantly eat bread at home therefore cutlets farcha patties and omelettes are plopped between bread with a spread of cheese mayonnaise and green chutney along with vegetables Mind you therersquos never a clean way to eat this Allow the sauce to drop down your hands crumbs on the table and on your face I consume this delicacy at least twice a week I think slowly and steadily Irsquom beginning to look like a burger myself