I am in love with a new Korean drama- Master’s Sun. It has one of my favorite actresses Gong Hyo-jin. She is an amazing actress, who can play a shy, kind-of hearted girl or a hard-ass gang master. Most Korean shows have various elements that make it hard for a Westerner to watch. They are usually a little sexist, slow moving, drawn out, and the girl AWAYS gets with the asshole guy. Master’s Sun probably will have the lead actress get with the asshole guy, but they set it up in a way that makes it understandable (and funny). The show is quite polished and well written. Heck, I even got my husband to say he would watch it with me.
The story is of Gong-shil, who sees ghosts. She found that being able to see ghosts has prevented her from leading a normal life, and finds herself as a maintenance woman at an apartment complex. One day she bumps into Joong Won, a rich and snobby business owner. Whenever she touches him, the ghosts disappear. It is a really good show, and I recommend checking it out on Hulu.
Okay, enough gushing about the show and start gushing about these burgers! I had adzuki beans sitting in my cupboard for months now. I wasn’t sure WHY I had them, but they were sitting there, stewing in my mind for ideas. I finally thought burgers would be the best. And I figured I would make them with some gochujang paste for a kick.
I tried to keep it to ingredients that you would find in a Korean kitchen. Some might be a stretch but they are pretty accessible to Westerners. I was afraid that the burgers would fall apart, but they are actually more sturdy than the burgers I based the recipe on! I am guessing it was the mix of seaweed and short-grained rice.
There are lots of ways to garnish and serve these bad boys. The recipes just mentioned how I personally topped it. Kimchi and vegan mayo. My husband ate it with ketchup and no kimchi and found it pretty dang good. If you’ve checked out my Kimchi and Azuki Bean Tacos, you might want to use the Kohlrabi Kimchi to top this burger and make that gochujang sauce to make it super spicy.
And if you are reading that last paragraph and thinking mayo is not Korean, you my dear friend would be wrong. Mayo is used super often, and is commonly found in kimbap. Kimbap is kind-of like the Korean “sandwich” and is rolled up like sushi. Unlike sushi, kimbap is usually filled with veggies, mayo, cheese slices, and processed meats. Eat Your Kimchi does a funny video about it, and boy they go on about Korea’s love of mayo. Maybe I will make a vegan kimbap. Should be pretty easy.
You might notice that this recipe is ALMOST gluten-free. I want to point out that there is usually wheat in gochujang. I am currently unaware of any gluten-free versions but take a look around. Maybe I will post an ingredients review on gochujang and have a cheaters version.
I might find myself finding revisiting this burger recipe to make other types of sandwiches. Maybe meatball subs with gochujang sauce. Ultimate aduzki bean sauce noodles and bean balls. I am just saying these burgers are super duper yummy and I wish I had more right now.
- 1 tsp wakame
- 1 can adzuki beans (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 1 tbsp gochujang
- 2 tbsp black sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup almond meal or oat flour
- 1/2 cup rice flour *
- 1 cup short grain rice *
- vegan cheese (optional)
- vegan mayo
- tomatoes
- lettuce
- kimchi **
1 Start a pot of boiling water. In a small bowl place 1 teaspoon of dried wakame with the boiling water. Let sit for 10 minutes2 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly great, or line baking pan with parchment paper. Pans that have a non-stick coating should be fine on their own.3 Drain and rinse the adzuki beans. Place in a large bowl and mash. If some beans are whole, that should be fine.4 Add all the ingredients, including the rehydrated wakame. Mash together with hands or spoon.5 Divide into 8 patties, shaping them into large round coins. YOu can make more or less than 8 patties according to your tastes. Place on baking pan.6 Bake burgers for 15 minutes. Flip and bake for another 15 minutes. If using soy cheese, sprinkle on top of burger for the last 15 minutes of baking.7 Spread vegan mayo on the bun. Take kmichi and squeeze out any excess juice. Chop finely if kimchi is in big chunks. Top with kimchi, lettuce, and tomato.**
* You can easily replace these with brown rice flour and short grained brown rice.** Feel free to use any type of Korean styled kimchi, including non-spicy varieties. Sky is the limit.*** Feel free to top with anything you like,
- 2 kohlrabi
- 1 tbsp Korean chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 roughly chopped green onion
1 Trim off any greens from the kohlrabi bulb, cutting close to the bulb to make peeling easier. Peel the outside.2 Either use a box grater and finely grate the vegetable down. Or you can use a food processor, chopping it down.3 In a glass mason jar, place all the remaining ingredients in the bottom. Add the chopped kohlrabi and fill with water, making everything is submerged. Twist the lid on and shake. Lightly untwist the top, so air can escape.4 Let the jar sit at room temperature* for 1 to 3 days until kohlrabi is soft. Shake or stir the jar once or twice a day to prevent mold from growing and to make sure all veggies get equal brining time.**5 Finely grated kohlrabi will mostly likely need only one day to ferment in a warm room. If you used a food processor and had fairly large chunks, you may need three days. Taste daily! You can decide on how crunchy you want your kimchi.
* Temperature can change fermentation time. If you house is cold during the winter your kohlrabi might need an entire week.** Note that leaving your jar on the counter is completely safe from bacteria. Brine pickling or lacto fermentation is one of the safest forms of fermentation, as the salt and the naturally occurring bacteria in the vegetables create a hostile environment for harmful bacterias.
