Indian Masala Burger

This bad boy has a flavorful veggie patty that resembles the cutlet you get in a frankie (Indian fast food) #IYKYK. With veggies, (Amul) cheese, chaat masala, and Maggi Ketchup, this is going to trigger memories of your favorite college fast food joint!

This is a perfect make-ahead and crowd-friendly meal, ideal for a picnic or a to-go. 2x, 3x or more the recipe if you are expecting a large crowd (2x will give you 2x4 = 8 burgers, 3x will give you 3x4 = 12 burgers, and so forth).

You can chop and slice all the ingredients 2-3 days in advance and do the assembly right before eating. Alternatively, you could do a ‘make your own burger‘ buffet, with all the prepped ingredients laid out to take the pressure off yourself! So smart, you 😉.

Indian Masala Burger

Makes 4 burgers

YOU WILL NEED

• 4 Trader Joe’s Indian Masala Burger Patties (in frozen food section)

• 4 Burger Buns ( I like the one with sesame seeds on it 😊)

• 4 Thin Slices of Red or Yellow Onion

• 1 small-medium sized Tomato

• 1 small Beetroot

• 1 small head of Romaine Lettuce

• 2 - 3 tsp Chaat Masala

• 2 tsp Black Pepper Powder (crushed works too)

• 1/4 cup grated Amul Cheese or 4 Amul Cheese Slices

• Maggi Tomato Ketchup (I love Hot & Sweet) or any Tomato Ketchup

• 2 tbsp oil or a small cube of butter

• (optional) washed microgreens for garnish

METHOD

• Get the patties out of the freezer, and place them on a non-stick skillet on medium heat, without any oil. Heat them until they are slightly brown on both sides.

  • If you like your cheese melted, place cheese on each patty, before taking them off the stove.

  • While the patties are heating, wash the beetroot, lettuce, tomato and onion thoroughly and keep them aside in a colander.

  • Peel the beet, chop off the ends and slice 1-inch thick with a mandoline or knife.

  • Roughly chop the lettuce, and slice the tomato. For GF option, skip the lettuce chopping.

  • Once the patties are done, on the same skillet, drizzle oil, and lightly toast the buns on both the sides and set aside.

ASSEMBLY

• Start assembling the burger by placing the lettuce first on the toasted buns, patty next, cheese, a slice each of tomato, beetroot and onion.

  • For GF option, use the lettuce leaf and fill the rest of the ingredients above like in a lettuce cup. For vegan skip the cheese or replace with vegan cheese.

  • Drizzle Maggi tomato ketchup, sprinkle black pepper, 1/2 tsp of chaat masala on the stack of patty and veggies.

  • ‘Close’ the burger and…

Enjoy!

CHEAT SHEET

• Maggi Ketchup - Quintessential Indian tomato ketchup which is unbeatable in Ketchup-land. I betcha.

• Amul Cheese - Hard but pliable, salty, and sour cheese with an oomph that is impossible to describe, from a well-known Indian dairy - Amul Dairy.

• Chaat Masala - An Indian sprinkle-masala. It’s got the funk, spice, tanginess and saltiness that will have you coming back for more.

All three are a staple in my kitchen. You can find these at Indian grocery stores or on Amazon. At minimum, you need to have Chaat Masala in your cabinet - it’s so versatile. Especially goes well with fruits - sprinkle on cut fruit like any Melons, Apple, Peach, Guavas, etc. and it elevates the taste 10x.

SUBSTITUTIONS

To get the ”real” taste of this burger, I do not recommend many substitutions, but I understand the patty might be the hardest to come by:

• Veggie Patty - The recipe relies on using a store bought patty from Trader Joe’s - a US-based grocery chain. If you live outside US or in an area where Trader Joe’s isn’t accessible, you can still make this Burger using a veggie patty available at your local stores.

• Amul Cheese - Sharp Cheddar is probably the closest to Amul Cheese, if you can’t get hold of it.

Indian Masala Burger and Patty