If you were one of those who went out to panic-buy groceries or your parents were the ones who rushed out to stock up on instant food, you might currently have a surplus of instant noodles.

And after over a month of ‘Circuit Breaker’ measures in place, I’m sure we’re all happy not to eat another basic bowl of instant noodles. But what if you could elevate the usual instant noodles, and come up with a wholly different culinary creation?

Introducing: Instant Noodles Burger. I first saw this recipe on the Facebook group Subtle Asian Cooking, and I thought it would be something fun to try. It’s a good balance of Asian flavours in a Western dish.

I’ve tweaked it a little, after experimenting, and hopefully, this is a fun and easy recipe for you too!

Ingredients

• 3 packets of instant noodles (any brand of your preference)
• 300g ground beef
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp sugar
• 1 beaten egg
• 6 pieces of sliced cheese
• Iceberg lettuce (I shredded mine, though it’s up to you if you’d prefer whole leaves)
• A splash of soy sauce
• Oil for cooking

Tools

• Pot
• Frying pan
• Ramekins OR small flat-bottomed bowls
• Colander
• Fork (for mixing)

Recipe Preparation

Preparation time: 20 minutes; Cooking time: 5 minutes
Feeds three

Burger “bun”

• Cook instant noodles without the seasoning packet. Drain through a colander and don’t rinse with cold water.
• While still hot, divide instant noodles into six portions, and place each portion in lightly greased ramekins or other round containers to mould it into a round shape.
• Place a smaller, heavier bowl over the instant noodles to press it into shape. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Beef patty

• Combine ground beef, garlic, oyster sauce, sugar and black pepper. Add beaten egg, and mix well.
• Gently form meat into balls, then flatten into patties. Refrigerate until needed.
• Alternatively, use frozen ready-made patties.

Assembling the burger

• Heat oil in pan, and fry “buns” until brown on one side and cooked on the other.
• Set aside, ready for the hamburger, with shredded lettuce on one side.
• Fry patty as you like it. Glaze with the soy sauce to taste.
• Place cheese slice on bottom “bun”, then put cooked hamburger patty on top of it and place one more cheese slice.
• Add shredded lettuce. Spoon some more soy sauce and top with the other “bun”.

Recipe (In Pictures)

Step 1: Cook instant noodles without the seasoning packet. Drain through a colander and don’t rinse with cold water.

Step 2: While still hot, divide instant noodles into 6 portions, and place each portion in lightly greased ramekins or other round containers to mould it into a round shape. If you prefer thinner or smaller “buns”, I’d suggest using two packets of instant noodles instead.

Step 3: Place a smaller, heavier bowl over the instant noodles to press it into shape. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Step 4: Combine the ground beef, garlic, oyster sauce, sugar and black pepper. Add beaten egg, and mix well.

Step 5: Gently form meat into balls, then flatten into patties. Refrigerate until needed. Alternatively, you can use frozen ready-made patties to reduce the amount of prep work needed.

Step 6: Heat oil in pan, and fry “buns” until brown on one side and cooked on the other.

Step 7: Set aside, ready for the hamburger, with shredded lettuce on one side.

Step 8: Fry patties until cooked through. The top and bottom should be slightly charred.

Glaze with the soy sauce to taste.

Step 9: Place cheese slice on bottom “bun”, then put cooked hamburger patty on top of it and place one more cheese slice.

Add shredded lettuce. Spoon some more soy sauce and top with the other “bun”.

It took a few tries for me to flip the instant noodles “bun” correctly. The first time I tried, I didn’t wait long enough for the bottom layer to crisp up, and the “bun” scattered into a flattened mess.

Here’s what I’ve learnt from my attempts: don’t add too much oil, so that the bottom layer will brown faster. Also, let it crisp up fully before trying to flip the “bun”. That way, the hardened, crispy layer will help to hold the rest of the “bun” together and prevent it from scattering.

As for the patty, it turned out simply superb. Taste-wise, it was actually quite close to the Japanese hamburg steak. Soft, tender and oh-so-juicy, this was definitely the best part of the burger. If you’re up for more tweaking, I’d suggest adding some diced onions and carrots into the ground beef mixture before shaping it into patties.

This was certainly a fun recipe to try, especially on lazy weekend afternoons during this ‘Circuit Breaker’ period. There are still a few more weeks to go for this ‘Circuit Breaker’ and I can’t wait to try out even more Simple Stay-home recipes!

If you’re trying out this Instant Noodles Burger recipe, share your experience with us.

Expected Damage: S$6 – S$8 per portion (feeds 3 pax)

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