Lime-leaf Mint and Chili Burgers

Ingredients:

Chicken mince – 500 gms

Bacon (optional) -100 gms

1 big onion chopped

4 tablespoons grated ginger

8 kafir lime leaves shredded

1 cup of chopped coriander leaves and stalks

About 1 tsp of finely crushed lemongrass bulb

1 cup of chopped mint leaves

12 basil leaves

1 tsp salt

2 green chilies

Method: Just process all the ingredients together in a mixer or a hand-blender till every herb, stalk and leaf is blended fine. (If you’re not using bacon, then you may need to use ½ cup of breadcrumbs for the burgers to ‘hold’.) Stick your nose and take a sniff. The blending should have released lots of fragrant aromas. With a little skill, you will soon be able to detect if there’s enough salt in a mix just by smelling it. Until then, you can ‘test’ for salt by frying a tiny little burger in advance. Taste for salt and lemon.

Now, oil your palms and make patties that are about 1.5 cms thick and about 2 inches in diameter. Heat a non-stick pan and grease with sesame seed oil. When hot, fry the burgers on a medium flame until cooked through and golden on each side (about 6-8 minutes in all). Spritz some lemon on and serve.