Recipe for the Classic Umami Burger

Here is the recipe for a delicious beef steak smothered with cheddar cheese and caramelised onions, placed on a bed of gherkins, tomato and crispy lettuce in a tasty bun and drizzled with sauce. Umami!

This mysterious word, borrowed from Japanese, signifies a rich, pleasing flavour. Umami is now considered the fifth taste, after bitter, sour, salty and sweet. Lest we drift away from cooking and into a chemistry lesson, let’s just say that we often find this flavour in foods such as cheese, bouillon, tomato sauce, olives and soy sauce. In this recipe, perfectly seasoned grilled beef sings with umami. Our mouths are watering already!

• 1 portion beef steak mince
• 2 pinches Knorr beef bouillon powder
• 1 slice American cheese
• 21g caramelised onions
• 1 burger bun
• 14g classic burger sauce4 gherkin rounds, preferably Malossol
  
• 1 slice of tomato
• 21g shredded Romaine lettuce
  

Cooking the steak
Place a sheet of baking paper on the steak mince and press lightly. Turn the steak over and season the side to be grilled with Knorr spicy beef powder. Sear the steak until it’s halfway done (about 1 minute), then sear the other side. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 75°C (167°F). Place a slice of American cheese on the steak, then cover the patty to melt the cheese. Spread a layer of caramelised onions on top of the melted cheese.

Assembly
Butter and grill the cut surfaces of the bun. With the sides facing up, dot the top bun with classic burger sauce. On the bottom bun, place in this order: 4 slices of Malossol gherkins, tomato slice, shredded Romaine, the steak smothered in melted cheese and caramelised onions, and then the top bun.

When cooking, the taste of the products must be authentic, and a sublime simplicity is truly what we love to share with others. The perfect accompaniment for this burger? Homemade fries, of course!