Comfort Hamburgers (or Cheeseburgers)
Very few ingredients, but very big impact. Full of flavors that entice you to settle in and feel warm all over, with very little if any salt.
Submitted by: Monica from West Orange, New Jersey
Yield: 4-6 burgers
Preparation Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together well with your hands. Form burger patties and toss them firmly but closely back and forth between hands (like you're playing catch, or making pizza dough). It may seem like "playing" but its the aggressive patting and massaging that mixes the ingredients thoroughly and helps burgers with ingredients stay firmly together through any grilling process. If they have 20 minutes or so to sit in the fridge and soak up the spices before grilling, even better.
thespicehouse.com
More About This Recipe
Add variety any way you like. Would recommend using whole grain or high-fiber rolls and adding lots of veggies for a healthy balanced burger. Diabetic friendly that way. You can also substitute curry powder for the chili powder above and still get a hint of kick. You can use salt, but really no need. The purpose of the flavors is to compliment the burger and enhance its natural meaty flavor vs. covering it up. You don't have to use parmesan, but it is highly recommended. There are only a few flavors in the world that have that "fifth taste", unagi, and parmesean is one (mushrooms another, chicken soup another and most meats). MSG is how unagi is usually achieved spice-wise, predominantly in Chinese cooking, but parmesean added to things is a much more natural source and much less a complex food than MSG (less headache inducing for some). This, with the meat, onion and pepper, is what helps the burger really give a taste of comfort.
You mention unagi which is Japanese for eel. I think you mean umami.