Islak burger

Ingredients

Patties

• 600 gminced beef
• 1onion, grated and squeezed dry
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 teaspoonsalt
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 1 teaspoonground cumin
• 1 tablespoonbreadcrumbs

Buns

• 6soft sesame burger buns
• the softest you can find

Sauce

• 4 tablespoonstomato paste
• 400 gpassata
• 8garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tablespoonsbutter
• 2 tablespoonsoil
• 1 teaspoondried oregano
• 1 teaspoonpaprika
• 1 teaspoonsugar
• 300 mlwater
• salt and black pepper

Equipment

• a steamer or a covered tray
• a pot of simmering water

Directions

1. Steam rises from below and keeps them warm. They are eaten in the early hours. Grate the onion and squeeze it dry. Squeeze it in a cloth or in your hands. Squeezing it out keeps the flavour without the liquid. Mix the mince with the squeezed onion. Add the garlic, salt, pepper and cumin. Add the breadcrumbs to bind it. Working the mixture takes some care.
2. Knead it with your hands for two minutes. Kneading makes the patty firm and springy. Divide the mixture into six portions. Shape each into a thin flat patty. Make them slightly wider than the buns. Aim for about one centimetre thick. Heat a heavy pan or a griddle.
3. Cook them for about four minutes a side. They should be browned and cooked through. Cut one open or use a thermometer. Melt the butter with the oil in a pan.
4. Add the crushed garlic to the pan. Cook it gently for two minutes. Do not let the garlic brown at all. Stir the tomato paste into the pan. Fry it for a good two minutes. Add the passata and the water.
5. Add the oregano, paprika and sugar. Season it with salt and black pepper. Simmering the sauce takes time. Let it simmer for about twenty minutes. Stir it occasionally as it reduces. It should be thin rather than thick.
6. Add water if it reduces too far. Set one patty inside each of them. Spoon sauce generously over the patty. The outside of the bun must be soaked too. Set the soaked burgers in a covered tray. Set that over a pot of simmering water.
7. Let them steam for about fifteen minutes. They can sit steaming for an hour or more. Lift them out carefully with a slice. They fall apart if handled roughly. Serve them in paper or on a plate. A cold drink goes alongside them. Steam them again to reheat them.

Technique

• Islak means wet, and nothing about the burger is meant to be crisp: the bun is soft and soaked through, the patty steamed rather than seared, and the whole thing yielding, which is entirely the point.
• The patty is deliberately kneaded for a couple of minutes, unlike most burgers, since that firmness helps it survive the soaking while a loose patty disintegrates in the sauce.
• The sauce must be thin enough to soak into the bun rather than sitting on the surface, and the outside of the bun is soaked as well as the inside, which is what makes it islak.

Substitutions

• Any very soft sesame bun works, and a firm or crusty bun does not.
• A covered tray over simmering water stands in for a steamer.

Variations

• They only improve as they sit steaming, which is why shops hold them in cabinets for an hour or more.
• Some sellers add a little chilli to the sauce.
• They are eaten mainly in the early hours in Taksim.

History

Invented in Taksim, Istanbul in the 1970s and eaten mainly late at night after drinking.

Frequently asked questions

What is Islak burger?

Islak burger is a street food from Turkey: steamed burger soaked in garlicky tomato sauce, held warm in a glass cabinet. Invented in Taksim, Istanbul in the 1970s and eaten mainly late at night after drinking.

How long does Islak burger take to make?

Islak burger takes 25 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes 6 burgers. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Islak burger?

Yes, within limits. Any very soft sesame bun works, and a firm or crusty bun does not. A covered tray over simmering water stands in for a steamer.

What is the most important thing to get right in Islak burger?

Add the crushed garlic to the pan. Cook it gently for two minutes. Do not let the garlic brown at all. Stir the tomato paste into the pan. Fry it for a good two minutes. Add the passata and the water.