Spiced lamb burgers with herbed yoghurt

Preparation time

30 mins to 1 hour

Cooking time

less than 10 mins

Serves

This may not sound like an overtly Indian dish and in a way it isn't, but people in India have always eaten kebabs, either as they are or wrapped in flatbread.

By Anjum Anand

From Indian Food Made Easy

Ingredients

For the burgers

1 small onion, quartered
4cm/1½ in piece fresh ginger
4 large garliccloves
20g/¾oz fresh coriander, stalks and leaves
2-3 green chillies, chopped or ½-1 tsp red chilli powder
450g/1lb lamb mince
¾ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp garam masala
1 tsp salt, or to taste
1 large free-range egg
2 slices thick-cut white bread, processed to crumbs in a food processor
2 tbsp oil, for greasing

For the herbed yoghurt

200g/7oz Greek-style yoghurt
30g/1oz fresh corianderleaves
15g/½oz fresh mintleaves, or 1 tbsp good quality dried mint
1-2 green chillies, finely chopped (optional)
salt, to taste
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

To serve

6 hamburger buns
1 onion, sliced crosswise into large rings
2 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced crosswise
crunchy lettuceleaves

Method

For the burgers, using a hand blender, roughly chop the onion, ginger, garlic, coriander and green chillies by pulsing, or chop them all by hand. Place into a bowl with the lamb mince, add the cumin, garam masala, salt, egg and breadcrumbs and mix well.
Shape into six burgers and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes, or until you are ready to cook them. Take them out of the fridge 30 minutes before you start cooking.
Meanwhile, for the herbed yoghurt, mix together all the ingredients for the herbed yoghurt in a bowl and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Preheat the grill to high. Place the burgers on a well-oiled baking sheet and cook for about 4-5 minutes on each side. They can also be cooked in an oiled non-stick pan for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway.
While the burgers are cooking, heat the buns in the oven for the last 3-4 minutes of the cooking time.
To serve, split the buns in two. Place a burger onto one half of each bun on a bed of lettuce. Top with the tomatoes and onion rings and a spoonful of the herbed yoghurt. Finish with the other half of each bun.