Add a sweet-and-sour kick to your favourite fast food

What you’ll need:

• 500g ground pork
• ½ cup rice wine vinegar 
(or white wine vinegar)
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tbsp chopped ginger
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp sriracha or chilli 
garlic sauce
• 4 sesame seed buns, 
lightly toasted
• 4 tbsp hoisin sauce
• ½ English (seedless) 
cucumber, thinly sliced
• Salt to taste (for the 
cucumber) plus 1 tsp

How to:

MINUTES 0-3
Preheat a grill or grill pan 
on medium. Combine the cucumber slices, the vinegar, and a few pinches of 
salt in a bowl and set aside.

MINUTES 4-9
In a big mixing bowl, combine the pork, garlic, ginger, spring onions and 1 tsp salt. Gently shape the meat into four equal-size patties. Then lightly press a thumb into 
the centre of each one to 
create a small crater.

MINUTES 10-22
Grill the burgers until they’re nicely browned 
on the outside and firm to the touch, about 5 minutes on each side. Combine the mayo and sriracha and spread this on the bottom buns. Spread the hoisin on the top buns. Lay a small pile of cucumbers on each burger. Makes 4 servings.

HOMEMADE HEAT

Sriracha sauce addiction has gone beyond Thailand’s borders. Chef Jackie Cameron of Hartford House gives it an SA spin.

• 1.5kg red jalalpeños and red 
serranos (normal hot chillies).Adjust the ratio based on 
how spicy youlike it;the more 
serranos the spicier the sauce)
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 
4 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp sea salt flakes
• 
½cup white vinegar

1. Blitz peppers, garlic, sugar and salt in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer mix 
to a jar, then cover and let sit at room temperature in a dark, dry place for 2-3 days. Check  daily for signs of fermentation – bubbles at the bottom of the jar – and stir daily, until the mixture is no longer risingfrom the fermentation.
2. Transfer mix to a blender, add vinegar and purée until completely smooth. Pour through a fine sieve into a heavy saucepan,  mashing until every last bit is through.
3. Bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until you’ve achieved a desirable consistency. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 6 months.

Pump up the pork: if hoisin isn’t your thing, swop in another Asian-style condiment to enhance the patty. 
Try teriyaki, tonkatsu (or Worcestershire sauce), Thai peanut sauce, or chilli garlic sauce.

Per serving: 2 090kJ, 24g protein, 34g carbohydrates, (2g fibre), 
29g fat, 1 050mg sodium

Pickle yourself
You don’t have to sterilise canning jars and vacuum-seal lids to make your own delicious pickles. Instead, use our quick-pickle combos to give your vegetables an instant flavour kick.