Thursday, October 11, 2012

Chow Mein Burger

This may seem like a loose interpretation of my Mofo sandwich theme, but the dish I'm about to show you came from a book dedicated to holiest of all sandwiches — the burger. And even though this sandwich is bun-less, I think the fact that it's a burger means it's still a sandwich. Right?

So I give you the Chow Mein Burger from The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet by Joni Marie Newman:


Crazy, huh? Oh, yea, crazy good. Let me tell ya about it. The burger patty is made from cooked chow mein noodles, stir-fried broccoli and carrots, cashew butter, cashew pieces, ginger, tofu, and sesame oil. It's all mushed together and fried in oil. Then it's served over steamed cabbage and more noodles. And of course, it's topped with sriracha. OMG! I haven't anything this wickedly delicious in a while!

I must admit, though, I had a little confusion over the "chow mein" part of the recipe. You see, in the eastern half of the U.S., chow mein are those crunchy noodle bits that are used as a topping and not cooked. So I bought those, but then I read the recipe and realized it called for the noodles to be boiled.

I didn't really know there was a regional difference until I Wikipedia-ed "chow mein." Apparently, what we call "lo mein" around here is what West Coast folks call "chow mein." Of course, the "lo mein" that I'm familiar with — those long stringy, flat noodles — is typically made with egg. But I located some egg-free lo mein at the Asian market by my house. Once I had the right noodles, the recipe came together with ease.

This is actually the first thing I've made from Joni's burger book. But holy crap! This full-color book is filled with delicious and totally unique burgers. You'll see plenty more here over the coming weeks.

On a final note, I have two booksignings for Cookin' Crunk this weekend. One is tomorrow (Friday) at Whole Foods from 4 to 7 p.m. And the other is a cooking demo and signing at the Easy Way produce market on Cooper on Saturday at 11 a.m. If you're in town, I hope to see you at one.


9 comments:

Nikki said...

Yum. A veg burger of noodles with sriracha sounds really good. And like nothing I've heard of before.

Amey said...

that creation looks totally crazy, but somehow - yummy??

Rachel from The Vegan Mishmash said...

I've never been disappointed the recipes from that book. Soooo good. My favorite is the pizza burger.

Maybe this will be my next burger.

FoodandLoathing said...

Holy crap, I want that book so badly now.

Get Skinny, Go Vegan. said...

Omgosh, how crazy lucious good. Can't even imagine HOW that would taste because I have NEVER had chow mein ANY way!!!!! It just sounds yummy and like it would smell amazing!

tender b. said...

This is a must try burger.

Richa said...

agree with amey.. it looks delicious an crazy at the same time!

Erin said...

I didn't know about the chow mein/lo mein thing until I moved out west...you won't find lo main on any menu here!

Sheridan said...

Omigod!! This looks so very good. I need to make this! stat!