Those who know us well, know that we consider entertaining a hobby! Hosting dinner parties has become a weekly event. As hostess’s, we like to focus on delivering a memorable experience as much as creating an incredible menu. Unexpected theme dinners have become a big part of our repertoire.
Sometimes the menu’s are elaborate, requiring several days of prep and other times they are more casual and fun, resembling street food. We have especially enjoyed creating, ethnic inspired burgers. Take a look at some of our favorite burgers, Chinese Chicken Burger and Turkey Burger with Pear Chutney, and just wait till you try this Bollywood Burger.
Having grown up exposed to a Lebanese kitchen, I love most cuts of lamb. I also love Indian food and thus came the inspiration to create this, Indian-inspired burger.
To create the tablescape, we layered a variety of Indian inspired items in bright, bold colors. Take a look at some examples below. If you travel, souvenir shops can be a wonderful source for fun tabletop items.
We settled on the name “Bollywood Burger,” for our Indian-inspired burger; after the first bite, we felt like doing a happy dance, inspired by a Bollywood film. The Bollywood Burger has layers of vibrant flavors from the creamy, tangy Raita to fresh, Mint Chutney and sweet, Caramelized Onions. French fries seemed too simple, so we went with Spicy Sweet Potato Oven Fries. We hope you enjoy as much as we do!
The secret ingredient that we blend with the lamb for this Bollywood burger is, Patak Garlic Relish which is easily available on Amazon and well worth the effort of ordering. I have tried several homemade options but don’t get the same fantastic results, so I highly recommend you try some. Although any type of Naan bread will work, I like Stonefire Tandoori Mini Naan, as two of them work nicely as a bun, available at supermarkets and often times at Costco.
All recipes below and if you enjoyed this post take a look at another Indian inspired evening, Spicy Soirée: A Night in India
Elevate Your Burger Indian Style
INGREDIENTS
For the Burger
- 4 lb Ground Lamb
- 8 tbsp. Patak Garlic Relish
- 8 tsp. Freshly Grated Ginger
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 16 Stonefire Tandoor Baked Mini Naan’s. Ready made Naan bread is also available from brands such as La Brea Bakery and Indian Chef.
- Olive Oil to Drizzle
- 5 oz Baby Arugula
Special Condiments
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium bowl, combine the ground lamb with the grated ginger and garlic relishes.
- Form the lamb into 8 ounce patties. The patties can be placed in the refrigerator and chilled several hours or overnight.
- Remove the lamb burgers 30-60 minutes before grilling. Light a grill on medium-high. Lightly drizzle the burgers with olive oil and salt and pepper the burgers.
- Grill 3-4 minutes on each side, remove from grill and rest the burgers for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime lightly grill 2 Mini Naan’s per burger.
- Place a handful of arugula on a Naan, add a Lamb Burger, a spoonful of Raita, a spoonful of Caramelized Onions and a drizzle of Mint-Cilantro Chutney. Top with another Naan and serve with Sweet Potato Fries. Repeat to create the remaining burgers.
