MY take on KFC Burger

Serves: 4
Cooks in: 1 hour
Difficulty: 5/10
Can be gluten free

Ingredients

(Filling) Mushrooms

1 cup Dried Mushrooms 

1 tbs Miso Paste 

1 Bay Leaf 

2 Sticks Celery 

3 cups/500ml Water 

4-6 Oyster Mushrooms Clusters, if you can’t get hold of the clusters, individual oyster mushrooms will work – 4-5 per person

Coating 

Buttermilk

2 cups/500ml Soy Milk

4 tbs White Wine Vinegar or Juice of 1 Lemon Juice 

Dry Spice Mix

1/2 cup/60g Plain/All Purpose Flour

1/2 cup/60g Cornflour 

1 Cup/20g Cornflakes, lightly crushed 

2 tsp Cracked Black Pepper

2 tsp Ground Ginger 

2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

2 tsp Dried Oregano

2 tsp Smoked Paprika

3 tsp Garlic Granules 

1 tsp Dried Basil

1 tsp Dried Thyme

2 tsp Celery Salt

2 tsp Onion Granules

2 tbs Caster Sugar 

1 litre Vegetable Oil 

Gravy

2 tbs Tomato Puree

1 tbs Soy Sauce

2 tbs Marmite

1 Carrot, chopped roughly 

3 Cloves Garlic, crushed 

2 Sprigs Fresh Thyme

1 Bay Leaf 

+ Mushroom Broth

Cornflour mixed with water to thicken (if needed, see video)

Serve with

Toasted Buns 

Mayonaise 

Lettuce 

Tomato Pickles 

Method

First up, add the vegetable stock, dried mushrooms, celery, bay leaf & miso paste to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cut down any big oyster mushroom clusters to the size of your burger buns. 

Poach the mushrooms in the broth for 5 minutes. Then remove and place on to a clean kitchen bowl to dry off. 

Leave the broth simmering away over a very low heat, this will eventually be the gravy. 

To make the coating, first up whisk together the soy milk with the vinegar or lemon juice in a bowl to make the ‘buttermilk’. Set it aside for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile in another bowl combine all the coating ingredients – lightly crushing the cornflakes into smaller pieces.

Individually dip the poached mushrooms first into the flour mix, then into the buttermilk then back into the flour mix. Make sure they’re well coated & double dip them for a thicker coating.

At this point the mushrooms can be frozen for up to 3 months. I often coat a big batch & help myself to them when ever I feel like. I gently defrost them before cooking. 

Once you’ve coated all the mushrooms. Add the oil to a large saucepan. 

Only fill the saucepan half way high, as the oil will rise when you place the them into the pan.

Place the oil over a medium heat & check if it’s hot enough by placing a crumb of the batter into the oil, if it bubbles – you’re ready to fry.

Cook the mushrooms in the oil in small batches for 5-6 minutes on both sides.

Make sure they’re really crisp & golden before removing from the oil & place them straight onto a plate lined with kitchen paper.

Season with a little salt to keep them crisp.

Alternatively the mushrooms can be baked on a lined baking try in the oven set at 200 degrees C for 25 minutes. 

To finish the gravy, add tomato puree, soy sauce, marmite, carrot, garlic, thyme & bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a simmer for 15 minutes. Before straining the liquid through a sieve (see video for tip on what to do with the strained vegetables). 

If your gravy needs to be thickened, mix a couple tablespoons of cornflour with water to form a smooth paste & whisk it into the gravy until it has thickened. 

Build your burgers & serve, I like to toast my buns and garnish with lettuce, tomato & gherkins. Dunk the burgers in the gravy for the ultimate treat.

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