Mangoes and Curry Leaves, part II

I wrote about these amazing burgers months ago. I decided to repost because now I have some beautiful photos of them. Recently, we grilled about 20 burgers for our closest friends, one of them being Yvette, my dear and talented wonder-friend. I asked her to put her burger down mid-meal and take some photos. (She's a not only an amazing photographer, but also a good sport!).
These burgers come from a great cook book, Mangoes and Curry Leaves, by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. It chronicles their travels through the great sub continent.
After making these as often as I have, I prefer to omit the yogurt that is called for in the meat mixture. I find that it makes these too moist and they are likely to fall apart on the grill. Instead, I make a yogurt cucumber sauce (raita), which works really well. To top these off, we add a simple watercress and shallot salad which we use as a condiment.

Cumin - Coriander Beef Patties
From Mangoes and Curry Leaves by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

About 1 lb best-quality lean ground beef (preferably grass fed/organic)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/4 to 1/2 tsp cayenne
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 cup packed chopped cilantro or mint leaves
vegetable oil

Place meat in a bowl, add onion, ginger. cumin, coriander, cayenne, salt, yogurt and vinegar. Mix well with your hands - you want a smooth texture. Add cilantro or mint and fold into meat. Form patties into an oval or round about 3/4 " thick. Place on lightly oiled plates. Grill patties over medium flame, turning after 5 minutes. Cook to desired temperature.
Serve with toasted pita bread or flat bread.















Cucumber Yogurt Sauce / Raita
1 cup Greek yogurt - plain
1 hothouse cucumber, peeled, seeded, finely diced
1 shallot, finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 radishes, finely diced
salt and pepper
juice of 1 lime

Mix together - chill until service.

Watercress and Shallot Salad
1 bunch watercress - roughly chopped
1 shallot, cut thinly
juice of 1 lime
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Place watercress and shallot in large salad bowl, add lime juice and olive oil. Toss gently and serve.