I”m fairly sure most of us in Malaysia and Singapore know what Ramly burger satu means. For you who haven’t been to Malaysia or don’t quite understand Malay language, Ramly burger satu simply means, one Ramly burger please – usually directed to the burger seller or his assistant.

RM 2.50 a pop (SGD$1.20), Ramly burger can be found on just about every street corner in Malaysia, particularly in the streets of Kuala Lumpur (KL). Sloppy, greasy and utterly delicious, your street eats adventure in KL  would not be quite complete without giving  this a try before getting the KELUAR (departed) stamp on your passport.

Created by Ramly Moknin, Ramly Burger started out in 1979 as a small family business operating from a mobile kiosk in Kuala Lumpur. The family recipe soon became a hit among Malaysians and the rest of the story is history….

These days, Ramly burgers not only can be bought from Ramly burger carts in Malaysia, but you can also get the frozen patties over at supermarkets too.

When Babe in the City invited me to participate in this year’s Merdeka Open House – Makan Through Malaysia, i didn’t need to mull long to decide what to cook. So why this dish?

Apart from wanting to try whipping this up for the longest time for my loved ones, particularly Darcy, who refuses to try this burger from Ramly burger carts, there’s a little story behind my accidental love for this burger. :)

Before i met my first puppy love, i was not big on this burger to be honest. I hardly eat it at all. It was through him, let’s call him L, i was introduced to the world of Ramly Burger. Burger ayam, burger lembu, Ramly burger special… without fail, L will insist on having his fill for the week every Friday date night when he sends me home, after our very first burger adventure together on one fateful hungry night.

For the first few months, it was always me who did the ordering because being in an overseas boarding school  since very young, L cannot speak Malay. Because he was so greedy, he would insist me on ordering 2 burgers at one go, satu ayam, satu lembu, even though i sternly told him not to. You see, it wasn’t because i was a bad girlfriend or something, it was more like i felt obligated to eat my share too, hungry or not, because L can never finish both burgers and i don’t even like ketchup!

Aaahh, silly little girls… Yes, that’s right. Silly little girl me then!
(errm, though i’m no longer a little girl, i’m still as silly– always vacuuming up unfinished food by others!)

Needless to say, not too long after that, it was not L who will impatiently open up those wrapped burgers. :)

When i decided to whip this up in my very own kitchen 13 years later for Darcy and the little ones, truffle fries are a must. To wash down all the grease, the helper suggested beer for the adults (actually, it was more for herself! grin) and freshly squeezed orange juice for the boys.

Ramly Burger

Homemade beef patties :

500g minced beef
120g fresh breadcrumbs
1 large egg
2 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Divide into 8-10 portions and roll into balls.
3. Set aside.

(adapted from food & travel)

Burger Bun :

1 1/4 cup milk
1 cup cream
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 oz yeast
1/4 cup sugar
5 cups bread flour
2 tsp salt

sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Method

To make dough, using a stand mixer :

1. Bring milk and cream to a bare simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cool mixture to lukewarm.

2. Add warm milk mixture, sugar, flour, and salt to yeast and warm water and mix at low speed, scraping down side of bowl as necessary, until flour is incorporated. Increase speed to medium and beat 6 minutes. (Dough will be sticky.)

Transfer dough to a lightly oiled large bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, about 2 hours.

To make hamburger buns :

1. Butter 2 large baking sheets. Punch down dough, then divide dough into 10-12 pieces. Shape these dough into a ball and press them down a little use fingers before arranging them 3 inches apart on baking sheets.

2. Loosely cover buns with oiled plastic wrap or cloth and let rise at warm room temperature until they doubled in size, 45-60 minutes later.

3. Preheat oven to 375°F.

4. Brush buns with some of water and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until tops are golden and undersides are golden-brown and sound hollow when tapped, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool completely.

(adapted from Epicurious’ Homemade burger buns)

To assemble :

(serves 2)

2 homemade patties
2 homemade burger buns, each split into half
2 eggs, beaten separately
2 leaves butterhead lettuce
4 slices cucumber
butter
mayonnaise
chili sauce or ketchup
2 slices of emmantel cheese, optional

Method

1. Heat up frying pan over medium heat. Place a beef ball in the pan and press down with your frying slice so that you get a disc about 1 cm thick and roughly 6cm across. Cook for 2 minutes on each side, or according to preference for doneness. Remove.

2. Using the same pan, lower the heat and lightly toast the buns that have been slathered generously with butter for 1 minute. Remove.

3. In a clean wide pan, heat up a little oil and pour over the beaten egg. Tip the pan so that the egg omelette spreads evenly and is large enough for you to wrap the patty in. When the omelette is set, place one patty in the center and using a spoon and chopsticks, fold up the omelette on 4 sides so that you get a neat, squarish package. Repeat with other egg.

4. Place an omelette-wrapped patty on one half of the toasted bun and top with lettuce, cucumber and tomato. Squirt on mayonnaise and chili sauce/ketchup. Cover up with the other half of the bun.

5. Bon appétit!

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If you are teeny weeny bit (yeah right!) lazy like me, you can forgo the whole omelette, squarish package idea, because it’s really not easy to wrap the patty up. We like our food piping hot, so i did the whole wrapping thingie in the burning pan itself.

Ramly special or not, so long you get the basic burger formula right, your burger will kick ass!

Ramly burger basic formula : soft buns – toasted with butter in  pan, moist and juicy meat patty, crunchy vegetables and tomatoes + generous squirts of rich, thick mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce.

Behind the scene after photographing – boy1 & helper helping themselves right there and then. Too messy and bothersome to transport those burgers to the kitchen again.

Yup, no special photography equipments for always-pressed-for-time-me. It’s just me, the camera, me and the camera. 5-10 minutes is all i can afford, including styling. You have no idea how much i envy those of you who have the luxury of time to do proper set ups, styling, test shots, etc. Nevertheless, i’m still thankful for that short time frame which i can afford, even if it’s just 10 minutes long. :)

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I’m submitting this to Muhibbah Monday too, hosted by Suresh of 3hungrytummies.