Burgers are considered as junk food all around the world because they have the ability to make your body unhealthy. They are high in fat content which clog our arteries and lead to heart attacks. That's why we are taught to say "NO TO BURGERS". But did you know that we can prepare healthy burgers ourselves at home that's less in fat content, thus safe to eat? Eat once in a while and you won't harm your body. You'll no longer need to load your freezer with those unhealthy frozen burgers. Bid farewell to the junk food and welcome healthy food to your dining table.

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE = LONG LIFE

In this recipe, we're going to follow a little trick to remove the excess fat content from the minced beef. Don't worry about the taste. You'll still get a delicious burger that can satisfy your taste buds. You can say that the burgers will be a bit drier than those we get from the outlets. But just a little bit. That's not an issue since we have decided to prepare a healthy burger, right? We'll spice it up for extra taste. Also you can still hold together the burger into shapes because many of them say that the fat content helps to shape the burgers without breaking. You might feel like the burgers are going to break up, but that too never happens. We have ways for every problems. So shall we get started? It would be better to go through some tips, I think.


Tips:

• You may add more spices of your choice.
• If you feel that the beef mixture is not wet enough to hold its shape, add more eggs until you are able to do so. Or you may add 2-3 tablespoons milk to moisten it. Though I haven't tried it, that's also a way.

Ingredients:

600 g minced beef

2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon garlic paste

1/4 teaspoon paprika

1 cup fresh cilantro (Coriander leaf), chopped

1/2 cup mint, chopped

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoon corn starch (flour)

2 eggs

Oil for cooking

Method:

As we said earlier, our first step is to remove the excess fat content from the minced beef. To do this, let's soak the beef in boiled water.

1. Place the minced beef in a large bowl.

2. Boil enough water to cover the beef.

3. When it starts boiling, turn off the heat and slowly pour the water into the bowl placed with beef. Using a spoon, gently give it a stir. At this point, you'll see a change in the color of the beef. Allow it to rest for about 2 minutes. This step will not only help to remove the fat content but also remove the blood and dirt from the beef.

4. Stir once again and transfer this to a steel colander.

5. Wash the minced beef under tape water twice.

6. Allow it to rest in the colander for about 10 minutes to strain excess water.

7. After 10 minutes, transfer the minced beef to a large bowl.

8. Add all the ingredients except oil and mix with a spatula until combined.


9. Now give a good mix with your hand until the mixture is good enough for shaping.

10. When its done, divide into equal portions. (We made 12 burgers with this.)

11. Shape each of them into burgers with your palm. Be light or you'll break it.


12. When you're done, place them in a separate plate and allow it sit in the fridge for about 1 hour.

13. Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. If you put them on high heat, the insides won't get cooked well.

14. Place the burgers into the pan and fry them until both sides are browned. Another trick to keep the burgers moistened is to cover the pan with a lid while frying and you won't end up with dried burgers.

Healthy homemade burgers are ready to be served. You can serve it with some sauce/ketchup or as a side along with plain white rice. They taste best when they are still hot.

Aren't you feeling excited about preparing it yourself?

Wasn't it simple to make?

Isn't it delicious?

Did it break up?

Write your comments below and also attach an image of your preparation. We would be happy if you enjoyed our recipe.

Enjoy!

Melon Pan (メロンパン) is a sweet bread from Japan. The bun is covered with a thin layer of sweet cookie dough and given beautiful diamond patterns which resembles that of a rock melon. But its not as the name says. They are not traditionally melon flavored. But these days, people have started adding melon or melon extract to the bread to add its flavor. What's more addicting is the top cookie dough which gives the entire bun a special taste.

The preparations are done in two parts. One is about preparing the cookie dough and next is the bread dough. Its a bit long process, so make sure you have got enough time on hand. Also be patient and I'm sure you'll be successful. Do not give up at any point.

Tips:

• If you don't have the mentioned flour, you may substitute it with all purpose flour. But you might find a slight difference in the texture.
• In case you don't have the non-fat dry milk powder, you can add the full fat one.
• It's always best to use unsalted butter as the salt in it can overpower the sweet flavor of the butter. For best results, bring the butter to room temperature (keep the butter out of the refrigerator for at least 1 hour prior to the preparation or until it gets soft).
• Just like butter, bring the egg to room temperature before use.
• The fermentation time depends on its temperature. It ferments well in a humid environment, so be careful about it. Fermentation can also be done in a different way by keeping the dough bowl in another bowl of hot water.
  
• Melon pan tastes more delicious when freshly baked than while its completely cooled.

Ingredients:

- Bread Dough

140g bread flour

25g sugar

1/3 teaspoon salt

5g non-fat dry milk powder

3g instant yeast

70ml warm water

1 tablespoon beaten egg, room temperature

15g unsalted butter, room temperature

bread flour for dusting

- Cookie Dough

25g unsalted butter, room temperature

35g sugar

25g beaten egg, room temperature

80g cake flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Bread flour for dusting

Method:

- Preparing the Cookie Dough

1. Cream the butter in a bowl.

2. Gradually add the sugar in two separate additions and continue to beat until the color turns white.

3. Now add the egg in four separate additions to the butter mixture and mix until it's completely combined. Do not add the egg all at once. If you do, the batter will separate.

4. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and sift into another bowl.

5. Add the flour to the butter mixture in three separate additions and mix thoroughly until fully incorporated. Be light with this and be careful not to over mix the dough.

6. Transfer the dough onto a plastic wrap. Neatly form it into a cylindrical shape. Cover and chill in the fridge for about 1 hour.

While it's resting, let's prepare the bread dough.

- Preparing the Bread Dough

1. In a medium bowl, add the flour, sugar, salt, milk powder, yeast and mix well.

2. Add warm water to the beaten egg and whisk. Pour into the flour and mix evenly with a spatula.

3. Transfer the mixture to a pastry board. Knead until the dough is no longer sticky.

4. Flatten the dough and spread the butter. Pull the sides of the dough to the center and continue kneading. It will be very oily, but don't worry. The dough will absorb the butter soon. Continue to knead for about 15 minutes until a soft dough is formed.

5. Shape into a ball and place it back to the bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm place for about 40 minutes or until double in size.

6. After the fermentation, remove the plastic wrap. Dip your index finger in the flour and make a hole in the center of the dough. If the hole quickly disappears, the dough need more fermentation.

7. Dust flour on the pastry board. Place the dough onto the board and flatten it to remove the gas. Roll the dough into a long cylinder.

8. Divide the dough into five equal pieces.

9. Roll them into neat balls. Place them on a cooking tray dusted with flour. Cover with a plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.

Meanwhile, let's work with the cookie dough.

- Working with the Cookie Dough

1. Divide the cookie dough into five equal pieces.

2. Put a little flour on your hands and begin shaping each pieces into a ball.

3. Place the dough on a plastic wrap. Place another wrap on it. Press the dough with a pastry scraper until it reaches 3 1/2 inch diameter. To make this easy, draw the circle on a paper and place it below the wrap. This will help you get it right.

4. Place the cookie sheets on the cooking tray dusted with flour. Cover with a plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge while the bread dough is resting. This makes the cookie dough easier to handle.

Now let's shape the melon pan.

- Shaping the Melon pan

1. Re-shape the bread dough once again into a ball.

2. Take a cookie sheet and cover the bread dough. Don't cover the whole dough. Leave the bottom side open.

3. Turn the dough upside down and adjust the cookie sheet. Pinch the bottom of the bread dough and dip the cookie dough.

4. Hold the melon pan on your palm and draw diamond patterns on the top using scraper.

5. Place the buns on a baking tray and let it sit in a warm place for second fermentation for about 40 minutes or until double in size.

- Baking the Melon Pan

1. Preheat the oven to 340°F.

2. Bake the melon pan until the top is slightly browned.

Kakkoii Deshou (かっこいい でしょう) ! You have baked delicious melon pan. Now cool it on a cooling rack and they are ready to be served.

We were excited as we got it right with our first try. It came out beautifully and also tasted so delicious. So I'm sure you can also do it.

Good luck with the preparation!

Have you ever tried baking a cake yourself? Might be a bit nervous at first, right? Don't worry, it's not as tough as you think. Of course, only hard work can give you perfect result. But once prepared, you can have a cake just like how you get it from the bakery. Or may be better than that? Let's give it a try. Perfect your way to making this sponge cake and I'm sure you'll be able to make other type of cakes too.

Sponge cake is the most simple cake that anyone can bake. A perfect sponge cake = light + fluffy + airy texture. One main aspect of a good sponge cake is the quality of ingredients. Baking is science, so its important to measure them accurately. Beating the batter means, incorporating air bubbles which helps to make the cake light. Air bubbles is the secret to a fluffy cake. Now before you start preparing the batter, make sure to read the following tips which will help you bake a successful cake.


Tips:

• It's always best to use unsalted butter as the salt in it can overpower the sweet flavor of the butter. For best results, bring the butter to room temperature (keep the butter out of the refrigerator for at least 1 hour prior to the preparation or until it gets soft).
• Quality of the egg is really important. So choose free-range eggs if possible. Just like butter, bring the eggs to room temperature before use.
• Go light with the batter, so that you don't break the air bubbles. If you let the air bubbles remain, your cakes will rise better.
• Make sure the oven is at the right temperature.
• Never open the oven door in the midst of baking as the temperature of the oven will get disturbed when the cold air enters. This action can affect the rising of the cake.
• If you love chilled cake, then this tip is for you. Never place the baked cake right from the oven to the fridge. If you do so, the top will be sticky. Let it cool completely in room temperature and then place it covered in the fridge.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature + more for greasing the pan

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar

4 eggs, room temperature

3/4 cup milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 338°F.

2. Brush the baking pan with melted butter and lightly dust with flour. Keep it aside.

3. Mix the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and sift them thrice. We're doing this to aerate it and to avoid any lumps in the batter. Doing so will help to create a light sponge cake. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl, beat the butter using electric mixer on high speed until softened.

5. Add vanilla extract, sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently.

6. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. If you add all at once, the batter will separate and this can result in a heavy cake.

Next, we're going to add the flour and milk together in 2 separate additions.

7. Add half of the flour and half milk. Beat on medium speed just until combined. Just like earlier, make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

8. Alternatively, add in the rest of the flour and milk and beat until fully incorporated.

Now shall we check if the batter is ready? Try to scoop up the batter using the spatula. Does it drop nicely like a ribbon?

If yes, the batter is perfect for baking.

If not, then you need to beat the batter a little more.

9. When the batter is done, pour into the greased pan.

10. Bake it for about 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Now do you know how to check if the cake is done for sure? Insert a skewer or toothpick to the center of the cake. Does it come out clean?

If yes, your cake is done.

If not, then you need to bake it for more time.

If properly cooked, you can also find that the cake has started leaving the sides of the pan.

11. Remove the cake from the oven and cool it.

Congratulations! Finally, you have baked a perfect sponge cake yourself. Just like I said, wasn't it an easy job?

Good Luck!

Tamagoyaki (たまごやき), meaning fried egg is a Japanese sweet omelette. Its so simple to make and also tastes delicious especially at room temperature. In Japan, tamagoyaki is often served for breakfast. It is also a popular addition to bento lunch boxes. It adds beautiful color to the bentos. They are usually made in a square tamagoyaki pan which makes it small and thick. But if you do not own one, you may use a small non-stick fry pan instead.

Tamagoyaki is a rolled egg with several layers. But since we are making with just one egg today, its going to be a bit flat with only few layers but looks good. I added less sugar to this recipe, as I do not like it to be too sweet.


Tips:

• You may add your favorite ingredients like green onion or something similar to the egg mixture.
• Adjust the sugar to your taste. Here we added less as I do not prefer too sweet tamagoyaki.
• Using light soy sauce and also cooking on low heat will help to make the tamagoyaki light colored. But if you do not have light soy sauce, you may use the regular one.

Ingredients:

1 large egg

1 tablespoon water

1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sugar

A pinch of sugar

1 tablespoon oil

Method 1:

1. Heat oil on medium heat in a small non-stick fry pan.

2. In a small bowl, add all the ingredients except oil and beat well using a fork.

3. Once the oil gets heated, pour the egg to the pan and spread it.

4. When its half done, fold the egg neatly in half using a spatula.

5. Fold one third of the egg and press down a bit.

6. Then fold the other end and press down once again.

7. Flip over to the other side and press just once.

8. Once it gets cooked, remove from the heat.

9. Cut into half and there you have it.

Isn't it nicely layered? But a bit flat, right? This is just the simple version. If you're really looking forward to a thick one, you can do that too, with just single egg. This is something that I came up with. Simply follow these steps.

Method 2:

1. Heat oil on medium heat in a small non-stick fry pan.

2. In a small bowl, add all the ingredients except oil and beat well using a fork.

3. Once the oil gets heated, pour the egg to the pan and spread it.

4. When its half done, cut the egg into 2 equal parts.

5. Roll it up with a fork.

6. Keep this rolled egg on to the other half and and roll it up together.

7. Press the egg just once using the spatula.

8. Once it gets cooked, remove from the heat.

9. Do a clean cut on the open part and there you have it.

Kawaii Deshou (かわいい でしょう) ! Didn't you get a thick tamagoyaki with more layers? Serve it after its cooled down. A healthy protein-rich breakfast is ready!

Good Luck with the preparation!

Tips:

• You can cool the eggplant easily by placing them in a bowl of cold water. This can speed up the cooling process.
• If you don't want to use a blender, you can mash the eggplants in a bowl until smooth and add it to the tahini mixture mixed separately in a different bowl.
• You may add more garlic if you like them.
• Lemon juice can also be added as a seasoning in the tahini mixture. That's just optional.
• You can also sprinkle paprika on top if desired.

Ingredients:

3 small eggplants

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons water

3 cloves garlic

A pinch of salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

1. Boil the eggplants until tender and drain off the water.

2. Keep it aside for cooling. When cooled completely, peel off the skin.

Peeled Eggplants

3. Place the eggplants, tahini, water, garlic, and salt in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Check the salt and add more if needed.

4. Transfer the mixture to the serving plate. Drizzle the olive oil on top and the eggplant dip is ready to be served.

Good Luck with the preparation.