Africa: Niger: Nigerien Camel Burger

Camel meat is considered to be one of the leanest red meats available. With a little bit of a sweet aftertaste, camel meat is very similar to beef in terms of flavor and texture.

INGREDIENTS:

Ground camel meat – 2 lbs

Medium red onion (diced) – 1/2

Garlic cloves (minced) – 2

Ground cumin – 2-3 tsp

Cilantro (finely chopped) – 2 tbsp

Wheat-free tamari – 2 tbsp (may use low-sodium soy sauce instead)

Ground coriander – 2 to 3 tsp

Small toasted, buttered hamburger buns – 6

Tomatoes for topping (optional) – 4

Lettuce for topping (optional)

Cheese for topping (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Take a large cast-iron skillet and heat it over medium-high flame. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Next, take a mixing bowl and add the camel meat, garlic, tamari, red onion, cilantro, cumin and coriander. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

Clean your hands properly and gently combine all the ingredients using your bare hands until everything is mixed well.

Now, take small batches of the mixture and shape them into 6 patties of equal size. The patties should be approximately 1 inch thick.

Next, take a pan and arrange all 6 of them in a way that they do not touch each other and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Take the patties out of the fridge and, on medium-high flame, cook them in a small amount of vegetable oil until the patties acquire a good brownish color on the bottom. This should take about 6-7 minutes. Once the bottom of the patties turns brown, flip them over.

Once both the sides of the meat are cooked properly, shift the skillet to the oven. Cook in the oven for approximately 7 to 8 minutes.

Using an instant-read thermometer start spot-checking the internal temperature of the burgers after 5 minutes. Make sure to check the temperature closely as it will help to avoid the overcooking of the meat. At 140 degrees, take the patties out of the oven and keep them aside in a pan to rest for 5 minutes.

Now, take the toasted, buttered buns and place the camel meat in the centre. You can also add lettuce, sliced tomato, sliced onion, cheese and any sauce of your choice to make it even more delicious.