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(Chef's Note: This recipe was inspired by my recent trip to Malaysia in August 2009.
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I went to visit my father's parents in Penang, the city in which my father was born and raised.
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Although I'm of Chinese background, my father often integrates Malaysian flavors in his cooking.
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One of his most popular dishes is his yellow curry, which is a staple of Malaysian Indian food.
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His traditional curry is rather time-intensive and laborious.
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I decided to take a simpler approach, making the traditional Malaysian Indian flavors more accessible to my grad student schedule.)
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Preheat a grill to medium and lightly grease the grates with canola oil.
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Burgers:
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Drizzle the red pepper, jalapeno and sliced onions with olive oil, and season them with salt, pepper, to taste, and curry powder.
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Grill the vegetables over medium heat until they have grill marks and are softened, approximately 5 minutes.
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Allow them to cool, then peel off the skin of the red pepper.
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Finely chop the onions and pepper and set aside.
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Reserve the jalapeno for the aioli.
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In a small saute pan over medium heat, add the 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/4 cup curry powder, the grated garlic, grated ginger, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and garam masala, if using.
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Allow the spices to toast in the oil until fragrant and become slightly darker in color, approximately 2 to 3 minutes (Chef's Note: If this mixture seems dry, feel free to add a little more oil to the pan.)
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Allow the spices to cool slightly.
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In a medium-sized bowl, use a fork or chopsticks to combine the beef, the spice mixture, the grilled red pepper, red onion, green onions, ketchup, brown sugar and soy sauce.
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Season with salt and black pepper, to taste.
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Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (Chef's Note: Marinating overnight is even better to help the flavors marry.)
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Remove the burger mixture from the refrigerator, and divide it into 4 equal-sized quadrants.
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Brush the patties with olive oil, season both sides with salt and pepper, and put them the grill.
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Cook the patties to medium-rare or medium doneness, about 3 minutes on the first side, then 4 to 5 minutes on the second side.
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Make sure to rotate the patties once on each side to achieve nice crosshatch marks.
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Once cooked, transfer the patties to a plate and tent them with aluminum foil.
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Allow them to rest for at least 10 minutes.
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Aioli:
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Combine the mayonnaise, mint, green onion, grilled jalapeno, garlic, curry powder, cumin, lime zest and juice in a food processor.
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Pulse until the mixture is well integrated, but there are still chunks of green onion and jalapeno remaining.
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Season the puree with salt and black pepper, to taste.
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Set aside.
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Assembly:
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In a small bowl, toss together the fried onions with the garam masala until they are evenly dusted with the spice.
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Set aside.
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While the burgers rest, halve the brioche rolls, and put them, cut side down, on the grill grates.
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Toast until they are a light golden brown, about 10 seconds.
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Set aside.
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To serve, generously spread 1 tablespoon of aioli onto each side of the rolls.
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Press 4 to 5 slices of cucumber into the mayonnaise on the bottom of the roll.
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Top the cucumbers with a handful of baby lettuce, then a burger patty, and finally, approximately 1/4 cup of the fried onion mixture.
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Cover with the top of the buns and serve immediately with a side salad and the Grilled Sweet Potato Fries.
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*Chef's Note: I use Malaysian curry powder from my father's pantry, but any good quality curry is fine.
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Make sure that you adjust the amount depending on the heat of your curry powder.
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Add the egg yolk, salt, dry mustard, and sugar to a large bowl.
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Whisk by hand or with an electric mixer until combined.
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Pour in the lemon juice and vinegar and whisk once more.
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While whisking continuously, very slowly drizzle in the canola oil.
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Keep drizzling until the mixture has emulsified and the entire cup of oil has been incorporated into the egg mixture.
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Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
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Food Network Kitchens suggest caution in consuming raw and lightly-cooked eggs due to the slight risk of Salmonella or other food-borne illness.
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To reduce this risk, we recommend you use only fresh, properly-refrigerated, clean, grade A or AA eggs with intact shells, and avoid contact between the yolks or whites and the shell.
