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1
Smash the garlic cloves, remove the skins and mince coarsely.
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2
Chop the onions into pieces about a quarter to half an inch square.
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3
Dice or slice the hot chilies.
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4
Grate the cheddar on the side of the grater with the big round holes.
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5
Cut the tomatoes into chunks about the same size as the onions or a little larger.
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6
Shred the lettuce finely into strips maybe 18 inch wide.
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7
The essence of this dish is textured savoriness.
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8
The sharp cheddar, hot chilies, and yellow onions all contribute without overpowering one another.
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9
The tomatoes, besides adding a nice acidy zing, also give moisture.
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10
But the key to the savoriness and to the unique taste of the dish lies in the first two steps involving the garlic, onions and hamburger.
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11
Cheap hamburger is used because it has a high fat content and lots of taste.
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12
I've made this with chopped sirloin and the like and believe me, the result is definitely inferior to using the cheap stuff.
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13
Now that you've got everything sliced, diced and chopped you can start cooking.
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14
Actually, I usually do these first couple of steps prior to doing most of the cutting.
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15
That speeds things up a bit.
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16
Heat a wok over high heat and put in a nice dollop of peanut oil about 2 tablespoons or so.
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17
Let it heat for a minute then toss in the minced garlic, followed a second or two later by about 2/3rds of the chopped yellow onion the rest goes on the table, raw.
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18
Right about now, it's gonna start smelling good in the ol' kitchen.
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19
Stir the onions and garlic and reduce the heat to medium.
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20
Take the frozen hamburger out of its wrapping and put it in the wok as is.
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21
Smoosh it down and push the onions and garlic out of the way so the surface of the frozen hamburger is in contact with the hot surface of the wok.
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22
If you haven't already whacked up everything else, now's the time to get on that.
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23
As the hamburger browns, scrape off the done surface with a slotted spoon or spatula of some sort.
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24
This goes on during the whole cooking time.
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25
Flip the block of meat over and scrape off the browned bits.
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26
Let the other side brown a bit then repeat the process.
