THE JOHANNESBURG DIARIES - 'XCELLENT BURGERS - #BLOGCHATTERA2Z2023

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We had heard a lot from umpteen folks about the delicious burgers that V, our son-in-love, could conjure up. That is if ‘conjure’ is the apt word for he spent a day and a half in prepping it, adding the ingredients to the mince and shaping the raw burgers into round balls which he then refrigerated.

He then moved on to the garlic butter, which was not any old recipe, but one that he created with much deliberation and care, finally wrapping the final product into a tight sausage-like roll which also got popped into the refrigerator.

Finally, came another masterpiece – spicy, red chilli oil which not only looked potent but was strong enough to fell an ox. Absolutely mouth-watering (and eye-watering too!).

The next afternoon was sunny, the perfect day for a braai/ barbeque out in the green lawn. The sky was uniformly blue… it reminded me of the classic song that was recently mentioned in the Oscars – “Not a cloud in the sky, got the sun in my eyes…”

                                                                     Unsplash

By about noon, we were all cosily ensconced in the far end of the lawn where there was ample shade because by then the African sun had reached its peak. We sat around sipping our beverages and snacking a bit, the whole family looking forward to the treat that awaited them.

The MasterChef brought his ingredients out all set to create his magic. First, he lit the fire and allowed his upturned griddle plate to heat up, after which he placed the round burgers on it and smashed them into flat circles with his ladle. As they were cooking, he, with the help of his two sous chefs, his wife and sister-in-law, toasted the buns, spread garlic butter on them, fried the onion rings, and finally constructed the burgers, placing all the prepared ingredients in them along with two smashed burger patties.


The final product was incredibly juicy and delicious, as we sat in the shade, the sun pouring its light through the leaves, as our dog went crazy with all the aromas wafting in the air. Cups of coffee and green tea followed, and then we went for a short walk with the kids just so we could digest our amazing meal.


Thus, we got to savour a MasterChef dish right at home, and boy, did we enjoy ourselves. Maybe it was the heat of the African sun, the spirited company or the languor of the afternoon, but we felt replete and absolutely content at the end. I was so stuffed that I trotted out my usual dialogue.

“I don’t think I will be able to manage any dinner!” To which, P retorted,

“Well, we will ask you that at dinner time!”

But thereby hangs another tale…

365 Quotes

 This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z2023.

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