I came into the hospitality field because I really wanted to be in it. Although I hold a degree in Electronic and Communication Engineering, I joined an event management company right after college. I worked there for about four years, learnt everything I could about marketing and the hospitality field, and finally started my very small restaurant called ‘Smally’s Resto Cafe’.
But my love for food began at a very young age. I was born and brought up in Dubai, so that exposed me to a variety of dishes. I am a die-hard burger fan and anything and everything that’s been prepared with it makes me a very happy human being. It wasn’t such a big deal to go out to McDonald’s, Hardee’s and other burger joints in Dubai and binge on burgers. But I guess I took it a bit more seriously after my first attempt at making one. A complete disaster, I must say! I didn’t think it would be such a big task because it looked pretty easy to make. I worked with the basic ingredients — bread, chicken, bacon, vegetables, sauce.
Little did I know that it would turn out to be such a big disaster! I ended up overcooking them. But after sometime, I did go back to correct what I did and that’s when my true journey of making burgers started. After a few years, around the time I was about 20 years old, I made burgers for my friend’s birthday party. But this time I was careful to have tried the recipe a couple of times before that and I presented it on the final day. Thankfully everyone loved the ‘Barbecue grilled chicken burgers’ and they were a huge hit at the party! Apart from burgers, I also enjoy good Indian food. ‘Butter chicken and roti’ are one of my favourites. I’d also like to believe that I have a really good ‘butter chicken’ recipe that I follow and people have complimented me for it.
So the recipes that are served at the restaurant are well-thought through so that anyone who loves the concept of burgers will also enjoy them. My team and I worked for months before finally delivering what we do now. We also started the idea of being a small cafe in town and wanted to continue it that way. The idea was to mainly introduce a cafe where strangers could mix up and network with each other. It feels great to be a part of this industry because I get to be around what I truly want to be. Everyone thinks it looks very easy, but having to spend around 15 hours on a daily basis, mostly on your foot, is not easy.
The recipe that I’m sharing today is of ‘Chicken avocado oat crumb burger’ that’s very special to me. It’s something that one wouldn’t think of making but it tastes very delicious.
Nikhil Hegde
Owner of Smally’s Resto Cafe
Chicken Avocado Oat Crumb Burger
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
n Chicken, minced -
480 gms
n Avocado, diced -
2 (semi ripe)
n Cheddar cheese - 75 gms
n Fresh cream, 50 ml
n Onions, chopped - 1 stalk
n Leeks, chopped - 1
n Salt to taste
n Pepper to taste
n Oats - 50 gms
Method
n Take the chicken mince in a mixing bowl and add onions, carrots, celery, leeks, cheddar cheese, fresh cream, salt and pepper, and mix well. Form a patty with it.
n Add the diced avocado and oats. Mix softly so that the avocados do not get crushed.
n Form a patty and grill it on the griddle for six to seven minutes, giving an even golden brown colour on both the sides.
n While the patty gets cooked, cut the burger buns into two halves and toast them on a pan or on a flat plate given even golden brown colour.
n Remove it from the pan, apply butter and keep it aside.
n Check for the patties being cooked evenly on both sides and remove it from the grill.
To assemble
n On the toasted bun, place a green lettuce leaf and then the patty.
n Above the patty, place two thinly sliced tomatoes and onion rings.
n Place cheese slice and cover the top with a green olive skewer.
But my love for food began at a very young age. I was born and brought up in Dubai, so that exposed me to a variety of dishes. I am a die-hard burger fan and anything and everything that’s been prepared with it makes me a very happy human being. It wasn’t such a big deal to go out to McDonald’s, Hardee’s and other burger joints in Dubai and binge on burgers. But I guess I took it a bit more seriously after my first attempt at making one. A complete disaster, I must say! I didn’t think it would be such a big task because it looked pretty easy to make. I worked with the basic ingredients — bread, chicken, bacon, vegetables, sauce.
Little did I know that it would turn out to be such a big disaster! I ended up overcooking them. But after sometime, I did go back to correct what I did and that’s when my true journey of making burgers started. After a few years, around the time I was about 20 years old, I made burgers for my friend’s birthday party. But this time I was careful to have tried the recipe a couple of times before that and I presented it on the final day. Thankfully everyone loved the ‘Barbecue grilled chicken burgers’ and they were a huge hit at the party! Apart from burgers, I also enjoy good Indian food. ‘Butter chicken and roti’ are one of my favourites. I’d also like to believe that I have a really good ‘butter chicken’ recipe that I follow and people have complimented me for it.
So the recipes that are served at the restaurant are well-thought through so that anyone who loves the concept of burgers will also enjoy them. My team and I worked for months before finally delivering what we do now. We also started the idea of being a small cafe in town and wanted to continue it that way. The idea was to mainly introduce a cafe where strangers could mix up and network with each other. It feels great to be a part of this industry because I get to be around what I truly want to be. Everyone thinks it looks very easy, but having to spend around 15 hours on a daily basis, mostly on your foot, is not easy.
The recipe that I’m sharing today is of ‘Chicken avocado oat crumb burger’ that’s very special to me. It’s something that one wouldn’t think of making but it tastes very delicious.
Nikhil Hegde
Owner of Smally’s Resto Cafe
Chicken Avocado Oat Crumb Burger
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
n Chicken, minced -
480 gms
n Avocado, diced -
2 (semi ripe)
n Cheddar cheese - 75 gms
n Fresh cream, 50 ml
n Onions, chopped - 1 stalk
n Leeks, chopped - 1
n Salt to taste
n Pepper to taste
n Oats - 50 gms
Method
n Take the chicken mince in a mixing bowl and add onions, carrots, celery, leeks, cheddar cheese, fresh cream, salt and pepper, and mix well. Form a patty with it.
n Add the diced avocado and oats. Mix softly so that the avocados do not get crushed.
n Form a patty and grill it on the griddle for six to seven minutes, giving an even golden brown colour on both the sides.
n While the patty gets cooked, cut the burger buns into two halves and toast them on a pan or on a flat plate given even golden brown colour.
n Remove it from the pan, apply butter and keep it aside.
n Check for the patties being cooked evenly on both sides and remove it from the grill.
To assemble
n On the toasted bun, place a green lettuce leaf and then the patty.
n Above the patty, place two thinly sliced tomatoes and onion rings.
n Place cheese slice and cover the top with a green olive skewer.
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