Nangari Burgers (with dairy, gluten and egg-free options)

Have you ever thought about the fact that some areas are known more by their namesake recipe or food than for their actual location?

Take Quiche Lorraine, Beef Burgundy, Peking Duck, or Mongolian Lamb for example.

Or how about Dijon Mustard, Belgian Waffles and Turkish Delight?

By including the location, a certain air of significance and sophistication is added, don’t you think?

In our little corner of Australia, we have our very own example of a recipe that has strong ties to a specific locality.

Enter from left stage …. the Nangari Burger 🙂

And while Nangari (pronounced Nan-gar-rye) isn’t exactly a famous holiday location, or even featured on most Australian maps, this recipe is well-known in many parts of eastern South Australia.

So much so, that it’s been featured on several websites, including ABC Riverland, Channel 9’s Kitchen and Geocaching Australia 🙂

And the thing is, even though many locals would struggle to tell you exactly where Nangari is, they would have all tasted a Nangari Burger more than once in their lives!!

The original and well-loved Nangari Hamburger mix recipe was provided by Fran Thorne while she and her husband Bill were living in the district of Nangari. Fran reportedly sourced the recipe from the Barossa Valley (see below for more details).

Although the original recipe has been modified over the years, whenever there has been a church gathering, fundraiser or other public function, Nangari burgers are almost certain to be part of the BBQ menu.

We’ve included the original recipe below, but we thought it was also important to share our modified version that is suitable for those with food intolerances (because everyone deserves to try these at least once 🙂 )

Something special happens when you mix mince and seasonings, shape it into a disc and cook it. Why not give this version a go, and let us know what you think!

Almost famous Nangari Burgers

(Pronounced Nan-gar-rye)

Traditional Version

• 500g beef mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 cup self raising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 packet chicken noodle soup
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp salt
• generous grind pepper

Dairy, gluten and egg free version

• 500g beef mince
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 cup gluten-free flour *
• 1 cup non-dairy milk (nut or coconut milk work well)
• 1 cup water
• 1 – 2 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 2 tbsp flax meal mixed with 6 tbsp water (or 2 eggs if tolerated)
• 1 tsp salt
• generous grind pepper

Instructions:

1. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix til well combined.
2. The mixture will appear quite runny and like a meat slurry, but this is correct.
3. Heat a BBQ plate to medium-low, and drizzle with some olive oil.
4. Cooking them in batches, pour or ladle the burger batter onto the hot plate.
5. Cook for 5 – 8 minutes, or until the base is well browned and easy to flip.
6. Flip and cook to a golden brown.
7. Serve straight off the grill or with a fresh roll and salad.

 

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4 – 6

 

Recipe Notes:

* The gluten free flour blend we used was 1/4 brown rice flour, 1/4 cup sorghum flour, 1/4 buckwheat flour, 1/4 cornflour.

* If you’re wanting extra flavour or simply want to hide some vegies, try adding grated zucchini (squeezed out) or sweet potato, finely chopped spinach, fresh herbs and crushed garlic to the mixture before cooking.

* Leftovers are great in sandwiches, and burgers freeze very well when individually wrapped.

 

History about this Recipe: (continued)

* From the 1960s there was a very active Tennis Association happening amongst Mallee towns and districts. On Saturday evenings after  the Nangari Tennis Club matches, the families gathered socially for a BBQ tea. Although Bill and Fran Thorne didn’t play tennis, they supported these BBQs, and the Nangari Hamburger recipe proved to be a great way to make the meat ‘go further’.

* This recipe appeared in the 25^th Anniversary recipe book of the Loxton Lutheran School [1980] on page 31.  It was called Quick Hamburger for BBQ.  The contributor listed at the end of the recipe was  – Nangari Tennis Club  [no individual name given].