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I love burgers and Kebabs wendouree ballarat – Bird is the word chicken burger – amazing Ballarat fried chicken

WP_20170921_22_23_18_ProStarving hungry after a long shift at work, I was driving down Howitt street Wendouree when I saw the familiar and tastebud friendly lights of the I love burgers and kebabs burger van, glowing in the distance.

Normally, I go the HSP with these guys, pretty much because it’s the BEST HSP in Ballarat, but tonight, such glottony by myself seemd unjustfyable, even if it was incredibly tempting.

The idea of the chicken burger- “bird is the word” had been catching my attention a lot, the last couple of trips here mostly because of the mention of the fact that the recipe for the fried chicken inside was stolen from the proprietor’s father… suggesting a long standing, tried and true crowd pleasing recipe…

But in this case, the sheer fact that it advertised “raw slaw” content was enough for me to make a weak justification for my guilty purchase to the lass when i came home smelling of delicious burgers later in the night. I could at least say I’d had some salad/greens/whatever a cabbage counts as.

I guess i’d conveniently NOT mention that I’d up sized to the drink and chippies option. (It’s a mandatory, not optional thing, right? I mean, it’s beer battered crisp, golden chips and kirks’s pasito! not negotiable complementary goods to a satisfying burger meal!)

MmmmMmmm! check out that thick, crispy, juicy DOUBLE HIT of fried chicken in that there burger, and a good squirt of tangy sauce!!

Undoubtedly ballarat’s best chicken burger!

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BFC – Ballarat Fried Chicken. The dirty rat Vs Dirty Bird.

WP_20170709_18_24_50_ProBallarat Fried Chicken. The Name pretty much says it all.This is no ripoff of of the dirty bird’s secret spices- its a whole new original effort, tangy and spicy, inside and out, with marinaded tenderized chicken, encrusted in a crispy and spicy coating.

Easy as pie to make at home- and takes very little effort or skill thankfully.

Yes, there is salad in this pic, but that’s 100% optional.

The differing point in this recipe is the use of breakfast cereal biscuits for a very coarse and crispy crumb finish, mixed with delicious spices.

Crushed weetbix, becasue of its sharp and angular crumbs achievesa very good, and thick adhesion to the chicken meat- far superior to traditional breadcrumbs as the edges stick into the meat quite nicely.

Key Ingredients:

  • 3 Large chicken breasts
  • 7+ bricks of Weetbix or budget equivalent
  • Cup of corn flour
  • 2 Eggs
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 500ml rice bran oil for frying

Suggested Special equipment:

  • Steak griddle pan (ridged base)

Spice & marinade ingredients:

  • 3 Dried chillies
  • 1 large lemon
  • 3 colour grinding pepper
  • Sea salt
  • Sesame Oil
  • Sesame Seeds
  • Cooking rice wine (sake)
  • Centuries ahead Mexican spice mix (Salt, onion, oregano, chilli, garlic, thyme, cumin)
  • Centuries ahead Pepper steak spice mix (unknown composition)

Suggested salad:

  • handful Leafy green fancy salad mix
  • half of a slightly underripe pear
  • 8 cherry tomatoes
  • Salt + pepper (on tomatoes)
  • liberal shaving of Gran padano hard Italian cheese
  • small handful of black grapes.
  • splash of balsamic vinegar

Method:

Step #1- meat preparation & marination

  1. Cut chicken breasts thinly into 3cm wide strips (or larger if so desired) and tenderise lightly with a mallet
  2. Place chicken meat in a large bowl with a tightly fitting lid
  3. Cut lemon, squeeze juice onto bowl of meat, stir gently.
  4. slice skin of 1/2 of the lemon thinly, then dice vigorously, add to bowl
  5. dice chillies, add to bowl
  6. add spice mixes to desired strength
  7. introduce 4 tablespoons of sesame oil to bowl
  8. add sesame seeds
  9. splash in rice wine / sake
  10. stir meat gently, ensuring spices sesame seeds, and lemon pieces are distributed evenly
  11. cover, and place in fridge for 30mins +

step #2 Preparation of batter & crumb, frying.

  1. Break two eggs into a cup, and whisk with a fork to break and mix white & yolks, add milk to thin.
  2. Add in salt, pepper & spice mix to taste.
  3. Pour spicy egg batter mix into a large, shallow dinner plate or bowl
  4. Crush weetbix biscuits by hand in fists into a shallow dish- mix of fine and course pieces is best.
  5. Mix cup of corn flour with wheat biscuit crumbs, and add spices, salt, pepper to taste.
  6. Dip marinaded chicken meat into egg mix, then transfer to crumb plate
  7. Pat crumbs firmly into the marinaded, battered chicken.
  8. Pour rice bran oil into steak griddle pan till 1cm deep over high point of ridges.WP_20170709_18_06_52_Pro
    1. Griddle pan is best for shallow frying- the ridges discourage sticking, and ensure good oil coverage on bottom of chicken pieces.
    2. Shallow frying is ideal, as care needs to be taken to ensure crumb does not fall off chicken pieces.
  9. Use tongs to carefully hand shallow fry each chicken piece.
  10. Place chicken pieces on absorbent paper toweling after cooking to ensure a crisp and less oily finished product- pat dry with paper on the top side also.
  11. The finished product shudl be golden, crispy, spicy and delicious
    1. great on it’s own with a dipping sauce, or cut up, in a salad, if you are feeling guilty and bloated after eating most of the chicken straight from the pan once its cool enough to bear

 

I love burgers and kebabs Wendouree howitt street ballarat

WP_20170510_18_29_04_ProOver the last couple months, I’ve noticed a food cart parked outside premix king and shepp cannery surplus, near NQR clearance stores on Howitt street, in the Wendouree CBD.
Bright blue fairy lights adorn a plain white boxish food van, shining alluringly in the night. Painted quite simply on the back of the van is some stylised burgers, kebabs and love hearts.

Mmmmm burgers.. Kebabs
. And oh yes I love them!!
It seemed a bit gimmicky at first, parked outside a late night liquor store, in a lonely car park, so I never investigated… Just drive on by. This, I’d learn, was a big mistake!!

Earlier this week, I and the lass stopped by in Wendouree shopping strip to quickly pick something up. It was a fresh night, pleasantly frosty, so we went for a wander, determined to undo whatever meager exercise we had undertaken with a good dose of comforting takeout.

Looking at the menu, the prices were reasonably cheap, the van was very clean and certainly not the usual disturbingly insanitary state food vans often can be… especially those serving kebabs!

We picked out a HSP – Halal Snack Pack. with two meats- chicken and Lamb.WP_20170510_18_40_41_Pro

As per usual, we devoured half that delicious Ballarat HSP before getting aroudn to takign a photo of it, in all its pristine three sauced splendour- there was a choice, but we went with traditional- Garlic, BBQ and chilli.

The size was particularly generous- more than enough for two, and served nice and piping hot!

The surprise was that in addition to delicious meats, the chips beneath were exceptionally golden and crispy. well above average, and probably the best take away chips in Ballarat, even rivaling the golden gems served up by the round the way bagel burger cafe.

WP_20170510_18_28_49_ProThe staff were really friendly, enthusiastic young people too- their cute little daughter can be seen helping her mum make burgers just over the counter, which is indescribably adorable.

Their burger menu looks crazily delicious too, with double crumbed fried chicken, “bird is the word”, meat lovers, and even a vegetarian burger creation featuring Haloumi cheese, eggplant and grilled spinach and pumpkin. I’m looking forward to coming back!

check out their facebook page- it has a lot more fantastic photos of their delicious burgers!

Highlights info row image1241 Howitt Street
3355 Wendouree, Victoria, Australia
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