Rou jia mo Recipe

Did you know the Chinese Hamburger, or Rou Jia Mo?

Rou jia mo bread also known as rou jia mo bread.The flatbread recipe is the same as that used with the Mutton Stew. The flling is generally pork, but you could substitute chicken or beef or even tofu. The meat is flavoured with spring onions and chillies, really lifting this street-food classic.

I remember seeing the tiniest kitchen on the corner of a street in Shenzhen -it could have been a toy kitchen. I watched a husband and wife team knead, roll and cook the flatbreads on one little hob before using the same pan to fry off the pork filling. They even had a makeshift sign ‘BURGER’, which was comical as their stand was right opposite McDonald’s. That’s the entrepreneurial spirit of China. After all, a burger is just two pieces of bread around a meat filling. I could smell the wonderful savoury filling a street away and it enticed me to buy one. Call it what you like, this was indeed a ‘burger’ to be reckoned with. The woman laughed and asked me, had I not eaten for decades? I just stood there and scoffed the lot – that’s how good it was. The next day I returned and hovered as they made their wares; I bought two. On the third day they taught me how to make this dish, which I am delighted to share with you. Thank you indeed to Mr and Mrs Wang for your amazing recipe for what is arguably one of the best burgers I have ever eaten.

Rou jia mo Ingredients

4-6 Flatbreads

4 tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, finely sliced

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

300g minced (ground) pork, or slices of pork about 5mm thick

150ml chicken stock

1 whole star anise

2 bay leaves

1 piece of orange peel

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1 fresh red chill, finely sliced(optional)

1 tbsp sesame oil

3 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced

First make the flatbreads, cook them and set aside.

Heat a large frying pan or wok over a high heat, add the vegetable oil and fry the onion and garlic for 3 minutes until the onion has softened. Add the pork and stir-fry until browned, then add the stock, star anise, bay leaves and orange peel and cook for 5 minutes or until the pork is fully cooked.

Add the chilli powder, red chilli, if using, and sesame oil, stir to combine, then turn off the heat. Discard the star anise, bay leaves and orange peel. Add the spring onions and stir to combine – you want to keep their freshness and crunch.

Slice a flatbread in half, and add a heaped tablespoon of the filling.