Bento Box Burgers With Wilted Asian Slaw, Gochujang Mayonnaise and Crunchy Garlic Panko

Pairs well with:

Sauvignon Blanc

With hints of passion fruit, melon, and citrus, this wine beckons you to kick back and find a perfect porch swing.

One of my favorite things is the Japanese “bento box” — a pretty boxed lunch full of tasty, savory things — usually grilled meat or fish with rice, a salad, pickles, and sometimes crispy panko or tempura vegetables or seafood. Usually served with miso soup, bento boxes can be simple or elaborate, but they’re always delicious. I decided to create a burger with some of my favorite bento box flavors — burger patties with green onion and salty, savory red miso (a fermented soybean paste — full of “umami”), a tangy, sesame-tinged wilted slaw, a sweet and spicy mayonnaise (spiked with gochujang, a Korean chili paste that often turns up at Japanese-Korean restaurants), and a hit of crispy garlic breadcrumbs to give the burger an extra crunch. It’s a bento box in a burger! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Ingredients:

For the Burger Patties:

2 pounds ground chuck
1/4 cup red miso
1/4 cup Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Gochujang Mayonnaise:

1/2 cup good quality mayonnaise
1 tablespoon gochujang (Korean chili paste)
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp sugar

For the Crunchy Garlic Panko:

3 tablespoons salted butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 cup panko breadcrumbs

For the Wilted Asian Slaw:

1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon finely grated ginger
2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
12 ounces tri-color coleslaw mix
1 small red bell pepper, julienned
2 tablespoons Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc
2 tablespoons ponzu (Japanese citrus soy sauce)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons black sesame seeds

vegetable oil (for brushing on the grill rack, approximately 3 tablespoons)
6 King’s Hawaiian Sweet Sandwich Rolls, split
6 large leaf lettuce leaves, trimmed

Instructions:

Preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

To prepare the burger patties, combine ground chuck, red miso, Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc, green onion and pepper in a large bowl, handling as little as possible. Form into 6 patties. Cover and set aside.

To prepare the gochujang mayonnaise, whisk together mayonnaise, gochujang, lemon juice and sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.

To prepare the crunchy garlic panko, heat a medium flameproof skillet on the grill over medium-high heat. Melt butter in skillet with vegetable oil. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add panko breadcrumbs and cook, stirring, until golden brown and crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare the wilted Asian slaw, heat vegetable oil in a large flameproof skillet on the grill over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Add tri-color coleslaw mix and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add Sutter Home Sauvignon Blanc, ponzu, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and salt. Cook another 1-2 minutes or until wilted. Stir in black sesame seeds. Remove from heat, cover and keep warm.

When ready to grill patties, brush grill rack with vegetable oil. Place patties on the rack and cook, covered, over medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes per side or to desired doneness. Remove from heat and keep warm. During the last few minutes of cooking, lightly toast the rolls by placing them, cut sides down, around the edges of the grill.

To assemble the burgers, spread both cut sides of each roll with some of the gochujang mayonnaise. Place a lettuce leaf on roll bottom, followed by a burger patty, a portion of slaw, and a generous sprinkling of crunchy garlic panko. Add roll top and serve.