Wet Burger (Islak Burger)

What is an Islak burger?

The Islak burger is a small beef burger drenched in a garlicky, spicy, tomato-based sauce and kept warm and steamy in a glass cabinet until served. The name “islak” literally means “wet” in Turkish, and the burger lives up to its name: soft, saucy, and dripping with umami.

Although you could serve these with a side dish like fries, they are meant to be eaten on the go or at the end of the evening when you just want a quick snack to soak up all the beer.

What makes it special?

There are quite a few different versions in and around Istanbul and some aren't special at all. They are just wet with little flavor. There are ingredients some vendors add that take them up a few notches which is what I do when I make wet burgers.

• The sauce: A rich blend of tomato paste, garlic, butter or oil, and chili flakes, sometimes with a hint of vinegar or sugar. It's slathered over the bun and the patty.
• The steam: After being sauced, the whole burger is steamed in a hot cabinet, giving it that soft, soaked texture—almost like a savoury sponge of flavour.
• The size: They’re usually small and cheap, which means most people don’t stop at just one.

Ingredients

Islak burgers are simple. They're aren't many ingredients. The star is the steamed burger and bun covered in the tomato sauce. That's it really.

• brioche buns
• butter
• ground beef
• light olive oil
• garlic
• Aleppo chilli flakes
• Passata
• white wine vinegar
• American burger cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Water

See recipe card for quantities.

Substitutions

I developed this recipe to be as close to the Islak burgers you find in Istanbul. You can substitute a few ingredients if you like.

• Cheese - You will be lucky to find a vendor that adds American cheese to their Islak burger but some do. This really is simple food. Go ahead and leave the cheese off or add your favorite melty cheese to the burger.
• Gluten Free - use gluten free buns instead of white bread buns to make this gluten free.
• Vegetarian - the beef hamburger can be replaced with a plant-based burger to make this vegetarian. You won't find that in Istanbul though.

Variations

There really are few variations except for the amount of ingredients that go into the sauce and whether you add cheese. That said, you might want to add some of the following to make a westernised version.

• Spicy - Try adding pickled jalapeño chillies when you add the cheese for a bit more kick.
• Crunchy - This is a burger so top it with lettuce, tomato, pickles and or onion slices if you like. This is best done after you steam the burger and just before serving.
• Saucy - If you like mustard, mayonnaise or ketchup on your burger, there really is not reason why you should hold back when you make your wet burger.

All of the above suggestions are not authentic but if you like them, add them.

Equipment

A deep frying pan: Using a deep frying pan with a lid is the easiest way to make a wet burger. It makes this recipe into an easy one pan meal.

A spatula: Get a good spatula for flipping the burgers and buns.

Storage

Your wet burger will be best right out of the pan. You can, however store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two days. To reheat, place them in your microwave where they will steam up when they reheat. You can also steam them in a steamer or in a pan with a little more sauce.