Copycat McSpicy Paneer Burger

Ingredients

Method

1. Cut the paneer into 4 slabs of about 70 g each — roughly as wide as your buns, 1.5–2 cm thick. Pat them completely dry. Wet paneer sheds its coating in the oven.
2. Whisk the cornstarch, water, peri peri seasoning and chili powder into a smooth slurry. You're after the thickness of heavy cream: it should coat the back of a spoon instead of running straight off. Loosen with water a teaspoon at a time if it's too thick.
3. Crush the tortilla chips fine and mix them into the breadcrumbs with the degi mirch and salt. Degi mirch is doing colour here, not heat — the slurry underneath is where the burn lives. Or use crushed Doritos, in which case skip both the chips and the degi mirch: Doritos arrive already seasoned and coloured, and doubling up makes the crust muddy. Spread it out on a wide plate.
4. Dip a slab in the slurry, let the excess drip off, then press it into the crumb on every side. Now dip it back in the slurry and press it into the crumb a second time. Repeat with all four and let them sit 5 minutes so the coating sets.

1. Heat the oven to 445°F. Set the patties on a lined tray and spray them with about 1 tbsp of oil across the whole batch. Flip, and give the other side another 1 tbsp. Breadcrumbs need fat to brown — a dry patty comes out pale and chalky.
2. Bake 18–20 minutes, flipping once at the 10-minute mark, until deep golden and crisp on both sides.

1. While the patties bake, toss the shredded purple cabbage and grated carrots with the mayo, whole grain mustard and lemon juice. Salt and pepper, then keep it in the fridge — cold slaw against a hot patty is the whole point. This batch is sized to fill the burgers and still leave a proper pile on the side of the plate.
2. Stir the mayo, ketchup and chili flakes together for the burger sauce.
3. Butter the cut sides of the brioche buns and toast them face down in a hot pan until lightly golden. The toasted layer is what stops the bottom bun going soggy under the slaw.
4. Spread burger sauce on both toasted faces. Bottom bun, hot patty, a generous pile of cold slaw, top bun. Serve the leftover slaw alongside.
5. Press it down gently and eat it right away, while the crust is still loud.

Other ways to cook it

• Air fryer — same temperature, 445°F, 18–20 minutes, flipping halfway. Don't crowd the basket; the patties need air on all sides or they steam each other soft.
• Bake, then flash fry — bake to about 90% done, roughly 14–15 minutes, then drop the patties into shallow, properly hot oil for 30–45 seconds a side. You get the deep-fried fast-food crust and colour with a fraction of the oil actually absorbed, because the coating is already set and dry when it hits the pan.