Shiitake and cremini mushrooms are finely chopped and incorporated into a savory chicken patty with delicious sweet-and-sour flavorings like soy sauce, ponzu, and mirin. Ponzu is a salty-sweet citrus-based Japanese sauce, and mirin is a sweet rice wine that is mostly used for cooking. There’s also a leaf of kimchi on each burger. Kimchi is a Korean fermented cabbage that packs a bit of heat; think of it as the spicy version of sauerkraut, but with whole cabbage leaves instead of shredded ones. Both of these can be found in the Asian foods aisle of most major grocery stores. They marinate deep into the patty along with fresh garlic, toasted sesame seeds, dill, and ginger to create one intense, umami-flavored burger. • serves 4
Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shiitake mushrooms, cremini mushrooms, and 1 teaspoon of the soy sauce. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until the mushrooms have darkened slightly and are pleasantly fragrant, about 7 minutes.
Heat a gas grill to medium heat or heat a grill pan over medium heat on the stovetop.
In a medium bowl, mix together the mushroom mixture with the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil, remaining 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the ponzu, the ground chicken, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, brown sugar, mirin, sesame seeds, dill, and ginger until thoroughly combined. Divide the mixture into 4 equal parts and form into 4 large patties.
Grill the patties until light grill marks appear on both sides and the patties are cooked through, about 6 minutes per side. Place a slice of Swiss cheese on each patty during the last few minutes of cooking.
In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, and remaining ½ teaspoon ponzu. Place a kale leaf on the bottom of each bun, then top each one with a cooked patty and then a leaf of kimchi. Spread the mayonnaise mixture on each top bun and place on the burgers. Serve immediately.