PETALING JAYA, Nov 3 — American filmmaker George Motz has wowed Malaysians by whipping up an authentic Ramly burger in his online series Burger Scholar Sessions.
Motz, who directed the 2005 documentary Hamburger America, recreated Malaysia’s beloved street food icon using bona fide ingredients like Maggi seasoning, Kewpie mayonnaise, and chili sauce.
The episode appeared on the well-known YouTube channel First We Feast and has gotten over 413,000 views so far since it was posted on October 26.
Motz started out by introducing viewers to the Ramly burger and its Malay nickname burger sampah, or rubbish burger.
“It’s not a rubbish burger at all though. It’s a great burger. It’s one of the craziest burgers I’ve ever had,” said Motz.
The burger connoisseur kicked off his recipe by toasting his buns in margarine, a tip he learned from his Malaysian friend and chef Tyson Ho.
He went on to explain the sauces and condiments that would create the sloppy texture that Ramly burgers are famous for.
“The beef and the bun are almost inconsequential. They’re almost supporting actors.
“The bun is the envelope for the good news that’s coming and the beef is there because you wouldn’t be able to call it a burger otherwise.”
Motz added that he struggled to make Ramly burgers a few times before he finally nailed the recipe.
He even used his metal spatula to crack the egg and spread it out “like a painting” on the grill after watching videos of Malaysian streetside chefs doing the same.
“It’s one of the hardest parts of making this burger. You watch the guys making it in videos on the street in Malaysia and they make it look so easy,” said Motz.
He then laid a slice of processed cheese with the patty inside the egg, doused it with hot sauce and mayonnaise, wrapped the egg around the patty, and sandwiched it between the burger buns with a final drizzle of chili sauce.
Motz, who has been praised as a leading authority on hamburgers by The New York Times, called the Ramly burger an “absolute beloved expression of the hamburger in Southeast Asia” as he tucked in.
Malaysians in the comments section commended Motz for recreating an authentic version of the Ramly burger and were happy to see Malaysian food on a global platform like First We Feast.
“You know it’s legit when he puts in the Maggi seasoning,” said one user.
“The fact that he used margarine to toast the bun shows how much of an expert he is and how passionate he is about burger culture.
“Here in Malaysia we don’t toast our buns in butter because it’s more expensive and Motz represented the burger accurately,” wrote another.
