It doesn't matter if your burger is filled with lobster meat or the finest beef from Japan; nothing beats a classic Ramly burger you buy from a roadside stall.

The street burger is our best kept secret, as not many tourists would know where to seek one out.

So, imagine our surprise when an American filmmaker not only knows about our Ramly burger, he can recreate it perfectly at home too!

Just like the real thing

George Motz, who directed the 2005 documentary 'Hamburger America', recently impressed Malaysians by perfectly recreating the Ramly burger at home as part of his Burger Scholar Sessions online series.

Not only did he use the authentic ingredients typically found in a Ramly burger -- Maggi seasoning, Kewpie mayonnaise, and chili sauce -- he even introduced the burger by the nickname we Malaysians gave it: burger sampah aka rubbish burger!

Who's been leaking top secret information to him lah?


In the video, he started off by toasting the buns in margarine instead of butter, telling the audience that it was a tip he learned from his Malaysian friend and chef Tyson Ho.

He then proceeded to explain sauces and condiments needed to create the sloppy texture the burger is 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,” he added.

Not just that, he made his Ramly burger a special: by cracking an egg and spreading it on the grill like how Ramly burger masters do it.

“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,” he explained.


He then finished the burger off by putting a slice of cheese with the beef patty inside the egg before dousing it with hot sauce and mayonnaise and wrapping the egg around it.

His final touch is to sandwich the egg-wrapped patty with the buns.

Motz, who The New York Times has called a leading authority in hamburgers, said the Ramly burger is an “absolute beloved expression of the hamburger in Southeast Asia”.

“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,” he said.

We couldn’t agree more!


The video, which was published on the popular YouTube food channel First We Feast, has been viewed more than 452,000 times on the platform, with Malaysians lavishing praises on Motz for nailing the Ramly burger.

Check out the full video of him preparing one of our favourite street snacks and let us know if he nailed it: