Turkey burgers can be a bit boring sometimes, but this recipe ensures they won’t be by putting an Asian twist on them. Asian food is known for it’s flavorful ingredients and this burger is no exception.
I used ground turkey breast here, which can get dry sometimes, so I offset that by adding an egg to the meat mixture along with garlic, ginger, shallot, lemongrass, Thai basil and jalapeno. These burgers were not at all dry and packed with flavor. I topped them with coleslaw made with sesame oil and rice vinegar to complement the Asian flavor. You can grill these patties, or cook them in a skillet on the stove top, which is what I did.
One trick to keeping turkey burgers moist on the stovetop is to pan fry them first to get nice browning on them, then cover with a lid until they are cooked through and that way the moisture doesn’t all evaporate. You can serve with some regular mayo or if you like spice some sriracha mayo.
Asian Turkey Burgers
Ingredients
For the burgers:
- 1 lb ground turkey or turkey breast
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 shallot finely diced
- 1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 stalks lemongrass just bottom inch or so, peeled of outer layer and finely minced, or use lemongrass paste
- 1/2 cup Thai basil minced (sub cilantro if you don't have Thai basil)
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 jalapeno seeded and diced
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
For the coleslaw:
- 1 bag coleslaw mix or 1 cup grated carrots + 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 scallion sliced
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp mayo more or less if you like
- salt and pepper to taste
To serve:
- buns
- mayo or sriracha mayo
Instructions
- Combine the slaw ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Taste and adjust the salt and vinegar and mayo to your preference.
- In another bowl add the burger ingredients and gently mix to combine, making sure not to compress the turkey too much or your patties will be tough. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit more bread crumbs.
- Heat a few tbsp oil in a skillet over medium heat and form the turkey into patties. Make them fairly big because they shrink during cooking. Fry until browned on one side then flip and brown the other side. Cover with a lid and continue cooking, checking them frequently, until they are cooked through.
- Serve on buns with the coleslaw and mayo.