Thai Turkey Burgers . . . a New Favourite!

 

I am a relative newcomer to the delights of Thai food. I had never eaten it at all until a few summers ago when the Toddster and I went for a meal at a Thai Restaurant in downtown Chester. I fell in love at first bite.

 I just adore Thai flavours! Especially Thai Green Curry . . . oh wow.  Green chilies, fish sauce, lemon grass . . . lime leaves.  Just smelling it starts my taste buds into tingling.  I love the stuff!

 

We all want to be a bit healthier today and using minced turkey instead of beef in your burger is one way of doing that.  As you know I am a real fan of British Turkey!  It's low in fat, tastes nice, is better for you than eating red meat and is usually a lot cheaper as well, and in these uncertain economic times, that is always a plus.

 

A few months back I developed a Buffalo Turkey Burger recipe for the British Turkey Association, which was simply fabulous.



Another favourite of ours are my Spicy Turkey Burgers, which have sort of a Mexican Flair, with real Tex Mex flavors and a guacamole garnish.



Today I decided to take the lovely flavors of a Green Thai Curry and put them into a turkey burger and we were both well pleased with the results!!!  They were so easy to do to!!  All I did  was to mix some bottled Thai Green Curry Paste into my turkey mince, shape it into patties and then grill them.



They smelled heavenly when they were grilling too.  Todd came downstairs sniffing the air with a smile on his face wanting to know what was for supper!
With a sliced tomato garnish and a few homemade condiments like this  delicious lime mayonnaise . . .



and this fabulous homemade cucumber pickle . . . they went down a real treat.
We both thoroughly enjoyed them.  In fact Todd loved them so much he had two of them!
They were moist and juicy with just the right amount of spice for us.  Of course you could up the heat by adding a touch more curry paste.



Just look at that juicy burger . . . the colors of the cucumber and tomato setting it off perfectly . . . and that creamy mayonnaise . . . Oh so good.

A bit messy to eat . . . but well worth it I'd say!  These are a new favourite in this house for sure!



 *Thai Turkey Burgers*
Makes 4
Printable Recipe

As well as being the simplest to make, these are the tastiest turkey burgers!  Delicious with a tangy lime mayo dressing and a lovely cucumber pickle garnish!

500g of ground turkey (about 1 1/4 pound)
(try to use a mix of breast and thigh meat)
2 TBS green Thai curry paste
(or more depending on how spicy you want them to be)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For the Lime Mayo Dressing:
145g of good quality mayonnaise
(I use Hellman's, low fat works fine)
the finely grated zest of a small lime
1 TBS fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

For the cucumber pickle
1 TBS rice wine vinegar
pinch of fine sea salt and fine white sugar
a handful of fresh coriander leaves, coarsely chopped (cilantro)
1 small shallot, peeled and very finely sliced
1/2 of a medium sized English Cucumber, very thinly sliced (peel or not as you like)

1 ripe tomato sliced
4 soft white  rolls, split and toasted

 

Place the turkey into a bowl.  Add the curry paste and about 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper.  Mix well with your hands to blend.  Shape into four 1/2 inch thick patties.  Set aside.

To make the lime mayo, whisk all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.  Set aside.

Stir together all of the ingredients for the cucumber pickle in medium bowl. Set aside to allow the cucumber to marinate while you cook the burgers.

Lightly oil a grill pan, and heat over medium high heat.  Add the turkey burgers and reduce the heat to medium.  Cook over medium heat for approximately 6 to 8 minutes per side, until any juices run clear.

Lightly spread both sides of the toasted rolls with the lime mayonnaise.  Top the bottom half of each with one cooked burger.  Top each burger with a slice of tomato and a portion of the cucumber pickle.  Place the bun halves on top and serve.  We like chips with ours, but you can have whatever you like, potato salad is also nice.