Asian Inspired Turkey Burgers

Inspired from Edward Lee's Bahn Mi Chicken Burger that I found in Self Magazine.

This recipe makes for very juicy different tasting burgers.  I changed the recipe to put a lot of the flavors into the actually burger patty.  In the original recipe the flavors come from the condiments like the mushroom saute and the pickles, but I'm not a fan of mushrooms and didn't want to use one more container in making this things so I just adjusted the seasoning of the meat.

I kept the use of firm tofu to keep the burger juicy (I assume) and a nice cooling, tart pickle to contrast the burger.  You can mix Sriracha with the ketchup to give it a little kick or if you are a lucky Peruvian you can use some "Tarí"sauce that you stock piled from your last trip home.

Make the pickles ahead of time and let sit overnight or even a few days.  It doesn't hurt them.

Quick Pickle Recipe
3/4 cup cider or white vinegar
1/2 cup of water
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Sugar

A couple of radishes
1 Medium cucumber
2 medium carrots
Onion about the size of your fist.
You can use anything kinda crunchy.  I probably had around 2 cups of veggies.

Whisk the first 4 ingredients together until the sugar and salt is dissolved.
Thinly slice all the veggies and put into a glass container.
Pour the liquid over the veggies and let macerate for a while.

Burger Recipe

I use the Costco ground turkey packages which are around 1.5 pounds each.
1/2 of a 12oz package of firm tofu*
1 Egg
1/2 tsp of cumin
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
Black pepper
1/4 cup of chopped green onions(Scallions)

Blend the tofu with the all the seasonings and the egg in a Cuisinart or a blender and then mix it into the ground turkey.   You can chill the mixture or form it into patties.  The original recipe calls for baking the patties, but I pan fried them over medium heat.  Cook until the juices run clear.  Serve with your pickles and sprouts or bean sprouts and whatever sauces you like.

* I apologize for having you only us half of a package of tofu.  I always dislike when this happens in a recipe. You can try blending the whole package in with the meat and upping the seasonings, or freeze the other half for later.  If you free part of the tofu make sure you defrost it completely and drain the excess water out before you use it.