Southeast Asian Style Turkey Burgers with Pickled Cucumbers

Really exceptional! I used a few ideas from the comments, but on the whole no major alterations. I doubleed the garlic and added some fish sauce to the meat misture, along with an egg white. I didn't have sriracha, so I used red chili paste in both the burger mix and in the aoili red cabbage slaw I used as an added topping. The herb level was spot on, and you cannot leave any of them out, as they define SE Asian cuisine. Fortunately I have both Thai basil and mint growing in my garden and had some leftover cilantro, which was the reason I tried this particular recipe. I toasted some potato buns and piled slaw on the bottom, topped with a burger and then the pickled cukes. Totally moist and delish. The best turkey burger I've tried from this site.

• mswindycty

• Chicago, IL

• 8/19/2012

The first time I made these, I followed the recipe exactly except cilantro, which I hate,so I left it out. Then as time went by, and I've made it alot now, I started to add a little more hot sauce and lime. I also add a couple drops of fish sauce to round it out and I truly believe it makes them taste "meatier". Of course store baught crumbs are a must. I would say even if you aren't a mint person, it adds so much with the basil and other flavors. Definitely refrigerate the patties for a few hours so they'll hold together and because of that, don't salt them til just before the grill because it toughens the meat. For the pickles, I get a one-ounce cup of sushi ginger from the grocery store sushi counter. They're already made up and are about a buck. Don't leave it out because it's part of what makes these burgers so unique.

• shalomcharlotte

• Charlotte, NC

• 6/24/2012

Made these burgers last night for a BBQ dinner party. Excellent. I used dark meat turkey blended with white meat. Also I used sriracha in place of tabasco and then made a sriracha aioli (just mayo blended with sriracha) to top the burgers along with the pickled cucumbers. Yummy.

• Anonymous

• Brooklyn, NY

• 5/13/2011

These burgers are so fresh and tasty. The pickled cucumber are a fantastic topping. We enjoy them often.

• davidbcannon

• Pleasanton, CA

• 5/12/2011

我以前做了这个,但这一次用ground white chicken meat, and it was *still* not dried out, which is extremely hard to do with chicken burgers. There's some magic in this recipe--I think the lime juice--that tenderizes the lean meat or something. So healthy and great.

• Anonymous

• Los Angeles, CA

• 5/1/2011

Best use of ground turkey! If you follow the recipe as stated, meaning not "improvising" or leaving out an ingredient or two because you didn't want to buy it-- you will be rewarded with a recipe that you'll use for the rest of your life. Minor exception: the original recipe made by Sara Moulton, relied on siracha (rooster) sauce instead of tobasco. This recipe has never failed to impress whether we're grilling for friends or cooking it up as an easy weekend dinner. After making this 12+ times, I've found that I can leave out the bread crumbs IF I grill it on a griddle or pan-- instead of the bbq. If you leave it alone on each side, it will hold. If you attempt to flip it too early, that's when it crumbles (again, this is without the bread crumbs). I would highly recommend this for people who enjoy herbs like cilantro and mint... or those who like Asian flavors but are looking to get away from cooking red meat or pork.

• oishii03

• Los Angeles

• 6/29/2010

I thought these were really good (my husband would have given 4 forks). The flavor was surprisingly good, given the ingredient list. I liked the cucumbers for crunch, but I actually thought the burgers stand alone, taste-wise. FYI, the original article in which this recipe appeared featured many great turkey dishes, including a meatloaf and "turkey in jade," both really outstanding.

• Anonymous

• Arlington, VA

• 4/29/2010

I contributed this recipe as the red meat alternative for a barbeque where the hostess was serving New York strips. The word went around that these burgers were terrific and there wasn't one left over. However, there was steak! This is the moistest and most flavorful burger imaginable. The secret is the fresh bread crumbs,which I made from ciabatta, and fresh herbs. The adults loved them and they also weren't too exotic for the kids to enjoy. This recipe is a winner!

• chipndip

• Los Angeles

• 10/8/2009

This Turkey Burger was boommb!!! I did alter it a bit. I used 3 garlic cloves instead of 1. A heaping tsp of rice flour, instead of bread-crumbs, to avoid heaviness. I thought just the cilantro and basil was enough. I S & P'd it a tad bit (a nice pinch of both). I also used 2 Tbsp of mango chutney as well. And I, too, used 1 1/2 tsp of chili garlic sauce. Don't have a grill, so I cooked them in a cast iron skillet in the oven at about 450, they were absolutely lovely. Now, I used Onion Rolls, buttered, and lightly toasted them, spreading an organic Apple-cinnamon sauce on both sides. I also like the pickled cucumber and ginger mixture. The only thing I did differently, was I used fresh ginger, so I had to slice it myself. I warmed the rice vinegar, adding raw sugar, which doesn't dissolves easily, and the finally the thinly sliced/stripped ginger and pouring it over the cucumbers, chilling it all morning long. Awesome recipe. I made a purple cabbage cole slaw. I will add that recipe on here soon. And also served it with organic Pico de Gallo tortilla chips. Nice mix of sweet and tangy on a nice summer afternoon. My lil honey, whose Bosnian, thought it was excellent. She tries and likes my cooking, which is a trip for me, because she is also very picky about what she eats. She wasn't sure about the pickled-cucumbers/apple sauce mixture, ON A BURGER, of all things :-) but absolutely loved it. Thanx for the recipe. ~ciao, people.

• Phrccino

• St. Paul, MN

• 6/15/2009

I make this all the time in the summer. I usually add an egg to keep it all together. It tends to fall apart a little, especially if your grill isn't hot enough to create a good sear. The flavor is so wonderful. My mouth waters thinking of this recipe.

• sunsetsoup

• 1/14/2009

Not as interesting as it might seem from the ingredient list. The marinated cucumbers are essential to pull it together. I also opted to make a pesto with left over mint, basil, and cilantro. I added pine nuts, olive oil, a little rice vinegar and a bit of sugar. Probably some spicy peppers would be great, but I needed it to be kid friendly. This helped tremendously... maybe a 3 with that. But I can only give it a two written as is. It got mixed reviews from our dinner table, but I cook dinner for a tough crowd.

• Anonymous

• calabasas, ca

• 5/3/2008

I served it with brown/ wild rice combo and mustard green, carrot, and red onion sauté on the side with store- bought pickled okras. It turned out to be a very tasty dinner!

• LeCordonGreen

• GA

• 12/1/2007

Looking for something new to do with ground turkey & found this. What a yummy surprise! I used panko crumbs and garlic chili sauce instead of tabasco and reduced the sugar in the cucumbers since seasoned rice vinegar is already quite sweet. A definite keeper!

• skabetti

• Oakland, CA

• 7/31/2007

These burgers are scrumptious. Added some freshly grated ginger to burger mixture and served with the cucumbers and wasabi mayonnaise. Yum

• mcgoose

• vancouver island, canada

• 7/18/2007

I prepared this recipe as written except I didn't add the ginger. The flavor was very good but the burgers fell apart on my grill. Next time I'll put the burger patties in the refrigerator to cool before putting them on the grill to see whether that helps them stay together. If that fails I'll try adding egg. In any event, the flavor is worth making these burgers.

• goaugiedoggies

• South Dakota

• 7/10/2007