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Thai Burgers
Closely adapted from Nongkran Daks; I preferred to served these burgers with fried rice (plain would work as well), as they would in Thailand, but you can of course also serve them on a bun with all of the traditional burger "fixings." If you can find cilantro with the white roots still attached, use 1 1/2 roots plus 5 inches of cilantro stem in place of the cilantro I call for. I used to be able to find the roots, but I think my local grocer changed suppliers. Sadly.
Ingredients
Seasoning per 1 lb of ground meat (I used beef; pork or chicken would be more common in Thailand):
- 1/4 t black peppercorns
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 T fish sauce
- 1 T soy sauce (I used Chinese superior dark soy sauce)
- 1/4 t salt
Instructions
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You can either use a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder for this recipe. If using a spice grinder, first grind the black peppercorns finely. Then add the garlic and cilantro and puree until a paste forms (you can add a little water if necessary). If using a mortar and pestle, pound all 3 ingredients until a paste forms.
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Mix this paste with the fish sauce, soy sauce and salt until evenly blended.
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Mix this seasoning into the ground meat--do not over mix. I used my (clean!) hands, but a wooden spoon will work.
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Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
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Form the ground meat into patties and either grill or pan fry to desired doneness (I cooked them in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop, about 5 minutes per side on medium heat). Do not press on the patties while they are cooking.