Thai Burgers
Team: TSA Thai Tigers
Host School: The Sharon Academy Middle School
Age Group: Middle School
Ingredients
For the Thai pickles:
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
3 Persian cucumbers, cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1 large carrot, cut into ribbons with a vegetable peeler
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
16 mint leaves, chopped
8 large basil leaves, chopped
For the Thai Veggie Burgers:
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
2 lemongrass stalks, outer leaves removed and core finely chopped (or 1 tablespoon lemongrass paste)
2 green onions, roughly chopped
1/2 cup dried chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1/4 cup rolled oats
1 large egg
2 tablespoons Thai Chili & Ginger sauce
Salt to taste
Zest of 1 lime and 1 teaspoon lime juice
3 tablespoons minced cilantro
Grapeseed oil, or other neutral-tasting, high smoke point oil for cooking
For serving:
4 hamburger buns, toasted
Additional cilantro for topping (optional)
Preparation Instructions
Instructions
For the Thai pickles:
In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, and orange juice until the honey dissolves. Add the cucumber and carrot strips, cilantro, basil, and mint. Toss to combine. Set aside to marinate while you make the burgers.
For the Thai veggie burgers:
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade, combine the garlic, lemongrass, and green onions. Process until all of the ingredients are finely chopped. Add the chickpeas, edamame, oats, egg, Thai chile & ginger sauce, salt, and lime juice. Process, stopping to scrape the sides once or twice, until the ingredients are combined and are about the same size as small grains of rice. Fold in the lime zest and chopped cilantro.
Line a small baking sheet or large plate with parchment paper. Divide the burger mixture into 4 mounds on the parchment and shape them into 1/2-inch thick disks. Place patties in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to firm up while you toast the buns.
When you're ready to cook the burgers, place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon or two of oil and heat until shimmering. Gently place the patties in the pan -- you want to hear a loud sizzle when the patties hit the oil, otherwise it's not quite hot enough yet. Fit as many patties in the pan as you can without crowding them. Cook the patties for 5-7 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time. The exterior should be crisp and golden brown with slight charring around the edges.
To build your burger:
Set a patty on top of the bottom bun, place a heaping mound of Thai pickles over the top, scatter cilantro over the pickles if using, and place the other half of the bun on top. Repeat with each burger and serve.