VIETNAMESE PORK BURGERS

These ground pork patties get their Vietnamese flavour from lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime leaves and fish sauce. Garnish them with our Pickled Carrots and other typically Vietnamese ingredients for a barbecued version of a bahn mi sandwich.

Yield: Makes 6.

VIETNAMESE PORK BURGERS

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp canola oil
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped lemon grass stalk
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion or shallots
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves, optional
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 lb (0.5 kg) lean ground pork
  • 1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 tsp fish sauce
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 6 Sesame Hamburger Buns, halved, or hamburger buns
  • Pickled Carrots
  • Toppings: Processed cheese product, Thai sweet chili sauce, julienned seeded English cucumber, thinly sliced onion, sliced jalapeno pepper, chopped roasted peanuts

Yield: Makes 6.

Directions

  1. Preheat natural gas barbecue on medium heat for 10 - 15 minutes.
  2. Heat oil in a medium frypan over medium-low heat. Add lemon grass, onion, ginger, lime leaves and garlic; sauté until lemon grass and onion are softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly; remove and discard lime leaves.
  3. Transfer lemon grass mixture to a bowl. Add pork, bread crumbs, beaten eggs, fish sauce, salt and pepper; stir until well blended. Shape mixture into 6 patties.
  4. Grill patties until completely cooked. Serve in Sesame Hamburger Buns with Pickled Carrots and toppings.
Nutritional analysis per serving:

400 calories, 14.5 g fat, 25.2 g protein, 41.8 g carbohydrate, 1.7 g fibre, 642 mg sodium

*Ingredient not included in nutritional analysis.

PICKLED CARROTS

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups julienned carrots

Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Directions

  1. Whisk together vinegar and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Pour vinegar mixture into a heavy zip-lock plastic bag. Add carrots and squeeze bag to coat carrots with vinegar mixture; seal bag and place on a plate. Refrigerate, turning bag occasionally, for at least 12 hours or up to 24 hours.
  2. Drain carrots, discarding vinegar mixture.
Nutritional analysis per 1/6 of recipe:

21 calories, 0.1 g fat, 0.3 g protein. 5.1 g carbohydrate, 0.9 g fibre, 21 mg sodium

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