Rachael's Daytime Talk Show
Banh Mi Burgers -- 02/19/10

Banh Mi Burgers

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground pork
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander, half a palmful
  • 3 tablespoons grated onion
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated or chopped and mashed into paste
  • 1-inch piece ginger root, grated or minced or 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/3 palmful
  • 1 pound sliced deli ham, coarsely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce or 1 tablespoon Tabasco
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup rice vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into matchsticks
  • 1/2 seedless cucumber, cut into matchsticks
  • 4 radishes, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 small jalapeño, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • Cilantro or basil leaves, coarsely chopped or torn, for garnish
  • A handful of mint leaves, torn or coarsely chopped
  • Bibb lettuce leaves
  • French bread, cut into 5-inch pieces and split
  • 1 bag Terra Chips or salt and vinegar-flavored chips

Yields: Serves 4

Preparation

Place pork in a bowl and season with salt, pepper, coriander, onion, garlic and ginger.

Place ham in a food processor and grind into a fine chop. Add ground ham and hot sauce to pork and mix to combine. Score meat into 4 portions then form patties out of each, making them thinner at the center and thicker at edges.

Place sugar, salt and vinegar in a pot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve, reduce heat and let simmer a couple of minutes.

Meanwhile, combine carrots, cucumbers, radishes and jalapeños in a bowl. Pour vinegar over top and let stand.

Heat vegetable oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook pork patties 4 minutes on the first side and 2-3 minutes on the second.

To serve, place lettuce on bread bottoms and top with burgers. Drain vinegar from slaw and top patties with it. Garnish burgers with cilantro or basil and mint and set bun tops in place. Serve chips alongside.