Vietnamese Spin on a Burger

I stole this idea from a recent Fine Cooking recipe which you can easily view at Finecooking.com. Theirs is called a Bahn Mi Burger, named after the famous Vietnamese sandwich, a classic blend of French and Asian elements. They used ground pork for their burger.

The original Bahn Mi is a sandwich on a crusty French baguette. The filling usually includes a slathering of French pate, ham, and a mixture of raw veggies, julienned, and dressed with an Asian sauce. I skipped the bread (big surprise!) but added a grilled turkey burger as my base.

Here are my ingredients:

1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick matchsticks (about 1-1/2 cup)

Kosher salt (if needed)

1 TB. white vinegar (or Asian rice vinegar)

1 lb. ground turkey or 4 frozen turkey burgers (I used Trader Joe's brand)

1-1/2 Tbs. chili garlic sauce (or sriracha)

1/2 Tbs. fish sauce

1/2 Tbs. fresh lime juice

Olive oil for brushing

1 medium English cucumber, cut into 16-1/8-inch slices

1/8 of a head of purple cabbage, sliced very thinly

1 medium jalapeno, cut into 16 thin slices (optional)

1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves (optional)

4 thin slices of ham

Mayonnaise (optional)

Crusty French rolls (VERY optional!)

Begin by marinating the julienned carrots, cucumber slices, and cabbage in a dressing of white vinegar, chili garlic sauce, fish sauce, and lime juice. Add a little salt and freshly ground pepper, if desired. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Grill or pan fry your turkey burgers until cooked completely through. Brush with olive oil to prevent sticking. Top each burger with a slice of ham and a good pile of marinated raw veggies. Sprinkle jalapeno slices and cilantro leaves over the top, if desired.

If you must have your burger on a roll, you can add a crusty roll and a slather of mayo. Dig in!