A spicy Thai inspired burger patty with cilantro and Thai chili's. Topped with sweet chili mayo and pickled cucumber and carrots.
I love exploring different flavor combinations for burgers, and this Spicy Thai burger is a trifecta of flavors that all go well together.
Burgers are similar to tacos in that you can get really creative with the toppings and flavor profiles.
The Burger Patty
You'll notice in the video below the burger patty looks much lighter than the one pictured in the post. I ended up using ground turkey in the video and ground beef in the pictures.
I thought both were really good and absorbed the flavors well. However, I used an 80/20 ground beef and that was a little juicer than the ground turkey.
The Thai flavors will come through in the patty with an easy marinade. It's actually very similar to what I use in my Thai Chicken Wings.
Start by making a blend of cilantro, garlic, Thai bird's eye chili, and soy sauce. I used a small food chopper, or you can finely dice everything.
A little warning, Thai bird's eye chili's are a lot spicier than a jalapeno. If you don't want the burger to be that spicy, use a jalapeno instead.
Once everything is blended, add it to your ground meat, mix just until incorporated, and place in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up. Especially if you are using ground turkey, this helps to form the burger patties a little easier.
Form your burger patties larger than the bun you are using, since they will shrink during cooking. And if you don't own a digital meat thermometer than I highly suggest getting one.
I prefer my ground beef to be cooked at 155 degrees F, but the ground turkey should be fully cooked to 165 degrees F.
The burger patties can be cooked on the grill or in a cast iron skillet on the stove.
The Toppings
To balance the spice and heat from the burger, I wanted some acidity and crunch.
I shaved cucumber and carrot strips then placed them in a small jar and added some leftover pickle juice.
If you don't have leftover pickle juice then mix vinegar with a teaspoon of sugar till it dissolves and use that instead.. I had them in the fridge for about 30 minutes, and they got a nice acidity to them.
Next I wanted a sweet mayo to round out all the flavors. I mixed equal parts mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce. So easy and good!
Building the Burger
Toast the buns just until they get some color. You can spread some butter on them if you like.
Put a layer of sweet chili mayo on each bun, then layer with lettuce, the Thai burger patty, pickled cucumbers and carrots, and the top bun.
Spicy Thai Burger with Sweet Chili Mayo
Equipment
- Grill or Cast Iron Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Beef or Turkey
- ½ cup Cilantro Leaves and Stems
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 Thai birds eye chili I only used one, and it has a good amount of heat. For less heat, use a jalapeno.
- 1 tablespoon Soy Sauce
- Salt and Pepper
- 1 Cucumber
- 1 Carrot
- ½ cup Pickle Juice Substitute vinegar with a little bit of sugar
- 2 tablespoon Mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon Sweet Chili Sauce
Instructions
- Add Cilantro (leaves and stems) to a food chopper or processor, along with garlic cloves, Thai birds eye chili, and soy sauce. Pulse till everything is incorporated and chopped up.
- Add mixture to your ground meat, mix just until incorporated, and place in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up. Especially if you are using ground turkey, this helps to form the burger patties a little easier.
- Using a peeler, peel long thin strips of cucumber and carrot. Then place in a jar with pickle juice and refrigerate for 30 minutes. If you don't have pickle juice then mix vinegar with a little sugar and quick pickle the cucumber and carrots.
- Combine mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce, keep in refrigerator until ready to use.
- Form 4 burger patties, larger than the bun size, season the patty lightly with salt and pepper. Cook on a grill or cast iron skillet. I cook ground beef to around 155 degrees F and ground turkey to 165 degrees F. Use an instant read thermometer on the patties.
- Toast buns on grill or pan, you can add butter if you like. Spread sweet chili may on both sides of the buns. Layer lettuce on the bottom, then burger patty, top with pickled cucumber and carrot ribbons, and top bun.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and depends on ingredients and amounts used. Thai Caliente makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Sara Ayesh says
This looks like an amazing take on a burger! Love the idea of the pickled veggies on top. Will need to try soon!
Renee says
Thank you, Sara! It add a nice crunch and acidity to the spicy burger! 🙂
Marilou Thompson says
I made this and followed the recipe!! It was delicious! Very easy to make!
Renee says
Thank you for your comments, Marilou! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Do you mind leaving a star rating, I appreciate it!
Marilou Thompson says
5 starts.
I forgot to also say that my husband started to take out the picked cucumber and carrots saying “ i don’t ever put that on my Hamburger” but insisted that’s what the recipe says! So he did and he loved it! Even went back for seconds!
Renee says
That's Awesome, glad he ended up liking them! I appreciate the rating 🙂