East Meets West Thai Burgers with Spicy Peanut Sauce

Pairs well with:

Pinot Grigio

You won’t need a bouquet of flowers when you share our Pinot Grigio. This crisp wine with floral aromas is a wonderful way to make an entrance.

With the huge Asian influx in the Seattle area, I grew up eating all kinds of ethnic foods.This Pad Thai like burger is a combination of flavors that really epitomize the area I grew up in. A lot of Asian influence in the All American burger.

Ingredients:

Spicy Peanut Sauce:
¼ cup cream peanut butter
¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
½ tablespoon sriracha hot chili sauce
½ tablespoon fresh ginger, minced

Patties:
2 pounds ground pork
1/2 cup minced red onion
3/4 cup spicy peanut sauce, divided (recipe follows)
2 teaspoons salt, divided
1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
2/3 cup bean sprouts
2/3 cup matchstick carrots
2 green onion tops (green parts only), cut into 2-inch pieces
2 Tablespoons Cilantro
Vegetable oil for grates
6 soft sesame seed buns, split horizontally

Instructions:

To make sauce: Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until well blended and smooth. Makes about 1 cup.

To make patties: Heat grill to medium-high.

Place the ground pork in a large bowl with minced onion, 6 Tablespoons spicy peanut sauce, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Mix very gently with a fork to combine, being careful not to overwork meat.

Gently form meat into 6 equal patties about 4 inches in diameter and ¾-inch thick. Use a thumb to make a ½-inch-deep indentation in the center of each patty.

In a medium bowl, combine the sprouts, carrots, green onion pieces, and cilantro; set aside.

When grill is hot, brush with vegetable oil. Season the burgers with the remaining ½ teaspoons of salt and black pepper. Place on rack and grill until cooked throughout, about four minutes per side. Place buns on the grill during the last two minutes of cooking to lightly toast and warm.

To assemble burgers: Place the patties on the bottom half of each bun. Top each burger patty with 1 Tablespoon of the remaining sauce. Evenly divide sprout mixer among burgers. Add the bun tops and serve.

Makes 6 burgers