saigon bistro burger extraordinaire
This is a tribute to Bahn Mi sandwiches I enjoyed on a visit to Saigon while working on a book about Asian cuisine. The chef let me watch her make it, and while I've changed a few things, this is pretty much what I had there. The Hawaiian sweet bun is my own idea. This takes a while to put all the steps together, but is well worth the time and effort. In case you don't want to shell out big bucks for the foie gras you can buy a pork loaf (sort of like a poor man's paté) at most Asian grocery stores which works perfectly well.
yield
4 serving(s)
prep time
1 Hr
cook time
20 Min
method
Barbecue
Ingredients For saigon bistro burger extraordinaire
- BURGERS
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3/4 lbfreshly ground beef
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1 lbfreshly ground pork shoulder
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1/4 lbfinely minced raw shrimp
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4 slice(1/4-inch thick) foie gras
- VIETNAMESE BASTE
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2 cnuoc mam (fish sauce)
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1 1/4 cbrown sugar, lightly packed
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1/2 c+ 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, separated
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1 tsppureed fresh ginger
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3 tspgarlic cloves, pureed
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1 tspturmeric
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1/2 cthai yellow curry paste
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2 stalklemongrass, finely julienned
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1 mdshallot, finely minced
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3 sprigfresh mint leaves, chopped, no stems
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3 sprigfresh basil leaves, chopped, no stems
- VIETNAMESE MAYO
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1/3 cwhite sugar
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2 Tbspnuoc mam
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2 Tbspvery hot water
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1 cmayonnaise (prefer olive oil base)
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1 1/2 Tbspmild curry powder
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1/2 tsppureed ginger root
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1 tspasian hot sauce, prefer sriracha
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3/4 tspturmeric
- DIPPING SAUCE
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1 cwhite sugar
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1/4 cboiling water
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1 cnuoc mam
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1/2 crice wine vinegar
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2 tsppureed garlic
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smthai red chile (optional)
- TOPPINGS
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4hawaiian sweet hamburger buns
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8lettuce leaves
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1/3 cfinely julienned or very thinly sliced carrots
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1/3 cfinely julienned or very thinly sliced daikon
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1/8 cfresh cilantro (or italian parsley) leaves
How To Make saigon bistro burger extraordinaire
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1For the BURGERS: In a medium bowl, combine the pork, beef and shrimp. Mix with your hands gently (don’t handle too much) and form into four 8-ounce burger patties, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Let foie gras come to room temperature, cover and set aside.
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2For the BASTE: In a large bowl, whisk the fish sauce, hot water and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lime juice, ginger, garlic, turmeric, curry paste, and whisk to break up paste. Then add the lemongrass, shallots, mint and basil and mix well.
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3For the Vietnamese MAYO: Combine the sugar, nuoc mam, hot water, and lime juice and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Then add the mayo, curry powder, ginger, Sriracha and turmeric and whisk until smooth. Set aside and chill
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4For the DIPPING SAUCE: In a mixing bowl, whisk the sugar and hot water until dissolved. Add the fish sauce, vinegar, garlic and chile and mix well. Set aside and keep room temperature.
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5Preheat a grill to 300˚F to 350˚F (medium to medium-high heat) for direct and indirect heating.
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6Generously brush both sides of the burgers with the marinade, then grill to desired doneness (suggest medium rare). During the grilling process, brush the burgers several times on each side with the marinade so that the sugar helps form a nice crust on the burgers. Grill about 2 minutes over the heated side of the grill, 3-4 minutes on the unheated side.
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7Brush the foie gras slices with the marinade, then grill about 1 minute per side over direct heat. While slices are cooking lightly butter and toast the Hawaiian buns, buttered side down.
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8Place a burger on the bottom of each bun followed by a slice of the foie gras. Add 1-2 teaspoons of the mayo, and then some of the carrots and daikon, and a sprinkle of cilantro leaves. Finish with the lettuce and the top bun. Make all four burgers and serve with the nuoc mam on the side as a dipping sauce.
- Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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