Turkey Jasmine Burgers

I love lightening up traditional recipes with healthy ingredients that not only make you feel good, but taste amazing too. These turkey burgers are the best I’ve ever had. Lean ground turkey is jazzed up with Asian ingredients that lend tons of fresh flavor. The sesame oil especially gives it a delicious, salty bite, and the jasmine rice makes the patty tender and moist. The sweet and tangy cucumber salad and a smear of smooth wasabi mayo take this burger over the top. These ingredients may seem unusual for a turkey burger, but the combination is mouthwatering! Even my beef burger-loving husband ate every bite and asked for more!

Turkey Jasmine Burgers
An Asian spin lends loads of fresh flavors to a traditional turkey burger.
Serves 4

Cucumber salad
1 cucumber -- peeled and thinly sliced rounds
1/2 red onion -- thinly sliced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/8 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt

Burger
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
1/3 cup steamed jasmine rice
1/4 cup panko
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tsp. Siracha or other Asian chile sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon peanut or canola oil
4 sesame hamburger buns

Wasabi Mayonnaise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon wasabi powder
1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped lemon peel

Cucumber salad: Toss cucumbers, onions, rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a medium sized bowl. Let it marinate at room temperature for 1 hour.

Burger: Mix ground turkey, rice, panko, green onions, egg, sesame oil, soy sauce, Thai chile, and sugar very well. Make into 4 patties. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute burgers until cooked through, approximately 5 to 6 minutes per side (depending on how thick you make them). Or, throw them on the grill!

Wasabi mayonnaise: While burgers are cooking, toast buns, and mix mayonnaise, with wasabi powder, ginger, and lemon peel in a small bowl.

Drain cucumber salad well. Smear 1 tablespoon wasabi mayonnaise on toasted bun halves, spread with a layer of drained cucumber salad, then top with burger and cover with bun top.

Recipe adapted from Food Network