Middle Eastern Turkey Burger
I am back online again after my Internet online went kaput for two days. First of all I want to thank everyone who left comments on my Jakarta Post post, you guys really made my day and kept me smilling the whole week. I’m sorry that I postponed replying to all the comments and when it’s time to do it, my Internet connection boycotted me.
Now, back to this post that I’ve been wanting to write since last week. I wasn’t expecting that this week would be so busy, but I was mistaken. My son started school this week and I had two days of meeting and working, so I put this blogging matter aside. This burger was made when I was trying to use frozen ground turkeys that I had, and I was inspired to try a new recipe from recent Fine Cooking magazine edition because the photo looked very appetizing.
The burger was very tasty and juicy, especially if you use all-dark turkey meat. It’s flavorful enough with the fresh chopped mint and parsley in it, and the predictable cucumber and yogurt sauce was refreshingly good when paired with juicy turkey burger. So yeah, it’s not lamb kebabs but this definitely will make regular recurrence in our household.
Middle Eastern Turkey Burger
Serves 4
1 1/2 lb. ground turkey, preferably including some dark meat
2 medium cloves garlic
Kosher salt
1/4 cup lightly packed chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup lightly packed chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce (recipe below)
Gently break the meat into large pieces in a large bowl. Mince the garlic, sprinle with 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and using the flat side of a chef’s knife, smear and mash to a paste. Gently mix the garlic paste, mint, parsley, olive oil, paprika, cumin, coriander, and cayenne into the turkey. Shape, the meat into 4 equal 1-inch-thick patties. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 20 minutes and up to 4 hours.
Prepare a medium charcoal or gas grill fire. Grill the burgers, covered with vents open, until nicely marked and just cooked through (an instant-read thermometer inserted in a burger should read 165 degrees F), 4 to 6 minutes per side.
Serve with the Whole Wheat Pita Bread and Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce.
Cucumber and Yogurt Sauce
Yields about 1 cup
1/2 cup peeled, seeded, and finely diced English cucumber
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
Kosher salt
1/2 cup plain whole-milk or lowfat yogurt, preferably Greek
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of cayenne or Aleppo pepper; more to taste
Combine the cucumber, onion, and 1 teaspoons salt in a bowl. Let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes. Drain off the liquid and rinse to remove excess salt. Drain well and taste a few pieces; if it’s too salty, rinse and drain again. In a small bowl, combine the cucumber and onion with the yogurt, cilantro, sugar, and cayenne or Aleppo pepper. Let sit for 30 minutes for the flavors to develop. Season to taste with salt and cayenne.
Source: adapted from Fine Cooking magazine # 94
Eliza,
Turkey burgernya keliatan enak bangeeet. *pengen.
Fotonya bagus banget El. Siapa yg jadi model? papanya Nate ya?
Van, iya, ogah2an tuh si model
soalnya kan moto2nya lama, jadi keburu pegel dan lapar 
Comment by vania — August 30, 2008 @ 8:39 pm
Eliza, you’re so clever, can think of presenting burger in such an attractive way!
whatever works gattina!
as long as both got eaten anyway…
Comment by gattina — August 31, 2008 @ 12:04 am
Eliza, you’re so clever, can think of presenting burger in such an attractive way!
Comment by gattina — August 31, 2008 @ 12:05 am
I love Middle Eastern food and yours definitely look very appetizing!
thanks Elra, i crave middle eastern food sometimes, so this was what i made
Comment by elra — August 31, 2008 @ 1:37 pm
wahhhhh juicy yah…pengennn dah (daku pemalas kalo suruh bikin burger hehe)
;P loh bukannya udah pernah bikin burger. makanan gampang loh ini
Comment by rita — September 1, 2008 @ 2:29 am
tak kirain turkey kota eh ternyata turkey kalkun toh
hahaha..ya gak bisa makan turkey kota toh Yin? ;D
Comment by Ayin — September 1, 2008 @ 3:53 am
WOW! Lovely! Who is the guy in the background hehe
it’s my hubby!
Comment by Mrs Ergül — September 1, 2008 @ 10:59 pm
These look delicious- and I have some ground turkey in my freezer!
hey, that’s good!
Comment by Deborah Dowd — September 2, 2008 @ 8:00 pm
aduhhhhhhhhh mau bgt…maaf baru mampir ya Liz..soalnya sakit 2 mingguan. Kalo lg sakit pengen nya ada yg antar makanan kyk di poto tuh lho heee…sayang cuma khayalan huuuuuuuu
wah, gak apa2 Mar, kalo lagi sakit ya udah pasti gak bisa ngapa2in toh? cepet baik ya!
Comment by Mariena — September 9, 2008 @ 11:03 pm
I have all those ingredients in the refrig
go ahead and try it girl!
Comment by jaden — September 19, 2008 @ 10:17 pm