saigon bistro burger extraordinaire

Name: Saigon Bistro Burger Extraordinaire
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: ## BURGERS; 3/4 pound(s) freshly ground beef; 1 pound(s) freshly ground pork shoulder; 1/4 pound(s) finely minced raw shrimp; 4 slice(s) (1/4-inch thick) foie gras; ## VIETNAMESE BASTE; 2 cup(s) nuoc mam (fish sauce); 1 1/4 cup(s) brown sugar, lightly packed; 1/2 cup(s) + 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, separated; 1 teaspoon(s) pureed fresh ginger; 3 teaspoon(s) garlic cloves, pureed; 1 teaspoon(s) turmeric; 1/2 cup(s) thai yellow curry paste; 2 stalk(s) lemongrass, finely julienned; 1 medium shallot, finely minced; 3 sprig(s) fresh mint leaves, chopped, no stems; 3 sprig(s) fresh basil leaves, chopped, no stems; ## VIETNAMESE MAYO; 1/3 cup(s) white sugar; 2 tablespoon(s) nuoc mam; 2 tablespoon(s) very hot water; 1 cup(s) mayonnaise (prefer olive oil base); 1 1/2 tablespoon(s) mild curry powder; 1/2 teaspoon(s) pureed ginger root; 1 teaspoon(s) asian hot sauce, prefer sriracha; 3/4 teaspoon(s) turmeric; ## DIPPING SAUCE; 1 cup(s) white sugar; 1/4 cup(s) boiling water; 1 cup(s) nuoc mam

11 Pinches 1 Photo

FH Browne

Ridgefield, WA

Updated on Aug 31, 2014

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.

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Savory Saigon Burger has a luscious beef-pork-shrimp burger, topped with a pork paté slice, crisp veggies and served on a sweet Hawaiian hamburger bun.

prep time 1 Hr

cook time 20 Min

method Barbecue

yield 4 serving(s)

Ingredients

BURGERS
3/4 pound freshly ground beef
1 pound freshly ground pork shoulder
1/4 pound finely minced raw shrimp
4 slices (1/4-inch thick) foie gras
VIETNAMESE BASTE
2 cups nuoc mam (fish sauce)
1 1/4 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice, separated
1 teaspoon pureed fresh ginger
3 teaspoons garlic cloves, pureed
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 cup thai yellow curry paste
2 stalks lemongrass, finely julienned
1 medium shallot, finely minced
3 sprigs fresh mint leaves, chopped, no stems
3 sprigs fresh basil leaves, chopped, no stems
VIETNAMESE MAYO
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons nuoc mam
2 tablespoons very hot water
1 cup mayonnaise (prefer olive oil base)
1 1/2 tablespoons mild curry powder
1/2 teaspoon pureed ginger root
1 teaspoon asian hot sauce, prefer sriracha
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
DIPPING SAUCE
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup boiling water
1 cup nuoc mam
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons pureed garlic
small thai red chile (optional)
TOPPINGS
4 - hawaiian sweet hamburger buns
8 - lettuce leaves
1/3 cup finely julienned or very thinly sliced carrots
1/3 cup finely julienned or very thinly sliced daikon
1/8 cup fresh cilantro (or italian parsley) leaves

How To Make saigon bistro burger extraordinaire

Step 1

For 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.

Step 2

For 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.
Step 3

For 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
Step 4

For 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.
Step 5

Preheat a grill to 300˚F to 350˚F (medium to medium-high heat) for direct and indirect heating.
Step 6

Generously 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.
Step 7

Brush 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.
Step 8

Place 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.
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