Banh Mi Burgers

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These Banh Mi Burgers are perfectly tender and juicy while bursting with Vietnamese inspired flavor! Top them with my super easy Quick Pickled Veggies and Paprika Mayo and you’ve got a simple, delicious, weeknight dinner the whole family will love!

You’ll Love These

• They’re a super quick and easy weeknight dinner that you can have on the table in less than 20 minutes. Ditch the drive-through tonight and make burgers at home. You won’t believe how much better they taste!
• The flavor of these burgers is outrageous! Don’t be fooled by the short ingredient list – these burgers are bursting with Vietnamese inspired flavor. The Chinese 5 Spice is the secret ingredient that gives them tons of flavor. If you don’t have Chinese 5 Spice on hand, I strongly urge you to add some to your next grocery order. And if you love this recipe, be sure to check out my Instant Pot Banh Mi also!
• They’ll help you bring a little something different to the backyard barbecue this summer. We all love a classic burger, but by the end of July, they can get pretty boring. If your family loves to grill out but is looking for a unique dinner idea – definitely add this recipe to your “must make” list!

Instructions

Throw together this Quick Pickled Veggie recipe the night before you want to make the Banh Mi Burgers (or at least 8 hours before). They’re super easy to throw together (takes just 5 minutes) and they really add a tangy crunch to these burgers!

Add ground beef, soy sauce, Chinese 5 Spice, ginger paste, garlic, zest and juice of a lime, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper to a large bowl.

Use your hands to mix until just combined. Do not over mix.

Divide into 4 equal parts and shape into 4 patties.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook burgers, in batches depending on the size of your pan, cooking each side of the burger for about 3-4 minutes or until a dark brown crust forms on the outside of the burger, and the burger is cooked through.

While burgers are cooking, mix together the quick Paprika Mayo. Serve Banh Mi burgers on a brioche bun, with pickled veggies, paprika mayo, and fresh cilantro. 

Tips

• You’ll notice in these photos that I sliced the Quick Pickled Veggies into round slices, but in the original recipe, I cut them into matchsticks. For most recipes, I prefer the matchstick style veggies, but for burgers, I like them to be round so it’s a bit easier to stack them on top of the burger. No matter how you choose to cut them, they’ll taste amazing!
• I like to use 85/15 ground beef for this recipe. That means that it’s 85% lean and 15% fat. I find that ground beef that is leaner than that ends up creating a very dry burger. I also like to use 80/20 ground beef when I can find it as well. Fat = flavor. And this burger recipe has few ingredients so it’s important that it has a decent amount of fat.
• I have recently discovered ginger paste! It’s a tube of minced ginger that stays fresh in your fridge for a very long time. I always have the best of intentions when I buy my knob of ginger, but inevitably it goes bad in the crisper drawer of my fridge because I use the couple teaspoons I need and then don’t use it again. SO, the ginger paste is a great way to get fresh ginger at a moment’s notice! Ginger can also be tricky to mince because it’s very fibrous. If you have fresh ginger on hand, feel free to mince it yourself – it’s literally the same thing. But I highly recommend grabbing a tube of ginger paste to save you time!
• Don’t overmix the burger mixture. You want to incorporate all the ingredients well throughout the ground beef, but if you mix the burger mixture too much, the texture of the burgers will become tough and chewy. Using your hands is a great way to distribute the ingredients well without overmixing.

This is Not an Authentic Banh Mi Recipe

• This recipe is in no way meant to a classic Banh Mi recipe. This is a Vietnamese inspired hamburger made with ingredients we frequently have in our kitchen.
• If you’re looking for some background history on this French Vietnamese fusion dish, here’s a brief summary and some more in-depth information.
• Traditionally, Banh Mi is a French baguette filled with pickled daikon radish and carrot, sliced cucumber, cilantro, chiles, and some kind of meat including, pate, sardines, or pork. It also is sometimes spread with a thin layer of mayo.
• In this recipe, I’ve replaced daikon radish with regular radish and pickled the carrots, cucumber, and radish together (using my quick pickled veggies recipe). I replaced the chiles and mayo with a simple paprika mayo sauce and used a beef burger patty seasoned with Vietnamese inspired ingredients. I also served it with jalapeno and plenty of cilantro. This is my Midwestern version of Banh Mi, but in burger form.
• There are many types of Banh Mi, including ones that are filled with grilled chicken, fried eggs, and even ICE CREAM!!!
• If you’re looking for a traditional Banh Mi recipe, here’s a great one!

Family Favorites

• Quick Pickled Veggies
• Instant Pot Shredded Beef Banh Mi
• Instant Pot French Dips
• Easy Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
• Simple Chorizo Burgers
• Vegan Falafel Burgers

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