HOT SWEETCHILLI THAI BURGER with BASIL and PINEAPPLE

Pairs well with:

Sauvignon Blanc

With hints of passion fruit, melon, and citrus, this wine beckons you to kick back and find a perfect porch swing.

Ingredients

For patties:
3/4 cup coconut cream
4 T Thai fish sauce
2 tsp dried lemongrass powder
2 tsp dried coriander powder
1 tsp dried green curry powder
1 tsp dried red chilli flakes
3 tsp grated young ginger (from about a 2” X 2” piece, with peel lightly scraped)
2 pounds ground beef (I used a 73/27 ratio)
Vegetable oil, for greasing utensils as described, and the grill rack For sandwich:
6 Ciabatta buns, about 4 1/2” X 4 1/2”, split horizontally
Chilli oil, to brush on bread and patties
1 bunch fresh basil leaves (allot about 6 leaves per sandwich)
6 slices canned pineapple, drained
1 small bottle prepared sweet Thai chilli sauce

 

Instructions

PROCEDURE: In a medium bowl, put the coconut cream. Dissolve in it the fish sauce, dried lemongrass, coriander powder, curry powder, red chilli flakes and the grated fresh young ginger. Whisk until well blended. Pour into a bowl with the ground beef. Mix thoroughly, but handle the meat as little as possible, so as not to compact it. Set aside. Pre-heat the gas grill to medium high heat. Cover lid. Make the patties by brushing vegetable oil lightly in a one-cup measuring cup. Pack the cup lightly with enough ground meat mixture almost to the top, transfer to a lightly greased platter (to slide patties easily onto grill rack); then flatten gently to make about 3/4-inch thick patty. Repeat this until you make 6 equal-sized burgers. Prepare the ciabatta rolls: split horizontally, and brush inside very lightly with chilli oil. On a preparation table, lay out the fixins and condiments for setting up the sandwiches so that they can be assembled and served soon after the burgers are hot off the grill. Prepare the fresh basil: Fold a few leaves at a time, then slice fine across so that you will have julienne strips of basil. Set aside with the drained sliced pineapple and the sweet Thai chilli sauce. After about 15 minutes of pre-heating the grill, test to see if heat level is sufficient for grilling. When the briquettes are ashen-color and the flames have subsided, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Brush each patty lightly with a little chilli oil, then place them on the rack, leaving enough space around each. Keep the temperature at medium, then lower the lid. From time to time, lift cover and check that there are no flare-ups. After about 5-6 minutes, check color of burger by lifting only the edge. Before flipping, brush with some chilli oil again. Rotate position of burgers, if necessary, according to where temperature seems higher, so that all burgers get cooked evenly. On the opposite side, grill for another 4-5 minutes each. Flip burgers only once. During the last few minutes of grilling the second side of the burgers, place the cut-side down of each ciabatta on the outer edges of the rack or on the top layer of the rack. Toast the bread for only about 1-2 minutes. Remove bread and burgers from grill when all done, turn off the gas grill, and prepare the sandwich assembly. To assemble, on bottom half of a ciabatta, put a burger patty. Spread about a tablespoonful of the shredded basil leaves, then top with a slice of pineapple. Cover with a generous amount of the Thai sweet chilli sauce, about 2-3 teaspoons per sandwich. Cover with the top half of the ciabatta. Serve immediately. ENJOY!