Cast Iron

Niloufer Ichaporia King’s Turkey (or Chicken or Pork) Parsi Burgers

by:
January 16, 2019
4.3
18 Ratings
Niloufer Ichaporia King’s Turkey (or Chicken or Pork) Parsi Burgers
Photo by Ty Mecham
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

Lean meat, as a rule, needs help. Here, inspired by traditional Parsi kebabs, Niloufer Ichaporia King jams it full of moisture (and flavor) with a mess of herbs, alliums, ginger, and chiles. There is a greater proportion of raw vegetable matter here than you might have thought wise to mix into a burger. But every last bit has just enough time to soften and release its bright, herby, spicy vapors and juices into the burgers as they sizzle, fixing both of the problems meat lacking in fat tends to have: severe deficits in flavor and moisture. Adapted slightly from My Bombay Kitchen (University of California Press, 2007). —Genius Recipes

What You'll Need
Watch This Recipe
Niloufer Ichaporia King’s Turkey (or Chicken or Pork) Parsi Burgers
Ingredients
  • 1 pound ground turkey, chicken, or lean pork
  • 1 small red or yellow onion, or 4 green onions, finely chopped
  • 6 slices peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped
  • 2 to 4 small green chiles like jalapeño, finely chopped (seeds and white ribs removed if you don’t want it too spicy)
  • 1/2 cup (or more) chopped fresh coriander (cilantro) leaves and stems
  • 1/4 cup chopped mint leaves (optional)
  • 1 large egg
  • Salt
Directions
  1. In a bowl, mix together the ground turkey, onion, ginger, chiles, fresh coriander, mint if you like, and egg. Season with salt and mix thoroughly. (If you want to check the seasoning to taste, fry off a little tester patty.) Shape into 4 to 6 flat patties
  2. Heat a cast-iron skillet with a thin film of oil. Moderately high heat is better than a blazing-hot pan, which can char the meat before the insides are cooked. Fry the burgers on both sides until brown, about 5 to 10 minutes a side, depending on the thickness. To be certain the meat is cooked through, an instant-read thermometer should read 165°F, but this recipe is forgiving even if you overcook it. Serve as you like—King recommends a baked potato and a simple green salad with avocado.
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Genius Recipes

Recipe by: Genius Recipes

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15 Reviews

SFmama
SFmama July 10, 2023
Wow! Unbelievably delicious with complex and satisfying flavors. Burgers very moist; the best part is that it is very easy to make. Will definitely make this on rotation. Thank you for sharing such a gift.
 
advansi
advansi April 9, 2021
Late to the party, but these were excellent! Microplaned about an inch of ginger instead of chopping and it turned out to be such an herby and juicy burger! Ate it on a brioche roll with arugula and avocado.

Next time I make it, I wonder if I can just toss all the ingredients into a hand chopper to cut down on prep time. Even without the hand chopper, this was such a fast recipe for weeknights.

 
Diane L.
Diane L. April 26, 2020
This makes a very flavorfull, moist burger. I grated the ginger finely because I didn't want to bite into chunks of ginger.
 
gingerroot
gingerroot March 26, 2020
Made this last night with suggested baked potato and green salad. Delicious, easy and will definitely make again. What a great way to make a turkey burger something to look forward to.
 
Linda
Linda December 9, 2019
I've made this numerous times...it's a super yummy recipe! It's flavorful and juicy...not dry at all like turkey burgers can sometimes be. I believe the ginger adds to the juiciness!
 
Anja
Anja September 1, 2019
How thick is a slice of ginger? That seems like such an odd measurement, especially when there is such a precise number of slices. What is that in table/teaspoons, or mass in grams?
 
Dylan
Dylan September 1, 2019
As thick as you want it
 
violist
violist December 9, 2019
Anja, I like to you use a microplane grater for ginger. The taste is better distributed and I like that I can scoop it into a teaspoon or tablespoon.
 
CHR@SF
CHR@SF April 25, 2020
I had the same question as Anja, and thought to do a search for the recipe on other sites. Epicurious says (https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/niloufer-ichaporia-king-s-turkey-or-chicken-or-pork-parsi-burgers-5e062057fb26eb0008988563) 1 T. of ginger & the LA Times (https://www.latimes.com/recipe/parsiburgers) specifies 6, 1/4-inch slices. Hope this provides helpful guidelines.
 
Dylan
Dylan July 11, 2019
Yes on the chili burn that’s why you should wear gloves
 
Susanna
Susanna July 5, 2019
Will this work on a grill, or will the burgers fall apart?
 
Ryan
Ryan July 6, 2019
I cooked them on the grill today. They would be better in the cast iron. Flavor was excellent!
 
Dylan
Dylan July 11, 2019
Works fine on a nicely oiled grill pan
 
Laura
Laura January 22, 2019
Delicious! I'm always looking for new and interesting ways to cook lean proteins and these are indeed very flavorful and juicy.
 
Liz
Liz January 16, 2019
I have definitely, on multiple occasions, burned my hands with capsaicin. That's why I ALWAYS double-glove now when working with chiles.