I’ve been working with a couple of clients this past week on incorporating more flavor into their weekly menu rotation; there’s a host of good reasons to do so, including keeping things interesting enough to stay engaged with a healthier eating plan, but my principle argument is the food we eat should always taste great.
I’m particularly interested in home-cooked food that’s reasonably simple to prepare; most people don’t have half a day (or more) to work on preparing elaborate, Instagram worthy meals every day.
Here’s a recipe – Thai-Inspired Pork Burgers – that we’ve welcomed back into our rotation now that Spring has sprung (at least in our neighborhood); I shared this one with the clients mentioned above as an example of a meal prep that’s brings a load of flavor to the table, is a simple and quick, and frankly very economical to boot.
Three quick notes: one, for the lemongrass, if using fresh lemongrass stalks, you’ll need 2 or 3 prepped via the usual technique. A very viable and much quicker option is to use 2-3 tbsp of lemongrass puree (usually available refrigerated in the produce section). I know it’s a cheat, but a great option for the busy home cook. 
Two, I’ve been cooking these using a two-hour sous vide bath (130-134) followed by a quick sear finish producing incredibly moist burgers with a great crust, though they’re of course equally tasty grilled or sautéed on the stove.
And third, my chef friend in Austin (hey Chef Libby!) recently reminded me that classic Thai cooking often calls for sugar or another sweetener in recipes; given the natural sweetness of pork, she and I think this recipe is wonderful without any additional sweetener, but it’s listed below as an option.
And finally, stir together your favorite dipping sauce for these, though my personal favorite is avocado oil mayo with a big dollop of sriracha.
2 lb ground pork
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, greens only (roughly 8 onions)
5-6 cloves garlic, minced
Lemongrass, see note above
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 and 1/2 tsp good salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Optional
1-2 tsp sugar of choice
1/2-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
15-18 large lettuce leaves
1/2 cup or more of chopped cilantro, Thai basil, or mint in a pinch
Dipping sauce of choice
Prep the green onions, garlic, ginger, and lemongrass, then mix into the ground pork either using a stand mixer or your hands, adding the fish sauce, salt, and pepper as it comes together (along with the optional sugar and pepper flakes). Don’t over-mix.
Gently form into patties (we do 6 patties of 5-6 ounces) and chill for 30-60 minutes until they firm up.
These can be grilled over fire, sautéed in your favorite cast iron, or (our favorite for their texture and finish) cooked using sous vide (2 hours at 130-134 degrees) with a quick sear finish.
Wrap in two or three lettuce leaves and serve with the dipping sauce of your choice, though they’re great with avocado oil mayo and sriracha too.
Enjoy.
