It was a weekend of heavy dinners for me. I seem to have made up for the (self-imposed) absence of beef in my diet at home by having steak with my girlfriends Friday night and a burger with other friends Saturday night. By the time Sunday rolled around I was ready for something a little lighter. I baked oatmeal cookies during the day and also made these turkey patties and slaw–intended for dinner. But as I prepared the meal my husband arrived home from a bike ride with an old friend and said we had other plans. We met some old cycling friends and ended up going out for a curry dinner. I will admit that though my husband and I enjoyed the company we were just a bit disappointed in the quality of the meal Sunday night, especially knowing this was available at home. We shared this bowl of slaw and baked turkey patties I used for these shots and had to resist eating more and ruining our appetite. We weren’t able to fully enjoy this meal until Monday night but it was certainly worth waiting for. My husband and I couldn’t get enough.
The recipe that inspired this dish used ground chicken fried in very little oil. While healthy to begin with, I went a step further by baking the patties (I used turkey for more flavor), and you now what, the quality of my version didn’t suffer at all. The turkey patties were crisp on the outside from being finished under the broiler but where they might look dry, they were actually quite moist inside.
Green curry paste is the base flavor here; subtle but enough to give good old turkey a new twist. Sambal Oelek (chili paste) provides a little kick and with the lime/sesame oil-dressed cabbage slaw, the effect is a perfect balance of fresh and exotic. The slaw and patties are garnished with avocado and sliced jalapeño peppers–don’t even think about skipping them! I added the kale simply because I had some in the refrigerator–this is optional.
After serving the patties and slaw this way, it occurred to me that this combination could be made more festive by serving them as sliders. I’ve made Sushi-style salmon sliders before…why not Thai-style? Setting the patty on a slider bun topped with the slaw, avocado and peppers would make for the perfect party or game day food. I can’t wait to try this variation!
Thai-Style Baked Turkey Patties with Cabbage Slaw
Ingredients
- ***For the Turkey Patties***
- 2/3 cup panko Japanese breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup green onions sliced
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise I used Vegenaise
- 1 1 /2 tablespoons green curry paste
- 1 - 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons sambal oelek chili paste
- pinch kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 1 large egg
- Cooking spray
- ***For the Cabbage Slaw***
- 3/4 green cabbage sliced
- 3-4 stems Tuscan kale sliced (optional)
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
- 1 jalapeño pepper thinly sliced
- 1 avocado sliced
Instructions
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To prepare the slaw (you will want to prepare the slaw first to allow the dressing time to meld with the cabbage, at least 30 minutes): Combine the ingredients from the lime juice to the sugar. Adjust taste to your liking then combine with the cabbage and kale in a large bowl (see my note below regarding proportions). Chill in the refrigerator while you prepare the patties. You will add the cilantro, avocado and jalapeño slices before serving.
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To prepare the patties: Preheat your oven to 350℉. Place the panko, green onions and ground turkey in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, combine the ingredients from the mayo to the egg then add to the larger bowl with turkey. Mix together; I find it's best to use your hands for this so that the other ingredients get incorporated evenly into the ground meat. Divide into 12 portions and form small patties. Lay them on a baking sheet. I lined mine with nonstick foil. Spray the tops of the patties with cooking spray to aid in browning.
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Bake them for about 17 minutes, rotating the pan(s) halfway through. No need to flip the patties at all. Turn on the broiler and broil the patties for just a minute or two for a crisp, golden exterior. They will look dry on the outside but they will be moist inside. Serve as a topping for the cabbage slaw...
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OR: turn these into sliders using the patties as mini burgers and topping with the cabbage slaw and avocado for a more fun presentation.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine's Best of Cooking Light 2013 issue. Original recipe is called Green Curry Fritters using ground chicken then fried. I used turkey for more flavor but baked my patties to make things simpler and healthier. A note about the dressing for the cabbage slaw: The original recipe called for 1:1 ratio of lime and sesame oil but I preferred a heavier concentration of lime juice and less sugar. I also doubled the dressing just because I wanted a bigger lime flavor in my slaw.
Wonderful flavors going on here in both the patties and salad.
Great looking patties there. I love the addition of Jalapeño peppers — it gives a good hot crunch. 🙂
I love the sound of these patties. Yum!
What an exotically scrumptious take on turkey! I’m never quite sure what to do with curry paste, it’s so wonderful, yet too heavy- if not played correctly. *Bookmarking* this recipe!
P.S. Weekends are perfect for indulging in beef (burgers especially!). 😀
Love this recipe, Jean! Thai flavors are some of my favorites, and the cabbage slaw looks so refreshing. Your idea of making sliders is perfect too!
This has me written all over it! I LOVE Thai, could eat it every day. Can’t wait to try it!
You read my mind with this one! I can’t get enough Thai dishes lately…I’m really loving the fresh, bright flavors and perfect harmonies. This meal looks incredible – I love the flavors and the combination of textures with the slaw! Definitely a meal worth waiting for!
Thai style anything makes me happy, and these turkey burgers look amazing! Plus, you can never go wrong, IMO, with kale and cabbage 🙂 Can’t wait to make this!
I love Thai flavors and great idea adding kale to the slaw!
This recipe looks amazing and so healthy! I am deff going to try it! 🙂
Hi there. The current Food on Friday on Carole’s Chatter is about burgers. I do hope you link this lovely one in. This is the link . Please do pop back to check out some of the other links – there are a lot of good ones already. Have a great week.
What a unique way to spice up a turkey burger! Looks great!
Last month since doing Paleo, I made turkey patties also! I was surprised at how juicy ground turkey can be, given the right amount of spices and seasonings! Also, I find that good-quality ground or minced turkey from a reputable butcher makes a huge difference! Without any fillers or chemical add-ons, turkey is one delicious bird! I also found that mixing white and dark meat ground turkey strikes the right balance in flavour for me. I bet your sliders are just dee-li-cious!!!
Jean – these look great! I can only imagine after rich dinners, how refreshig these were. Last night I made cheese fondue for valentines day and now I need to eat light for a few days. Happy Friday! Love your photos!!!
Yummy lunch or light dinner, I like that you used turkey meat here too and thai slaw so good.
Jean-these look very good and your Thai spices sound wonderful! I’m not very adventurous when I make turkey for dinner but that will be changing when I try this delicious recipe. Love the slaw too 😉