Turkey Burgers with Mango and Curry: Punched-up Poultry.

Turkey Burgahs. Delicious, healthy, tricked out with mango and curry paste, and a big hit of cilantro – elements that are all incorporated directly into the meat. In the winter, I make this exact same mixture and slam it into a loaf pan for turkey meatloaf. So this is a multi-seasonal winner. You probably won't need the whole mango for this recipe – so I instruct you to eat the rest of the mango over the sink.

Mango still-life, No.1.

Mangos are one of the best things in all of life. I spent an entire summer eating mostly mangos and potatoes once, and working at Tilley Endurables at the mall at Queen's Quay in Toronto. I lived across the street from a fruit market, and I had no money - so for some reason I fixated on mangos and potatoes. And also I had to wear a ridiculous Tilley outfit at work that included pleated, high-waisted khakis and a tucked in t-shirt blousey thing. Not hot. At all. Anyway.

Don't be alarmed at bun to burger ratio.
It wasn't as bad as it seems.

So, turkey burgers. I topped these with avocado, which was a really welcome addition. Don't muck them up with many other toppings, as there's a lot going on in the burger, and things can get confusing. Don't let that happen to you and your delicious dinner.


Turkey Burgers with Mango and Curry

a pound of ground turkey (or chicken, or in a pinch I've also used pork)
about 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups diced mango (I use a regular ol' potato peeler to peel my mangos, and then cut chunks off around the pit, then dice)
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbsp of hot curry paste (feel free to use medium or mild paste if you want to cut down on the heat factor - I like Patak's brand)
1 cup of chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp canola oil for frying onions and mango, 1tbsp for frying burgers (you can use any neutral oil here, or even olive oil I GUESS, if you must. I've been told I need to stop being so hard on olive oil)
sliced avocado, to top the burgers
squeeze of fresh lime juice, squeezed on burger just before burger enters mouth

Fry your diced onion and mango in a pan with the canola oil, for about 5 minutes, until the onion becomes translucent and the mango softens up a fair bit. Then add your curry paste, and salt and pepper. Cook the curry paste with the mango and onion for about another fiver. Remove from the pan and allow it to cool. Once it's cooled, add it to a bowl where you've already placed the ground turkey. Add in the cilantro. Mix it up well – this is a good time to use the tools that come attached to you, i.e. your hands. They're the most effective. Don't over-mix. Form into four burger patties. Now is the time to slam it into a loaf pan (or free-form a loaf-ish shape on a sheet pan) if you want to go the meatloaf route. I cooked the burgers over medium heat in a cast iron skillet, but obviously grilling these on the barbecue would be an excellent option. For some reason I don't own a barbecue. Well it's because I haven't bought one. Weird how that works.

Summer, meet plate.

These babies are a little tender, so handle them with care. There's no filler in these burgers, like breadcrumbs and/or an egg, so the meat is a little more fragile. To combat this, I put them in the fridge for about 15 minutes before frying. It just makes them stay together a little bit better. Also, watch it with the flipping. Do it as little as possible. I found the burgers took about 20-25 minutes to cook in the pan.

Serves 4.