The first time I went to Hawaii I felt as if I had landed on another planet. Coming from upstate New York in the winter everything was so lush and tropical. The ocean was a beautiful shade of turquoise, surrounded by breathtaking mountains. The calm, happy, relaxed attitude from the locals was so contagious that we couldn’t help but feel that way too. The other thing I noticed was that all of the produce was so vibrant and fresh. Freshly squeezed tropical juices were bursting with flavor. It was in Maui where I took spa-style cooking classes and was introduced to bright green micro greens and baby lettuce before it had reached the mainland. I was also made aware of how much Hawaii is influenced by Asia. I dined on many fusion styles, Asian -inspired dishes during my visit. This recipe is a sandwich that I created with Hawaii in mind. It is healthier to make it with ground chicken breast or salmon; however, you can occasionally make it with beef.
For the ground chicken mixture:
- 2 pounds ground chicken breast or ground chicken breast and thigh mixed (salmon or beef)
- 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 8 scallions, chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- zest of 1 lemon, grated
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 3 fresh shitake mushrooms, chopped
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
- 1/3 cup Vegenaise brand or real mayonnaise (homemade mayo for paleo)
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For assembling the burger:
- 1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced about 1-2 inches thick circles (preferably the “Gold” variety”)
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- micro pea shoots or lettuce of your choice
- whole grain buns, baguettes or ciabatta bread, toasted (omit bun for paleo)
- 1 recipe, Karen’s Sweet Chili Mayo or sweet chili sauce mixed with English mustard
- 16 medium size or 8 large fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed and soaked for about 15 minutes in the following simple marinade
Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari (use coconut aminos for paleo variation)
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil (or coconut oil for paleo)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine (omit for paleo)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 teaspoon raw or regular sugar (use coconut sugar or raw honey for paleo variation)
Sweet Chili Mayo for spreading on the burgers before serving.
Combine all burger ingredients in a large bowl; form into patties and chill on a platter until ready to grill or pan fry. Cook in a lightly oiled non-stick pan or grill pan over a medium-low heat, turning once, about 4 -5 minutes on each side. You can cook in a regular frying pan or a grill pan as well.
After briefly marinating the fresh shitake mushrooms, grill or pan fry until they are nicely caramelized.
Make Karen’s Sweet Chili Mayo or garnish with sweet chili sauce, adding a small dollop of Coleman’s English mustard, then mix.
Assemble the burgers, lining the buns with layers of the grilled pineapple, shitake mushrooms, red onion slices, greens and the burger onto freshly toasted bread that has been spread with the sauce and serve.
For Karen’s sweet chili mayo recipe, look in the appetizer section for the Crunchy Asian Salmon Cakes with Sweet Chili Mayo.
I find that the burgers are much more moist and easier to cook on a grill pan or a non-stick pan.
For health reasons, I recommend only using a non-PFOA pan. Scan Pan is a non-PHOA brand and there are a few more. PFOA is a known toxin and could be harmful to your health.
*Serves: 6-8
*Meat or Parve, if made with salmon
- For the ground chicken mixture:
- 2 pounds ground chicken breast or ground chicken breast and thigh mixed (salmon or beef)
- 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 8 scallions, chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- zest of 1 lemon, grated
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 3 fresh shitake mushrooms, chopped
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil, use coconut oil for paleo varaition
- ⅓ cup Vegenaise brand or light mayonnaise
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- For assembling the burger:
- 1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced about 1-2 inches thick circles (preferably the “Gold” variety”)
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- micro pea shoots or lettuce of your choice
- whole grain buns, baguettes or ciabatta bread, toasted (omit bun for paleo, use gluten-free bun for gluten-free variation
- 1 recipe, Karen’s Sweet Chili Mayo or sweet chili sauce mixed with English mustard
- 16 medium size or 8 large fresh shitake mushrooms, stems removed and soaked for about 15 minutes in the following simple marinade
- Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon peanut oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 teaspoon raw or regular sugar
- Sweet Chili Mayo for spreading on the burgers before serving
- Combine all burger ingredients in a large bowl; form into patties and chill on a platter until ready to grill or pan fry. Cook in a lightly oiled non-stick pan or grill pan over a medium-low heat, turning once, about 4 -5 minutes on each side. You can cook in a regular frying pan or a grill pan as well.
- After briefly marinating the fresh shitake mushrooms, grill or pan fry until they are nicely caramelized.
- Make Karen’s Sweet Chili Mayo or garnish with sweet chili sauce, adding a small dollop of Coleman’s English mustard, then mix.
- Assemble the burgers, lining the buns with layers of the grilled pineapple, shitake mushrooms, red onion slices, greens and the burger onto freshly toasted bread that has been spread with the sauce and serve.
- For Karen’s sweet chili mayo recipe, look in the appetizer section for the Crunchy Asian Salmon Cakes with Sweet Chili Mayo.
For health reasons, I recommend only using a non-PFOA pan. Scan Pan is a non-PHOA brand and there are a few more. PFOA is a known toxin and could be harmful to your health
wow, karen, everyone loved these!!!!!!!!!! they were once again awesome! loved the sweet chili mayo also!!!!! great combo, thank you!!!!!