Fragrant Lemon Grass and Ginger Pork Patties

Again with Asian-themed food! This time, I've whipped up something different. It's a burger, but not your typical burger. For starters, it's made with ground pork instead of beef, chicken or turkey. Fresh flavors from ginger and lemongrass form the basis of this burger. Lemongrass is a new ingredient for me to use, but it's great. It lends a good citrus zing to whatever you're adding it. These burgers are naturally gluten-free, free from refined sugars, and are rather low in fat - remember, just because it's pork does not mean it's extremely high in fat as compared to beef. The burgers are lightly pan-fried in a little bit of canola oil, but if you don't want to add any additional fat, you can dry fry them or use a little nonstick cooking spray.

Fragrant Lemon Grass and Ginger Pork Patties

1 lb. ground pork

1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1 lemon grass stalk

2 tbsp. canola oil

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Put the pork in a bowl and add the ginger. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the tough outer layers from the lemongrass stalk and discard. Chop the center part as finely as possible and mix into the pork. Use your hands to blend everything well. Shape into four patties and chill for about 20 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large, nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the patties and fry for 3 - 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Serve on burger buns with thick slices of tomato, lettuce and a splash of chili sauce (recommended:  Sriracha).

Serves 4