I love experimenting with recipes and putting new twists on old favorites. And, one of my long-time favorite recipes and one of the most flavorful dishes I have ever made, were these Thai Beef Rolls with Sweet Chili Sauce that I found over at Serious Eats.
I distinctly remember the very first time I ate them…I was overwhelmed with memories of a very similar dish that was served at a local Eurasian restaurant that has since closed. I was so happy to find this recipe, I could hardly wait to make it.
I was not disappointed, and it’s a recipe I’ve treasured ever since.
Yet, this past weekend, I found myself so busy painting boards for the faux tabletops I use in my photography (and putting together the long tutorial for Monday’s post), that I just didn’t have time to individually roll, wrap and grill the Thai Beef Rolls.
And, after standing out in the windy, chilly weather for hours, I’d worked up enough of an appetite that I wanted something fast, hearty, spicy and delicious.
So, let me introduce you and say welcome to a new family favorite ~ Thai Basil Beef Burgers with Spicy Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce!
Yes, I pumped up the volume on the heat meter to warm my belly!
I added extra Srirach and an extra Thai Chili or two to the sauce, because we like it extra spicy and I needed to get warm real quick. You know what I’m sayin? So, if you ain’t in the heat-lovin’ mood, just dial it down a skosh.
This is essentially the same recipe as the Thai Beef Rolls, only prepared a bit differently and served as a burger with the sweet (now spicy too!) chili sauce on the side. You get the same great flavor (even better with the extra heat!) without the extra hassle of wrapping each one individually and gently trying to grill them without them fallin’ apart on ya.
The recipe does call for Thai Basil, but you can use regular Basil if the Thai Basil is difficult to find.
You’ll notice the recipe doesn’t call for any condiments on the burger – you really don’t need it because the Spicy, Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce is the perfect accompaniment for this flavorful, succulent, basil-packed burger.
Enjoy!
Thai Basil Beef Hamburgers with Spicy, Sweet Chili Sauce
Ingredients
Dipping Sauce Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced green onions
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
Burger Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chuck 80% lean
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped Thai chilis
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup Thai basil chopped
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 6 Slider or 4 Hamburger Buns
Instructions
Dipping Sauce Instructions
- Mix all the ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl until the sugar has dissolved.
Burger Instructions
- In a large bowl, gently combine the ground chuck with the remaining ingredients. Shape the beef into slider or hamburger patties.
- Grill over medium to medium-high heat until burgers are done.
- Assemble the buns, burgers, basil leaves and serve with the dipping sauce.
Recipe adapted from Serious Eats, Thai Beef Rolls recipe.
Terry Watson says
I discovered your homepage by coincidence.
Very interesting posts and well written.
I will put your site on my blogroll.
🙂
CJ says
Thanks! I’m so glad you enjoy it!
Harold Vance says
Very nice recipe. The burger by itself was very well seasoned and tasted like it had mustard and pickles on it (I guess because of the Sriracha and the mint plus Thai Basil). We dipped ours in Mae Ploy and in Thai Kitchen’s peanut satay sauce. The latter was a home run. The peanut sauce turned it into a beef satay hamburger on steroids. Whoa. (I didn’t have time to make any sauces.)
Another thing I want to do with this recipe is to make rolls of beef, wrap them in wild betal leaves and grill them. Then, put them in a spring roll wrapper with lettuce, julienned cucumber & carrots and more Asian herbs like Thai Basil and dip them a favorite peanut sauce and Sriracha. Oh yeah!
It might also be fun to put these on sugar cane skewers or thick stalks of lemongrass and grill them that way. Yum! 🙂
Kristi says
Wow! Lots of great ideas! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Be sure to let me know when you try your own versions – I want to give it a try!
Harold Vance says
Today I made a batch with 1 lb. pork and 1 lb. beef and doubled your recipe. I made rolls instead of patties and used lemongrass stalks as skewers. I wrapped like four of them with wild betal leaves. Technically, the rolls wrapped with betal leaves are akin to the Vietnamese dish Bo La Lot but mine were half pork. The leaves add an aromatic component that is somewhat exotic. The leaves compliment the flavor of grilled beef. It’s kind of strange but it is really good!
Anyway, the rolls were awesome. We dipped them in Thai Kitchen’s peanut satay sauce along with Mae Ploy’s sweet chile (garlic) sauce. I wanted to make a coconut/peanut dipping sauce (with a recipe from shesimmers.com) but didn’t have time. I really don’t care for the peanut sauce that I see in Vietnamese restaurants. The stuff in Thailand is so much better. Coconut and peanuts were meant to be together. Even more so with grilled beef with Thai basil, mint and Sriacha. And don’t forget the wild betal leaves.
I will post some photos of the dish at my website soon. Your recipe was a big hit!
Kristi says
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked it. Your version sounds delicious! I can’t wait to see the photos – let me know when they’re posted – I’ll come visit.
Harold Vance says
Ok, I have finally posted my photos and a blog entry on this topic:
http://www.limebasil.com/2013/09/29/thai-basil-beef-and-pork-rolls-wrapped-in-betel-leaf-on-lemongrass-stalks/
Love your blog! Very nice!
Kristi says
Harold – they look AMAZING! I love the transformation that you did, and actually the beef rolls are what I originally had in mind for this recipe. Lemongrass is one of my favorites and if I could find betal leaves, I would be all over making this! Nicely done. LOVE, love, love it!!! Thanks for putting a cool twist on one of my favorite burgers! Cheers and keep up the good work.