Thai Green Curry Torta with a Corn and Radish Salad

Written by Amani Ali 

Ground turkey is the perfect vehicle for this herbaceous and fragrant sauce. The green curry brightens the otherwise unspectacular meat. 

I was planning on preparing a turkey burger, but while I was shopping for this dish, I stumbled upon bolillos, Mexican bread rolls. Suddenly, the turkey burger was transforming into a torta. Thai and Mexican flavors frequently crossover and complement each other. Limes, cilantro, chilies, garlic, and onions are ingredients found in both cuisines. 

After grabbing the rolls, it was time to round out the dish with some summer favorites – corn and tomatoes – as well as poblanos and radishes for extra proximity to Mexico. In Mexican cooking, I’ve only seen radishes eaten raw to counteract rich foods, but I like to sautée them.

Sautéing radish mellows out their sharpness and allows them to absorb other flavors. Pair cooked radish with corn and onion, and you’ll have a salad that’s refreshing whether eaten cold or warm and hearty enough to stand alone. 

This recipe makes 4 turkey tortas.

Chef Sarah Germany ingredients:

3 tbsp Thai Green Curry. This is not your traditional green curry paste; this is a sauce made of traditional and nontraditional ingredients. Broccoli and green beans meet lime leaves, curry leaves, serranos, and Thai chilies. 

Thai Thai Heat hot sauce is sweet heat made from Thai chilies and prickly pear (another Thai and Mexican pairing!).

Watermelon hot sauce (I used the spiciest version – Hella Hot Watermelon) adds smokiness to the salad.

Other ingredients:

Torta:

1lb ground turkey

4 bolillos

2 poblanos

2 roma tomatoes

8 slices of white cheese (provolone, muenster, or pepperjack)

Mayonaise 

1 tbsp Salt

1 tbsp neutral oil 

Salad:

2 cobs of corn

½ yellow onion

1 bunch of radish

half a lime

Any remaining poblano

Cilantro (optional)

½ tsp Cumin

½ tsp Oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 tbsp neutral oil 

Steps:

1. Put the corn cobs into a pot with enough water to cover them. Salt the water (approx. 1/2 tbsp). Let the corn boil with a lid on for 15-20 min. 

2. Thoroughly mix Thai Green Curry and salt with the ground turkey and set it aside.

3. Roast the poblanos on an open flame, turning it with metal tongs until charred on all sides. Alternatively, roast them whole in a 450F oven for 15-20 minutes. After roasting, steam them in a closed plastic bag so the skin can be removed easily. 

4. While the poblanos are roasting, prepare the rest of your vegetables. 

1. Cut the tomato into thick slices and set them aside. 

2. Quarter the lime to make squeezing easier. 

3. Dice the onion.

4. Slice the radishes, then cut the slices into matchsticks. 

1. Note: The julienne cut is what makes this salad visually appealing. I made a version of this salad with radish rounds and it didn’t make the cut.

5. Put the diced onions into a pan on medium-low heat. You just want to soften the onion; you don’t want to brown it. After a couple of minutes, add the radishes. Then, season with salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano. It will take about 3 minutes for the radishes to cook through. Pour the contents of the pan into a serving bowl. 

6. Cut the corn kernels off the cob. The cooked kernels stick together, so separate them with your hands. Put the corn into the bowl with onions and radishes.

7. Pour some oil into the same pan to prepare the burger patties. 

8. Use a spoon to separate the turkey into 4 equal sections. Scoop one portion into the pan and shape it with the spoon (ground turkey is smoother and stickier than ground beef, so I found a spoon to be easier than using my hands). Cook up to 4 patties at a time. 

9. While the patties are cooking, remove the skin from the poblanos with your hands, then slice them into squares or rectangles, roughly the size of the patties. Any leftover poblano can be diced and put into the salad.

10. Flip the burger patties after a few minutes, then cover the top of your patties with two stacked poblano squares and two pieces of cheese. Add a couple tsps of water to the pan, then cover it to melt the cheese. 

11. Slice and toast your bolillos.

12. Finish your salad with lime juice, watermelon hot sauce, and cilantro (optional).

13. Assemble your torta by spreading mayonnaise on the rolls. Add the cooked patty with poblanos and cheese, top with tomatoes. Pour Thai Thai Heat on top of the tomatoes.

When you bite into the torta, you’ll get a crunch from the toasted bread. You’ll notice the brightness that the herb-enhanced turkey has. The tomato and poblano invite freshness and texture. The cheese and the mayo are welcome fat to the lean meat and bread. Thai Thai Heat adds additional complexity with sweet heat. The salad is savory, sweet, and acidic. 

This Mexican and Thai-inspired sandwich and salad combo is a satisfying, healthy, and flavor-packed fusion that allows every ingredient to shine. 

Nutrition Nook: Curry Leaves 

Animal studies using curry leaves suggest promising benefits such as anticancer effects, neuroprotective qualities, pain-relieving and antibacterial properties. 

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