“Crab cakes?”
That was my husband’s first guess as he entered the kitchen after coming home from work on Thursday night. I have no idea how he came up with this since I do not eat seafood (and, therefore, have never cooked any), but it was as a result of this that I decided to name my creation “Turkey cakes” rather than “Turkey burgers.”

Not that the name really matters. Because, whatever you name it, you will love this recipe. Those turkey cakes are moist, moist, moist. And spiced just right. And sooo tasty. The mashed garbanzo beans did a great job at providing some solid texture instead of regular bread. And the panko crumbs give such a crunchy bite… It’s just that good and simple.

Unfortunately, as with most of my most successful creations, it’s been one for which I’ve been too careless to measure precisely the amount of each ingredient :-(. I’m therefore providing my best estimate, written down immediately after my first bite and which I believe is actually pretty accurate.

Ingredients

(For 10 “cakes” )

1.25 lb (20oz) ground turkey breast
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ medium large onion, finely chopped
¼ cup chopped cilantro
4tbsp tomato sauce (I used roasted red pepper) (Yes, I know it’s quite a lot. That’s exactly what made the burgers so moist.)
1 egg
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup fork mashed garbanzo beans

Salt
Black pepper
1 tsp red pepper
1½ tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
Dash of coriander, garam masala, thyme, turmeric (Looks like a lot of spices to you? It is. But it will make a huge difference in the taste — one you will love!)
¼ tsp garlic powder

Olive oil for frying
1 ½ cup panko crumbs for breading

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients (except for the panko crumbs and olive oil) together. The mixture you will get will be very, very soft.
2. In a deep plate next to you, pour the panko crumbs. Form a “cake” and quickly place it in the plate. Start breading it with the crumbs, moving it the least possible. Once breaded and feeling slightly “firmer” place aside in a clean plate.
3. Repeat until all the mixture has been shaped and is ready to fry, OR, prepare only the number of turkey cakes you’ll be frying now and store in an air-tight container the rest of the mixture to be prepared later.
4. Heat a frying pan on medium heat with enough olive oil to fry the turkey cakes (but no need to pour in much). Once hot, place the cakes in.
5. Fry one side until golden, then flip and do the same for the other side.

Enjoy!