Mixed Bean Burger

Lately, I have been experimenting with vegetarian bean burgers.  After three attempts I finally made a bean burger which holds together well, tastes awesome and is even vegan-friendly! I’ve made them twice in two weeks already. Unlike store-bought veggie burgers, which are often filled with rice and breadcrumbs these veggie burgers are packed with mixed beans, veggies, and quinoa.

These burgers have a delicate texture and a wonderful savory taste. I spice the burger mixture with ingredients like cumin,  ginger, balsamic vinegar, green chilies to keep it relatively simple, but feel free to play with it and add other spices.

To get started, rinse one can of mixed beans then coarsely mash them with a pastry cutter or in a food processor. Remove them in a bow;. Cook vegetables in a pan until just tender and charred. Add it to the bowl of beans and mash them up well. Add cooked quinoa, and other ingredients. Combine all the ingredients until you get a stiff dough. Divide into 7-8 equal parts. I used a cookie cutter to measure and divide the dough equally. They should be cooked on a flat griddle or pan with very little oil. They can fall apart if you shallow fry or cook it on grill.

Mixed Bean Burger

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 can of mixed beans

1 cup diced cremini mushrooms

1/3 cup finely chopped  carrots

1/3 finely chopped broccoli

1/4 cup chopped  onions

2 tbsp flax meal

2 tbsp chopped cilantro

2 finely chopped green chilies

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

2 tsp finely chopped ginger

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup sunflower seeds or walnuts, coarsely ground

salt and black pepper to taste, GF bread crumbs if required

canola oil for shallow frying and cooking vegetables

Method:

In a small bowl mix flax meal with2 tbsp water. Set aside till required.

Heat 2 tsp oil in a non-stick pan on medium high heat.

Add chopped onion, carrots and broccoli and cremini mushrooms.

Cook until they start browning on edges. When all the vegetables are soften, (it will take around 5 minutes) turn off the heat and let it cool for a while.

In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, pulse beans to a coarse texture. Or, use a pastry cutter. Remove in a bowl. Next add the vegetables and pulse blend them till you get a desired texture where you can see the small pieces of beans and vegetables.

Transfer to a bowl. Add quinoa, coarsely ground walnuts or sunflower seeds, cilantro, ginger, green chilies, red chilli powder, flax egg, salt, black pepper and balsamic vinegar. Mix really well by your hands. The texture of the dough should be firmer than cookie dough. If the dough is soft add bread crumbs. I added about 1/2 a cup.

Divide into 7-8 equal parts. Take one part and form into a ball. Flatten it to form a patty. Repeat with the remaining dough balls.

Heat a non-stick pan with one tbsp of canola oil. Cook patties for 4 minutes on each side, being very careful when you turn them. An offset spatula works well for this.

Serve it with salad and salsa.