Hi Guys,
Today we are making a tasty veggie burger
that is moist and hold together well, i.e
not crumbly or dry.
I’ll be using brown chickpeas in this recipe.
They need to be soaked overnight or for at
least 8 hours and then boiled. Here, I am
saving the liquid to use in this recipe.
So, here’s the list of ingredients, you
will also find them in the description box
below.
Let’s start by preparing the eggplant. Wash
and cut it into strips or small pieces.
Place the eggplant into a non-stick pan with 1 tablespoon of soy sauce. If you want a soyfree version,
you can either just use a little salt or my
soyfree sauce recipe for which I have another
video.
Add 1-2 tablespoons of water. Stir and mix,
then cover and let cook on medium heat.
Occasionally check on the eggplant and give
it a stir or add a little water if required.
While the eggplant is cooking, let’s mash
the chickpeas. I am using a fork but you can
also use a food processor or a mortar and
pestle. Just make sure not to turn the chickpeas
into a paste if you are using a food processor.
Save about ½ cup of the chickpeas to be added
to the blender mix later on. Set the mashed
chickpeas aside.
Once the eggplant is soft and mushy, remove
from the pan and place in a large plate. Mash
them with a fork to form a puree or pulse
them in a food processor. If using a fork,
you may remove the skin from the puree as
they may later cause the burgers to break
if they are too large. Set the eggplant puree
aside.
Roughly chop the coriander leaves or cilantro
and add them to the blender along with the
other ingredients. 2-3 green chilies, for
the amount of chickpeas that we are using,
these will not really add a lot heat but will
only add a subtle kick to the flavour.
Add the paprika, cumin, tomato puree, minced
ginger, maple syrup, ¼ cup of chickpea liquid,
the curry leaves, a tablespoon of lemon juice,
¾ cup of water. Add in the rolled oats and
the chickpeas that we saved earlier.
Blend until smooth and set aside.
In a large mixing, add in the mashed chickpeas
and the eggplant. Mix well.
Then add the mixture from the blender and mix well.
At this point to can taste the mixture 
and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
The mixture should be left to stand for 15
minutes on the counter before making the burgers.
Meanwhile you can do some of the washing up
and cleaning.
After 15 minutes, preheat the oven to 180
deg Celsius or 350 deg Fahrenheit.
To make the burger patties, measure out ½
cup of the mixture. The same mixture can be
baked or fried but the fried version needs
a small extra step which I am going to show
you in a moment.
So, form the mixture into a ball with your
hands and lightly flatten it. The mixture
is slightly on the wet side and this is what
helps the burger to hold together nicely once
cooked. Place the patty on a baking tray lined
with parchment paper and continue to flatten
and shape the burger on the tray. Do not make
it too thin as these burgers will reduce slightly
when cooked and cooled.
Place the burgers in the oven and bake for
15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove them,
flip onto the other side and bake for another
10 minutes.
The amount of bean mixture will make 10 - 12 burgers. But, I am baking 6 and I will fry the rest.
Now for the fried version. Fill a bowl with
about ¾ cup of buckwheat flour (rice, chickpea
or all-purpose flour are also good). Coat
a ball of the mixture into the flour and set
aside. Do not flatten them just as yet unless
you are frying them straightaway.
Heat a skillet and add enough oil for shallow
frying. The oil needs to be hot before placing
the burgers in. Shape and flatten the patties,
use more flour if needed. Then gently place
the burger into the oil.
Do not overcrowd the pan so that you can easily
flip them without breaking the burgers. Once
a crispy outer shell is formed on one side,
carefully turn the burgers onto the other
side. It will take about 12 to 15 minutes
in total for the burgers to cook. Remove them
from the pan and drain on some absorbent paper.
Just a sidenote, these burgers freeze well
whether cooked or uncooked. When freezing
them, make sure to separate each burger with
a layer of parchment or greaseproof paper
or strips of a cut plastic bag.
Like I mentioned before, these burgers do
not fall apart and they are moist inside.
So, if you’ve enjoyed this recipe, don’t
forget to like this video and subscribe.
If you make these burgers, send me a photo
either on facebook, twitter or tag me on instagram.
I love to see what you are up to in your kitchen.
And the recipe for the burger buns presented
in this video are coming up soon.
So, stay tuned.
