Beef has never interested my palate much – the last time I had a hamburger, George Bush was president (and I don’t mean George W. Bush) – so I was thrilled when veggie burgers started cropping up next to their red-blooded brothers in Beijing restaurants.
However, during a recent meal in a nice Beijing restaurant (that shall remain unnamed), and much to my chagrin, I found my expensive veggie burger was an uninspiring blend of bland and dry. I smothered it in ketchup to make it somewhat edible.
Thus with my father’s mantra of “I can make that” ringing in my ears, I began a quest for a hearty veggie burger recipe.
After an afternoon of playing culinary Frankenstein with several of the best looking recipes on the web, I created a veggie burger that is moist, tasty, sticks together and can be made from ingredients readily available in Beijing. So vegetarians (and even you carnivores), prepare to have your taste buds tantalized with Kara’s Beijing Burger.
Prep time: 1 ½ hours (includes cooling the batter in the fridge for one hour). Cooking time: 20 minutes.
Makes 10-12 patties.
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups cooked lentils
3 teaspoons tomato paste
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, shredded
1 zucchini*, shredded
1 cup mushrooms, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 ½ cups rolled oats
¾ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Maggi seasoning
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Olive oil for cooking
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Tin foil (for grilling)
*Zucchini is a small summer squash. Zucchini is the common name for the vegetable in North America, Australia and Italy. Courgette is its common name in Britain, Ireland, France, New Zealand and South America. Just when I had eggplant and aubergine sorted out. Thanks Wikipedia!
. Directions:
· Mash cooked lentils with tomato paste. Set the mixture aside.
· Heat a little olive oil in a skillet over low heat, and cook the onion for a minute until tender. Mix in carrots, zucchini and mushrooms. Add garlic, salt and pepper. Continue to cook and stir for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and mix in oats, breadcrumbs, cheese and egg.
· Mix the lentil and vegetable mixture in a bowl with soy sauce and Maggi seasoning. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
· Coat a large plate with flour. Dust your hands with flour before forming the lentil-vegetable mixture into 3-inch round patties. Drop each patty into the plate of flour, lightly coating both sides.
· Preheat the grill on high heat. Wrap a few patties in tin foil and grill* for 5 minutes on each side, or until heated through and nicely browned.
· *If you do not have a grill (like me), you can add a tablespoon of olive oil to a pan and fry the patties, 1 minute on each side.
· Side note: Cook one veggie patty first and taste test. If it is too dry, add more vegetables or use less flour. If it is too wet, add more breadcrumbs and oats.
· Add a bun, tomatoes, lettuce, more onions and cheese, ketchup, hummus and other garnishes to make your veggie burger complete!
