Ingredients
- 1 × 400g tin of black beans
- 200g roasted sweet potato
- 2 red onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 300g cooked quinoa
- 100g cashew nuts
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons psyllium husks
- 1 small bunch of fresh coriander, chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Panko breadcrumbs
- A little non-dairy milk (to help breadcrumbs stick)
Directions
- To roast the sweet potato, bake in the oven at 180°C fan/400°F/gas 6 for approx. 25 minutes, until softened and starting to crisp on the outside.
- Drain and rinse the beans.
- Cook the quinoa according to the packet instructions, then set aside.
- Finely chop the cashew nuts.
- You can use a flax ‘egg’ to replace hen’s eggs as a binder in vegan cooking. Soak the ground flax seeds in the water and leave to coagulate for 5 minutes or so. The ground flax will soak up all the liquid and form a gloopy, glue-like consistency that works perfectly as a binder. Set aside.
- Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic.
- Heat the oil in a medium-sized frying pan on a high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mash the beans, sweet potato, fried onion and garlic using a potato masher. Add the quinoa, cashew nuts, binder (the flax ‘eggs’ and psyllium husks), coriander, lemon juice, tamari/soy sauce, cumin seeds, salt and pepper.
- Mix really well until thoroughly combined. The mixture should be nice and firm and easy to shape into burgers. Taste and adjust the seasoning with a little more salt, pepper or lemon juice if needed.
- Shape into 120g to 150g burgers.
- Heat another splash of oil in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat. Dip each burger into non-dairy milk and then into the panko breadcrumbs. Then add to the hot pan and fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until nicely charred and cooked through. (Cook the burgers in batches or in two pans if necessary so that you don’t crowd the pan.)
- Alternatively, you could bake the burgers in the oven. Rub each side of the burgers lightly with oil and place on a baking tray. Bake in the oven at 180°C fan/400°F/gas 6 for 20 minutes, flipping them over halfway through.
- Assemble the cooked burgers with whatever buns, sauces and toppings you like!
Recipe from The Happy Pear: Vegan Cooking for Everyone by David and Stephen Flynn published by Penguin Life. Thehappypear.ie
Image by Alistair Richardson
