Makes 8 patties
This is one of the most delicious veggie burgers I have experimented with. In this recipe, I have not used bread crumbs, which prevents the burger from becoming soggy. In fact, it is quite crunchy because of the inclusion of cashew nuts. You can double or triple the ingredients and then simply freeze the burgers in a single layer (wrapped tightly) for up to 3 months and just place them in the oven straight from the freezer and cook for 40-45 minutes on 180°C fan/ 400°F/ Gas 6.
I like to have my veggie burger in a sourdough bun topped with a generous amount of herbs; parsley, coriander, tarragon and chive mixed with pickled red cabbage and tomatoes. Alternatively, I like to eat this burger with a large plate of salad.
Ingredients
70g pearl barley (the smaller the grains the better), rinsed
Salt
300g mushrooms, finely sliced
Extra vergin olive oil
400g tin of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 large carrot, grated
1 medium beetroot, grated
1 large red onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ tbsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp sumac
½ tbsp cumin seeds
½ tsp freshly crushed black pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper (according to your taste)
2 tbsp tomato purée
100g unsalted cashew
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp miso
1 tsp marmite
1 tsp feta cheese, crumbled
Assembly
Add the barley, 250 millimetres of cold water and a small pinch of salt in a small pan and bring to boil, turn the heat to lowest setting and cook for 35–40 minutes or until the barley is cooked and soft. Turn the heat to high and let the water to evaporate fully (don't let the grains to get dry); set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 150°C fan/ 325°F/ Gas 3. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
Pile mushrooms onto one of the baking trays. Drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil on top, toss, then spread on the tray in a single layer.
Spread the beans on a second tray, sprinkle the carrots and beetroot evenly on top of the beans.
Place both the trays in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Then, remove the tray of beans from the oven and toss the beans and grated carrots and beetroot. Place the tray back in the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the beans are fully dry and the carrots and beetroot are shrunk but not burnt. Keep an eye on the mushrooms; you might need to take them out of the oven sooner than the given time (depending on the size and freshness of the mushrooms), the mushrooms should be dry and shrunk and the colour turned to light brown.
Meanwhile, add one tablespoon of olive oil and the onions to a frying pan. Cook the onions on a medium heat until almost soft. Then, add the garlic and stir for a minute and then add the turmeric, cinnamon, sumac, cumin seeds, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Stir for 30 seconds before adding the tomato purée, stirring frequently for a minute or so. Set aside.
Blitz cashews and cooled mushrooms in a food processor until the cashew nuts are coarsely chopped (approximately 5-10 seconds).
Whisk the egg yolk, miso and marmite in a large bowl until fully mixed. Add the cooled barley, beans, onion mixture, and cashew mixture. Mix everything with your hand until the mixture is fully blended and sticky (approximately 2 minutes).
Stir in the feta cheese. Form mixture into 8 patties.
You can either fry the patties in a frying pan with some olive oil for a couple of minutes on each side or bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes on 180°C fan/ 400°F/ Gas 6.
Enjoy!
Atoosa xx