Hands up who doesn’t like a good, fat burger? Yeah, I thought so…Burgers are pretty difficult to resist now and again, aren’t they?
I personally think that it’s as much about the quality of the extras and condiments, textures and flavours bouncing off each other as it is about the patty itself, which is perhaps why veggie burgers aren’t just popular with vegans and vegetarians. In my experience, vegan burger places tend to pull out all the stops and I find that their burgers are always really well thought-out with unique flavour combinations and a range of textures that excite the palate. My own brother is a prime example of a meat eater who will happily demolish a good veggie burger for lunch. When me and Duncan were visiting Krakow, we took him to a popular vegan burger joint. He was pretty amazed at how filling the burgers were and how, as opposed to the meat ones, they don’t send him into a post-meal coma! I don’t think that his going vegan or vegetarian is on the cards, but I feel that this veggie burger experience has sparked his interest in this alternative lifestyle. One issue with homemade veggie burgers I found is that once you bite into them, they often get mushy, as vegan egg replacers (including my favourite aquafaba) do not set in the same way that eggs do. Now, these vegan chickpea burgers are different! They stay crispy and firm on the outside and still moist on the inside. My trick is to prepare the patties from raw chickpeas and bake them in the oven. They may seem a bit on the wet side at first, but once in the oven, raw chickpeas absorb all the extra moisture while cooking and the burgers firm up beautifully. Duncan is always (often brutally so) honest about my cooking experiments and he is in love with these plant-based beauties. He said that they are the best veggie burgers he has ever tried, which is quite a compliment from a voracious burger eater. I’ll take that, I feel like it’s a hard earned and well deserved praise 😉
4 burger buns quick-pickled red onion a handful of rocket / arugula a handful of lettuce (I used lollo rosso) a handful of fresh coriander 1 small avocado, sliced 1 small cucumber, sliced ketchup, vegan mayo or / and Sriracha homemade fries
The mixture freezes very well. These burger patties are based on this earlier recipe of mine.
