For a long time, I would have told you not to make your own vegetarian burger patties. It was just so time-consuming and they never turned out as well as the ones I found in the frozen section at the grocery store. Well, I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong - and in this case, I'm wrong! The recipe below is so easy to make and it has so much more flavor than any vegetarian burger I've ever had.
Combining masala seasoning with chickpeas is brilliant. It has all the flavors of a classic Indian curry but you get to eat it with your hands, so it's so much more fun that way. I wanted to keep these gluten free, so I didn't add any flour as a binder. I was surprised at how well these patties stayed together - all I needed to do was let the chickpeas really dry out before cooking them.
Ultimate masala chickpea burger
4
20 minutes
30 minutes
50 minutes
1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
4 sesame seed buns
Lettuce and tomato, for serving
Drain the chickpeas and allow them to sit in the colander for at least one hour to fully dry out.
Meanwhile, in a medium-sized saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat.
Add the onion and jalapeno pepper and cook until very soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the garam masala and garlic cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the chickpeas and cilantro and toss to coat.
Remove the mixture from the heat and mash together with a potato masher.
Form the mixture into 4 balls, pressing them together with your palms so they form patties.
In a cast iron skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat.
Carefully place the burger patties in the pan and cook for 10 minutes a side, being careful not to break them apart when flipping them over.
Place the chickpea burgers on the buns and top with lettuce and tomato.
Pro-tip: Add salt and pepper to taste