Chickpea & Paneer Patty Burger

Ok,  I did not mean to take such a long break before this post but things got busy and I fell out of schedule.

I am back with an absolute keeper of a recipe for a vegetarian burger which got two thumbs up from my almost toddler (who had a deconstructed version of it) as well as the adults at home. I put together everything in roughly about 30 minutes. So it’s perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

Here’s what you will need and the how to.

For the patties (makes roughly about 8):

1. 1 can chickpeas
2. 100 grams paneer
3. 1 onion – finely chopped
4. 1 tsp chilli powder
5. 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6. 1 tsp coriander powder
7. 1/2 tsp cumin powder
8. A fat pinch garlic powder or one small clove of garlic, finely chopped
9. A fat pinch of dried basil
10. A fat pinch or dried oregano
11. 1 tbs flax seed powder (optional)
12. Salt – to taste
13. Freshly chopped coriander
14. 1/3 to 1/4 cup coarsely ground oats

For assembling the burger:

1. 1 big red bell pepper – thickly sliced
2. A handful of button mushrooms -thickly sliced
3. Freshly ground black pepper, cayenne chilli powder, salt – to taste
4. Thin slices of tomato and onions
5. Homemade chunky marinara
6. Mayo (optional)
7. Eggs – depending on the number of burgers you are making (optional but I highly recommend it)
8. Burger buns, of course

METHOD:

• Wash and drain the chickpeas well and add it to a mixer jar.
• Crumble and add the paneer to the chickpeas.
• Add all the spice powders, salt, flax seed powder and grind on high for 30-45 seconds till everything comes together.
• Transfer to a bowl, add the fresh coriander, mix well and make patties. Coat them with the coarsely ground oats and keep aside
• Heat a grill pan and spread some olive oil. Cook the patties till they are crispy and uniformly golden on both sides.
• In another pan, roast the bell pepper and mushrooms with the spices mentioned above. Cook them well but make sure they don’t turn soggy. Add salt just before turning the stove off.
• Cut and toast the burger buns. Spread some chunky marinara. You can use tomato sauce if you don’t have marinara.
• Place the patty on the bun, place slices of bell pepper, mushroom, onions and tomatoes on top, drizzle some mayo, add a fried egg on top and place the other half on the bun on top. Voila! You have a scrumptious burger ready to serve.

This burger was so easy to make and turned out to be absolutely delish and filling. Filling enough to not make me feel hungry till breakfast the next day in spite of quite a few nursing sessions in between. Now that’s something, right?

Make off and let me know how you liked it? 🙂

Notes:

1. I hate using more than two dishes to make something. So I prepped the veggies first and used the same grill pan to cook the patties and also to toast the buns. Since my grill pan is quite big, I was able to cook the patties and also toast the buns at the same time. I used a smaller pan to fry the eggs.
2. You can make this vegan by substituting paneer with tofu and skipping the mayo.
3.  You can make it healthier by opting for wholemeal buns or by skipping the bun altogether.
4. I have made burger patties with kidney beans and beets, kidney beans and tofu, chickpeas and sweet potatoes, chickpeas and beets and all of them have worked well too.
5. For a baby friendly version of the patty, skip the salt and squeeze in a tiny bit of lemon juice instead and adjust the spices as required.
6. Please ensure your baby isn’t allergic to dairy or eggs before you start offer this to them.