The Really Hungry Burger
Serves 8
Easy
Prep:
Cook:
I use brown rice here, but any cooked grain you have will do – quinoa, pearl barley and farro all work well. I like to make a quick pickled cucumber to top these with. Thinly slice a quarter of a cucumber and pop it into a bowl with a pinch of salt, a squeeze of honey and a good tablespoon of white wine vinegar, then scrunch together and leave to sit while you make your burgers. A homemade quick pickle that beats a gherkin any day.
Skip to ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 big portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped into little bits
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 1 × 400g tin of white beans, haricot or cannellini, well drained
- 4 fat medjool dates, pitted
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 small bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 200g cooked and cooled brown rice (100g raw weight)
- 50g breadcrumbs or oats
- 1 unwaxed lemon, grated zest of
- 1 avocado, peeled and sliced
- 8 seeded burger buns
Method
step 1
Get a large pan on a medium heat and add a splash of olive oil. Once the pan is good and hot, add the mushrooms and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Fry on a good heat until the mushrooms have dried out and are slightly browned, then set to one side and leave to cool.step 2
Next, drain the white beans and put them into a food processor with the dates, garlic, parsley, tahini and soy sauce. Pulse until you have a smoothish mixture, then transfer to a bowl and add the rice, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and the cooled mushrooms. Mix well, then put into the fridge for 10 minutes or so to firm up.step 3
Once cooled, divide the mixture into 8 portions and shape into 8 patties. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and pop into the fridge until needed. (This can be done the day before – and the burgers freeze well at this point.)step 4
Preheat your oven to 230°C/fan 210°C/gas 8 and bake the burgers for 15 minutes, until nicely brown. If you like cheese on your burger, pop a slice on top a couple of minutes before they come out of the oven.step 5
While your burgers are cooking, get your toppings ready. I go with avocado, tomato relish and the quick cucumber pickle above, plus a few spinach leaves. Hummus, grated carrot and sprouts is another favourite, but feel free to improvise and try it your own way.step 6
Once the burgers are golden, toast your buns and layer up your burgers.
