The Ultimate Veggie Burger Thai Style Recipes

THE ULTIMATE VEGGIE BURGER

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Slice tofu into 1/4-inch-thick slabs and pat dry with paper towel. Arrange tofu on one half of a rimmed baking sheet; brush both sides with oil. Spread mushrooms on the other half of the baking sheet; toss with 2 tablespoons oil and salt and pepper.
• On a second rimmed baking sheet, toss beans and grated beet with 1 tablespoon oil and salt and pepper, then spread the mixture into one layer.
• Transfer both baking sheets to the oven. Roast bean-beet mixture, tossing occasionally, until beans begin to split and beets are tender and golden, about 15 minutes. Roast mushrooms and tofu until golden and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 25 minutes. Let everything cool.
• Place nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Add cooled bean-beet mixture, mushrooms, tofu, panko, cheese, eggs, mayonnaise, scallion, garlic, pimentón and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Pulse until ingredients are just combined. Pulse in tempeh and rice but do not overprocess. You want small chunks, not a smooth mixture. Scrape mixture into a bowl and chill at least 2 hours or up to 5 days (you can also freeze the burger mix).
• When you are ready to make the burgers, divide mixture into 6 equal portions and form each portion into a patty about 1 inch thick. Return to the fridge until just before grilling. They grill better when they start out cold.
• Heat the grill. Cook the burgers over a low fire until they are charred on both sides and firm when you press on them, 4 to 6 minutes per side. If they start to burn before they firm up, move them to the sides of the grill to finish cooking over indirect heat. Alternatively, you can cook these on a grill pan or in a skillet over low heat.

THE ULTIMATE VEGGIE BURGER - THAI STYLE

Steps:

• Start by very finely chopping the mushrooms and aubergine, so they're about ½ centimetre cubed. Fry them in a wok or pan with a little vegetable and 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce until they are soft all the way through. Don't be tempted to add any more liquid, you need them to be dry so they don't make the burgers soggy. When they are done, set them aside to cool.
• Prepare all of your other ingredients: Finely pound the cashews in a food processor or mortar and pestle - you should have a fine powder with a few lumps for texture. Chop the tofu into small pieces about the same size as the aubergines and mushrooms. Finely grate the carrot. Finely chop the onion, garlic, chilli, coriander, ginger, lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves. Take time to do this properly - large chunks won't be pleasant. The lemongrass and lime leaves are particularly tough and you should chop these as finely as you can. For the chillies, leave the seeds in (finely chopped) if you want them spicy, remove if not.
• Combine all of the burger ingredients into a large bowl and combine with your hands. Then divide the mixture into six and form into large patties. It should be a nice firm mixture but if not add a few more breadcrumbs and a bit more flour.
• Heat a frying pan or griddle pan with a little oil over a medium heat and gently place the burgers in the pan. After 3-4 minutes turn over and cook for 3-4 minutes on both sides. Turn over again and cook for another 2 minutes on each side.
• Serve in the buns with the sauces and other garnishes.
• Cooking ahead? You can make these a day in advance and keep them in the fridge, or well ahead and freeze, defrosting several hours before cooking.

THE BEST VEGGIE BURGER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
• Place mushrooms and onion on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and toss to coat.
• Roast in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and add black beans to the pan. Cook until mushrooms and onions are browned and beans are dried on the surface, about 5 more minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let mixture cool for 10 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to a food processor. Add rice and walnuts and pulse until roughly chopped. Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, soy sauce, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and pulse until just combined. Add egg and pulse until just combined.
• Transfer mixture to a medium bowl and fold in bread crumbs until well mixed. Chill for 10 minutes.
• Form mixture into 8 patties and season each with salt and pepper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet. Add 4 patties and cook, undisturbed, until browned and a nice crust has formed, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until done, 4 to 5 more minutes. Top with Muenster cheese and place on toasted buns.
• Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and repeat to cook remaining patties.