Black Bean Burgers

Ingredients

Combine the basic bean patty with a binder of your choosing, and add a spice blend. Quantities for the binder and spices here are based on one unit of bean patty mixture.

Basic Bean Patty

• 850g black beans cooked (2x425g cans no salt added black beans),
  • 816g after draining
  • 689g after drying in oven
• 1-2 tbsp sesame oil (for frying patties)

or

• 700g cooked from dry beans

Makes six to eight patties.

Binder

• 1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1/2 cup panko flakes

Mix panko flakes and vital wheat gluten together.

Spices

• 2tbsp olive oil (for sauteing onions)
• 1/2 large white onion
• 2 Serrano peppers
• 1 habanero pepper
• 1 Sweet bell pepper (red, orange, yellow — doesn't matter)
• 8 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 tbsp maras biberi flakes or aleppo pepper flakes
• 3/4 tsp dried ground ginger

If you want this to be less spicy, either the habanero or Serrano peppers can be left out (If I had to choose, I'd drop the Serrano peppers as I find a habanero pepper complements the sweet bell pepper more, unless you can get ripe Serrano peppers).

Directions

Prepare Canned Beans

Stolen from Serious Eats, canned black beans should be dehydrated a bit.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Drain beans, discarding liquid. Don't rinse.
3. Spread beans on foil lined baking sheet with sides
4. Place in oven for ~15 minutes

If using beans cooked from dry beans, this can probably be skipped?

Sauteed Herbs and Vegetables

1. Dice white onion
2. Dice bell pepper
3. Mince hot peppers and garlic
4. Retain half uncooked of onions/peppers/garlic uncooked. Drain while sauteing other half.
5. Saute onion, peppers, and garlic with olive oil until onions are lightly browned
6. Squeeze in paper towel after cooled to drain any excess moisture and oil. Do the same for the uncooked vegetables (gently).

Combine!

1. Mix dry spices before and beans in bowl before mashing (this seems to help diffuse the spices more consistently).
2. Mash beans to desired consistency in a mixing bowl. Mostly paste with some partially mashed beans is good.
3. Mix in garlic, peppers, and onions
4. Mix in binder

Grab a ball of the mixture and form into a patty. It should be almost as robust as a murder burger so should be able to handle being squished into whatever shape by hand.

Cook

1. Pan fry over medium-high heat for ~4 minutes per side (until outside is browned and a bit crispy). Cooking spray or oil will be needed to keep it from burning. Brushing the burgers with sesame oil works well (one side at a time, just before putting into pan and just before flipping).

TODO

Increased onion and garlic, not sure if more dry spices are also needed.

At least needs more cumin... taste is a bit "empty". Thinking that cumin should be doubled. Maybe add some ground pistachios or even a bit of tahina as well.

<Morty_md> My mind boggled. * tim_m shakes morty's mind, hoping for a different combination of letters <Morty_md> Sometimes my mind yahtzees instead.

Last Modified: May 9, 2019