Anyone wanting to make good vegan burger patties from scratch faces three challenges: flavour, texture and binding. The latter, in particular, is a problem if you want to avoid using eggs. Other binding agents, such as oatmeal, affect the bite, and the patties quickly become too creamy.
This is how we solve the problems:
The base
Our base is black beans. We actually use whole black beans (‘alubias negras’ from Spain), which we buy dried, soak overnight and then cook for about an hour, all without adding any salt.
However, tinned beans can also be used, and kidney beans are a good alternative to the less common black beans.
It’s important not only to drain the beans thoroughly, but also to dry them further. We do this in a frying pan, without adding any oil, over a low heat (we use 3 out of 10). After about 10 minutes, during which the pan is given a shake every now and then, the beans are ready for further preparation.
Now the beans need to be mashed with a fork. If you use a food processor, there’s always a risk of grinding them too finely, which is bad for the texture of the patties. Using a fork does involve a bit more work, but it ensures the beans are mashed unevenly – and that’s exactly what makes all the difference.
The umami bomb
You need plenty of umami for flavour. We achieve this with dried porcini mushrooms, which are poured over with hot water and left to soak for 20 minutes, soy sauce, (vegan) Worcestershire sauce and pomegranate syrup (available, for example, from Turkey under the name ‘nar ekşisi’).
The main flavour component is bulgur, which also helps to give the patties the right texture. Please note: you must use fine bulgur (‘köftelik bulgur’), which does not need to be cooked. Coarser bulgur would remain hard and therefore wouldn’t work in this recipe!
The seasoning sauces and the soaking water from the porcini mushrooms are mixed with the bulgur, which absorbs all the liquid within a few minutes.
The aroma paste
Meanwhile, slice button mushrooms and toast them in the pan without adding any oil until no more liquid is released from them.
Finely grate onion and drain it in a sieve, collecting the liquid.
Mix the soaked bulgur into the mashed beans; you can now season with salt and black pepper. Careful: soy and Worcestershire already contain salt.
Now it’s time to use the food processor: start by finely grinding half the walnuts. If you like, add some garlic. Next, add the soaked porcini mushrooms, the roasted button mushrooms, the drained grated onion (without the liquid) and the rest of the walnuts. Blend these less finely this time; the aim is to create a chunky paste. If you’d like to add any other spices, such as chilli or smoked paprika, you can add them at this stage.
The paste is also mixed thoroughly with the beans; you could use a kitchen machine for this. Then, with hands that are slightly damp but not wet, shape the mixture into four patties of equal size. If the mixture is too wet, you can add a little breadcrumb. If it is too dry, use the liquid that has been drained from the onion. You must be particularly careful and cautious when adding liquid, otherwise the mixture will quickly be ruined.
These patties are also ideal for freezing, so it makes sense to prepare a larger batch straight away.
In any case, you must chill them thoroughly now before heating them. They will then hold their shape much better, and the crust will develop better too.
Before frying in a pan or baking on a baking tray – and also before barbecuing – put a few drops of neutral vegetable oil in one hand and rub it onto the patties to prevent them from sticking. Apart from the nuts, they contain no fat that could seep out. If you give them a good slap from one palm to the other, you can compact them a little more, resulting in a firmer texture later on. The bulgur ensures that they don’t become too firm.
As with meat, the heat shouldn’t be too high. On the barbecue, just under 10 minutes was about right – until the outside was nicely browned and crispy and the inside was hot. The picture above shows the fully cooked vegan patty – below it is a beef patty, which has only just been on the barbecue.
Neither we nor our 15-year-old NextGen nephew found anything lacking in these burgers.
Enjoy.
And may the taste be with you.
Ingredients (for 4 patties):
Base:
350 g kidney or black beans, drained
(175 g dried beans, cooked)
40 g fine bulgur (‘köftelik bulgur’)
Umami bomb:
10 g dried porcini mushrooms
100 ml hot water to soak the porcini mushrooms
1 tbsp pomegranate syrup (‘Nar Ekşisi’)
1 tbsp soya sauce
2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
Aroma paste:
150 g fresh button mushrooms, sliced and roasted
40 g walnuts, half finely ground, half roughly chopped
1 medium onion, grated (juice squeezed out and set aside)
2 garlic cloves (optional)
Salt, black pepper
Moisture regulator:
20–30 g dry breadcrumbs, as required
Onion juice, as required
Neutral vegetable oil, for greasing
