Best veggie burger recipe
The story usually goes like this, when people see a photo and try to make the same vegan burgers, then problems and questions start popping up: how come my burgers are falling apart and aren’t soaking up any oil, how do I achieve the fine crust and the juicy inside, what’s the secret ingredient that makes them so tasty, etc. Hundreds of questions revealing that making a good vegan burger are a tricky business which often tends to go wrong.
Now that I think of it, there really are a couple crucial moments where a small mistake can make a difference between a perfect burger and a burger mix that ends up in the trash… So, dear veggie friends, it is my duty to reveal all my tips & tricks and help you make the perfect best vegan burger, and I sincerely hope you’ll find this tutorial helpful!
Ingredients:
- 3 cups short grain brown, cooked (2 water to 1 rice ratio)
- 1 bigger carrot
- 1 small celeriac or parsley root
- 1 onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup finely grated smoked tofu
- 3 tablespoons fine rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley greens
- Salt, pepper, oregano, chili, sweet red pepper (made from the dried and ground varieties of pepper)
- Flour and oil for frying
- Rice (or other grain you’re using) has to be properly cooked, neither soggy nor hard. For best burgers use freshly cooked rice, and in case you’re using leftover rice make sure it’s room temperature and not straight out of the fridge!
Tips for preparation of perfect veggie burger
Tip #1: Never use cold rice, bur freshly cooked or rice at room temperature.
In a separate bowl finely grate carrot, celeriac/parsley, onion and tofu. Use the finest grater you have. Then peel the skin off the garlic clove and press them with garlic cloves and put them in a bowl with the rest of the grated ingredients and mixed them well.
Tip #2: Veggies should be very finely grated otherwise the bigger pieces might cause the burger mix to fall apart during frying.
Put rice, grated veggies, tofu, rolled oats, garlic, parsley greens, some salt and spices in a big bowl. First use your hands to knead the mixture until the ingredients are well combined. Taste and add more salt and spices if needed- the burgers are usually a spicier part of the meal so don’t make the mixture bland. Now use an immersion blender to quickly blend the grain mixture – this is not an essential step but people usually don’t knead long enough so by blending the whole thing it’s more probable the mixture will be well mixed and sticky enough.
Tip #3: knead the burger mixture for a while, and use and immersion blender so that the stickiness of the grain is developed and all the ingredients are well combined.
Wet your hands and try to shape a small burger- if the mixture is a little sticky and soft but the burger keeps its shape that should be it. If you want to add a little more rolled oats at this point, just in case, please don’t add anything or the burgers might turn out too dry or floury. Never add breadcrumbs to the burger mixture!
Tip #4: Never use breadcrumbs to bind the burger mixture or your burgers will fall apart and soak up loads of oil.
Now is the time to leave the mixture to set.
Tip #5: The mixture has to sit on room temperature for at least half an hour to allow the oats to soak up any excess moisture from the veggies.
Put some water in a bowl to wet your hands during the shaping of the burgers. After you used up all the mixture, roll burgers in flour and place them on and tray. Now let the frying adventure begin!
You can use a small heavy-bottom stainless steel or cast iron pan for frying. Add oil to the pan (app. 1.5 in. or 4 cm up the pan), since deep-frying is the easiest way to get evenly fried urgers. Heat the oil until it starts ‘moving’. Throw in a small piece of the grain mixture: if it immediately starts boiling you’re ready to go.
Tip #6: the right oil temperature is really important! If the oil isn’t hot enough burgers will sink, soak up a lot of oil and start falling apart; if the oil is too hot burgers will burn form the outside and stay uncooked on the inside.
Fry only a couple of burgers at a time or how many exactly depends of the size of your pan. There should always be some free space left in the pan. If you’re making a big batch of burgers, you’ll probably need to filter the oil through a steel strainer to remove burnt flour and food particles.
Tip #7: Overcrowding the pan will result in a dramatic drop of oil temperature and your burgers will fall apart and/or turn very oily and uncooked.
Once the burgers are golden brown, use a skimmer to take them out and place them on a kitchen towel-lined plate. The oil mark on the towel should be small and not widely spread around your burger – that’s a sign you did a good job!
Your burgers should be golden, compact with a thin crust and a juicy inside and should only lightly grease your fingers.
