How to Build a Damn Fine Veggie Burger
Servings
4 servings + 1 cup mayo
Prep Time
30-35 minutes
Cook Time
30-35 minutes
"We haven’t really got on the pricey fake-meat burger bandwagon because, as meat eaters, we like our veggie burgers to taste like what they are: humble beans and grains, crisp-fried and extra flavorful here with the addition of a pantry superstar, smoked paprika. Humble, but not earnest: We slather on creamy mayo (preferably our Umami Mayo on page 179), which helps lock our favorite fun burger topping onto the bun: crunchy potato sticks. Look for cardboard canisters of said sticks in the potato chip aisle of most supermarkets."
Excerpted from The Global Pantry Cookbook: Transform Your Everyday Cooking with Tahini, Gochujang, Miso, and Other Irresistible Ingredients by Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray. Workman Publishing © 2023.
Author:Scott Mowbray & Ann Taylor Pittman
Ingredients
2/3 cup old-fashioned oats
1 can (15 ounces) low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
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1 tsp garlic powder
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1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp Marmite
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 large egg
1 cup cooked farro
2 Tbsp canola oil
4 multigrain hamburger buns
4 lettuce leaves
4 slices (½ inch thick) tomato
½ cup Umami Mayo (recipe follows) or store-bought mayo
1 cup canned potato sticks
1 large egg yolk (use pasteurized if you’re concerned about eating raw egg)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1½ tsp Marmite
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp table salt
1 cup neutral oil (such as canola, grapeseed, or avocado)
Veggie Burger
Umami Mayo
Directions
Veggie Burger
Place the oats in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped, 6 to 8 times. Add the beans; pulse until chopped, about 4 times. Add the garlic powder, smoked paprika, Marmite, salt, and egg; process until well blended. Remove the blade from the processor; add the farro and stir in with a spatula (so you don’t have to use— and wash—a separate bowl).
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. While the pan heats, pat the bean mixture into an even layer in the food processor. Score the mixture with your spatula to divide it evenly into quarters. Scrape up one quarter of the mixture at a time and shape into a bun-size patty (3 ½ to 4 inches in diameter). Place the patties on a plate or a piece of wax or parchment paper.
Add the oil to the hot pan and swirl to coat. Add the patties to the pan; cook until browned and slightly crisp on the outside, about 3 minutes per side. Spread 1 tablespoon mayo over each side of each bun. Top the bottom half of each bun with 1 tomato slice, 1 patty, and ¼ cup potato sticks. Arrange lettuce on top bun halves. Bring buns together to assemble the burgers.
Umami Mayo
Place the egg yolk in a mini food processor. Top with the lemon juice, Marmite, mustard, and salt; pulse until combined, 3 to 4 times. Slowly drizzle in the oil through the opening in the lid, pulsing almost constantly, until emulsified and thick. If your processor doesn’t have a hole, remove the top periodically to add the oil. Transfer to an airtight container. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Recipe Note
Texture Tips
Get Thee Behind Me, Mushy Burger. A bean burger should be firm and crisp-edged. Here oats integrate the mixture while cooked farro adds body and provides chewy bits in every bite. The potato sticks give you truckloads of bonus crunch.
Time-Saver
Precooked Farro Works Fine. It only takes 25 or 30 minutes to cook farro, but pouches of precooked farro can be found at stores like Target, near the pouches of precooked rice
Flavor Booster
The Marmite Advantage. Brown-butter mayo has been in vogue, also adding nutty complexity. But Marmite has an advantage straight out of the jar: It doesn’t harden in the fridge like butter will, instead remaining perfectly spreadable when fully chilled.
The Global Pantry Cookbook: Transform Your Everyday Cooking with Tahini, Gochujang, Miso, and Other Irresistible Ingredients by Ann Taylor Pittman and Scott Mowbray can be purchased here:
Supermarket
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