How to make chickpea burgers

When I was a kid, steamed chickpeas in a newspaper cone was something commonly seen. I’d always see friends carrying it around and munching on it – the simple joys of childhood.

Picture from atkoken.com

That was the memory that I had as I was trying out making chickpea burgers. Probably inspired by the burger that we had at Fonzie’s the other day, it very actually simple to do. Apart from all the soaking, it didn’t take much labour time. And it was so delicious that it was worth the wait.

You will need :

• 1 small carrot
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 100 g dried chickpeas
• salt and pepper
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tbs flour

Soak the chickpeas in water and if you like, add a dash of Turmeric powder for a subtle earthy taste. Leave overnight or for at least 6 hours.

Look at how much the chickpeas expanded!

Pour away the soaked water and add more than enough fresh water to cover the chickpeas. Add a teaspoon of salt and then simmer them in low fire for about an hour.

In the meanwhile, grate the carrots finely, beat the egg and then put them aside.

When the chickpeas are cooked, drain the water away, and let it cool down for a bit. At this point, the chickpeas are already tasty enough to eat on it’s own. But resist the temptation and put them in the food processor with mashed garlic, the dried spices and blend them together till it looks rough but well mixed.

Add the mix to the grated carrots and fold them in together with the beaten egg. Add enough flour to bind them all together together and then form them into patties. Leave them in the fridge till needed and then fry them in a little bit of oil for about 4 minutes each side.

When they are done, they are absolutely delicious on it’s own but they are even better as burgers – I’d normally dress them up with mayo, cheese, ketchup, mustard, sliced onion, pickles on homemade toasted buns.

It’s a taste that you’d really love – hearty, savoury, punchy taste, satisfyingly crunchy with a hint of sweetness They are SO very good and I really hope that you give them a try. They are so delicious that I bet that even meat-eaters would appreciate them.

Definitely going to make them every week 🙂

Om nom nom nom nom nom!