I believe home cooks can be the most innovative, particularly when there are many members in their household. Quick dishes, clever seasonings, and quantity control… these things get easier over time.
This time, inspired by a friend’s Snapchat image of a scrumptious burger and onion rings, I had to have a burger, right there and then.
As having made chole the night before, I had some of the chickpeas leftover. Adding some mashed potato, a half a beetroot, more seasonings and breadcrumbs; I had the ideal burger patty.
Moreover, I even managed to find mini burger buns – perfect for a snack and even better looking if you are entertaining. These mini sizes are available in most local bakeries and supermarkets.
Burgers have a traditional of lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles standard, but it’s fun to stray away from the usual every once in a while.
I piled my burgers with some caramelized onions, feta and Dijon mustard. I had a jar of ginger marmalade jam that I had yet to open, so I used it for the onions. I added some dried thyme as well. Recipe for the caramelized onions is here. As mentioned there, the formula for caramelized onions is pretty simple: onions + sweetener + sour + spice + herbs.
Grill the patties and assemble with the feta cheese, Dijon mustard, lettuce and onions – and you have for yourself a fancy looking, sounding and tasting burger!
About:
This recipe yields 15 small mini buns, and perhaps 4-5 big sized ones.
The caramelized onions can be made in advance.
The fixings are a personal choice; use whatever you prefer.
The Recipe
Serves Yields: 15 mini buns | Prep Time: 45 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpeas, boiled / 1 cup leftover chole
- 1 potato, boiled and mashed
- ½ beetroot, boiled and grated or mashed
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 7-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp oregano
- 2 tbsp basil
- 3 tbsp breadcrumbs
- 1 Dominos packet chilli flakes (optional)
- Salt + Pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil + some for grilling
- Other Fixings:
- 15 mini burger buns
- 1 cup caramelized onions
- 15 tsp feta cheese
- 2-3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Lettuce leaves for 15 mini buns
Instructions
- In 1 tbsp olive oil, sauté the onions and garlic until well cooked.
- Add in the seasonings, sautéing for 2 more minutes.
- Mix in the chickpeas, potato and beetroot. Combine well.
- Mix in salt and pepper and stir.
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Once cooled, mix in the breadcrumbs and scoop out small patties, the size of your mini burger bun.
- Grill on a non-stick pan, brushed with some olive oil, if required.
- Cut the burger buns in half.
- Grill on a non-stick pan with NO OIL. The bottom part of the bun can be grilled both sides. The top part of the bun can be grilled just on the flat side so as to keep the top rounded shape.
- Spread feta cheese and Dijon mustard on opposite sides. Layer with some lettuce, the patty and caramelized onions.
- Secure the buns with a toothpick if required.
- Serve immediately.
