Chickpea and coriander burgers

Cooking for the newly turned vegetarian husband is still in its early days in terms of developing great family meals. Matthew’s first proper effort was to make this, what I’d very loosely call ‘soup’…

He made enough to feed himself for the rest of his life – and what a sentence that would be! It really would be the kind of food you’d expect to have if you were banged up. Needless to say he ate a couple of bowls of it, but then it got greyer and greyer looking in the fridge and finally got sent for composting duties.

So I decided to have a good hunt around for some more appetising recipes…

Being a previous burger addict, I thought it’d be good to find Matthew a decent home-made veggie alternative.

BBC Good Food mag’s June edition came up trumps with a generous looking specimen made of chickpeas, breadcrumbs and coriander. You can read their recipe here.

Matthew volunteered to make them himself – it was like the dawn of a new era. I vacated the kitchen so not to twitch every time he went in my our cupboards. Is anyone else territorial about the kitchen or is it just me?

I just can’t help myself – offering advice and generally interfering “you might want to try doing it like this”.  No one needs that when they’re trying to cook!

Matthew said putting the burgers together was a very sticky affair, and our tiny food processor was a bit of a hindrance, but the resulting patties looked magnificent! They held together extremely well in the pan.

They’re gently spiced with cumin and coriander, and the chickpeas certainly make them a substantial meal. Of course they can be served in a burger bun, but to be honest it feels a bit carb-heavy so I’d be happier eating them with a green salad and some potato wedges or couscous.

The kids were a bit suspicious of them – perhaps next time we’d make some blander ones without cumin in and add the spices in just for us. I was really impressed with the taste and texture and how filling they are.

Chickpea and coriander burgers (BBC Good Food, June)

400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 lemon – zest and half its juice
1 tsp ground cumin
small bunch coriander, chopped
1 egg
100g fresh breadcrumbs
1 small red onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil

1. Put the chickpeas, lemon zest, lemon juice, cumin, half the coriander, the egg and some seasoning in a food processor and blitz. Transfer into a bowl and mix with three quarters of the breadcrumbs and all the diced onions.

2. Using your hands form four burger patties. Put the remaining breadcrumbs in a dish and coat each burger by pressing on both sides. Place in the fridge and chill for 10 mins or longer if you’re prepping in advance.

3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and over a medium heat fry the burgers for 4 mins per side, being careful not to burn them.

4. Serve in delicious bread rolls, warm wholemeal pittas or with a side of skin-on potato wedges and a large green salad. Sweet chilli sauce is especially nice with them!