This is my first actual post in the new year. I wanted this post to be about something that is close to my heart. This vegetarian burger has a small story attached to it so if you arrived at this post only to check out the recipe, then please feel free to ignore my ramblings and scroll away.
There wouldn't be many married women from South India who wouldn't have heard of the name Mallika Badrinath. She is a cookbook author famous for her Indian vegetarian recipes. My mum has the entire range of her cookbooks and on countless occasions, me and my siblings have served the role of guinea pig for my mum's cooking exploits that were adapted/inspired from her books.
A long time ago, while flipping through one of her books, my mum found a recipe for potato kebabs which she tried out and it turned out to be an instant hit with our family. The recipe is a very simple one in which the potatoes which are boiled and mashed, mixed with fresh aromatic herbs like mint and coriander, spiced with green chillies and flavored with a few Indian spice powders. Bread/breadcrumbs and rice flour are incorporated for texture and crispiness after which the potato mixture is shaped into kebabs and subsequently deep-fried in hot oil. I was familiar with this recipe long before I got married and it was the very first dish that I prepared as a new bride at my in-laws house so you can imagine why it has special significance for me. Over the years, I've made these potato kebabs many many times and they have become somewhat of a signature snack of mine.
So one day I was sitting at home wondering what to make for dinner and I suddenly felt like tucking into a burger. It so happened that there were burger buns sitting around in the fridge. I began to wonder about what kind of patty I was going to make. My husband makes amazing Portobello Mushroom burgers but that being his specialty, I wanted to do something different. I wasn't really in the mood to start cutting a whole lot of veggies so I decided to translate my trusty potato kebab recipe into patties for my burger. It did occur to me that the overall result could be a major carb overload but who can turn down bread and potatoes right? I stuck to the kebab recipe pretty much expect that I shaped the potato mixture into cutlets and instead of deep-frying, I shallow fried them in a little oil until golden brown. I assembled my burger with my favorite toppings, added a dash of fiery sauce and I was ready to tuck in. You could always add in lettuce or some other salad leaves of your choice for that extra color and crunch but I didn't have any so I skipped the greens (regretted it later as I was photographing my burger).
Here is the recipe for my veggie burger. The best thing about burgers is that they are so versatile. You can play around with the patty ingredients, toppings and the sauce to suit your taste. Although the word "burger" is typically associated with meat-based patties, this vegetarian version is worth a try (call it a sandwich if it makes you feel better). It is a slightly Westernized take on the Indian
Vada Pav but you might find it a pleasant change 😊
