Recipe of the month: Vegetarian Burgers

Kicking off the new year with a recipe post that is close to my heart. I have a backstory for it but before I elaborate, if you are here just for the recipe, feel free to ignore my ramblings and scroll straight to the recipe 😄

Growing up in South India, the name Mallika Badrinath was synonymous with humble homestyle cooking. She is a well-known cookbook author who specializes in Indian vegetarian cooking. My mum owned the entire collection of her books, and let’s just say that my siblings and I spent many a childhood evening offering our services as guinea pigs for her enthusiastic kitchen experiments.

One of those early experiments was a potato kebab recipe - a simple yet flavorful starter my mum found in one of Mallika Badrinath’s books. The recipe is a straightforward one in which potatoes are boiled and mashed, mixed with fresh aromatic herbs like mint and coriander, spiced with green chillies and flavored with a select 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. That recipe went on to become a family favorite and was the very first dish I made as a new bride at my in-laws' home, thereby making it even more special.

Fast forward to a recent evening when I was wondering what to make for dinner. I was craving a burger, and conveniently, there were burger buns lounging in the fridge. My husband and I, unfortunately, do not have many recipes for vegetarian burgers in our arsenal. He is the portobello mushroom burger specialist in our household and I have made burgers with mixed vegetable patties on occasion in the past but I wanted to try something different (and more importantly, avoid having to buy specific ingredients or chop too many veggies!). That is when I thought of giving my trusty old potato kebab recipe a little makeover.

I shaped the potato mixture into burger-sized cutlets and shallow-fried them instead of deep-frying. Then came the fun part which was assembling the burger. I slathered the toasted buns with jazzed up mayo, placed my patty in the center, added my go-to toppings (iceberg lettuce, sliced tomatoes & onion rings), slapped on a slice of cheese, a few splashes of fiery hot sauce, and got ready to tuck in!

And there you have it - my beloved kebabs turned into a hearty and tasty veggie burger. The beauty of burgers is their versatility: mix and match patties, toppings, and sauces to your liking. While the term “burger” generally conjure up images of meat, this potato-based version is a satisfying vegetarian spin. Think of it as aloo tikki given a Western makeover. Or call it a potato kebab sandwich, if that makes more sense to you 😊

Update: A few years later, I learned how to make Black Bean Burgers with Avocado Mayonnaise. This is my most favourite recipe for a vegetarian burger that will appeal to everyone so check it out! 

Vegetarian Burger

Preparation time: ~ 40 mins

Serves: 4 

Recipe category: Main Course/Indo-Western

Recipe level: Easy  
Recipe source: Mallika Badrinath and a little bit of me

Ingredients:

For the patties:

1/4 kg potatoes (~ 4 medium size potatoes)

5 slices of white bread or 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

a large bunch each of fresh mint and coriander leaves, finely chopped

3-4 green chillies, finely minced

1/2 tsp amchur powder (dry mango powder) or a few drops of lime juice

1/4 tsp turmeric power

1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp coriander powder

3 tbsp rice flour

Salt to taste

Oil for shallow frying

To assemble the burger:

4 burger buns

A few tsp softened butter or mayonnaise (can infuse with garlic & herbs) or cream cheese*

Sliced tomatoes

Sliced onions

Grated cheese or cheese slices

Tomato ketchup/chilli sauce/hot sauce

Salad leaves of choice

*Any sandwich spread of your choice will do too

Method:

1. Cook the potatoes until done. Peel the skin and keep aside to cool. It is important that the potatoes are completely free of moisture otherwise you can end up with soggy patties. 

2. Now dip the bread slices in water for 2 seconds, squeeze out the excess water from the bread and mix into the potato mixture. Alternatively, you could use fresh breadcrumbs. 

3. Add the salt, amchur powder, turmeric powder, garam masala, coriander powder and rice flour and mix well. Add the finely chopped mint and coriander leaves, finely minced green chillies and mix well until everything is well incorporated.

4. Shape the potato mixture into cutlets. Heat oil in a skillet and when hot, fry the patties on both sides until golden brown. Keep the patties aside.

5. Slice the burger buns in half. Toast the burger buns either in a toaster oven or on a hot pan. Apply a little softened butter/mayonnaise/cream cheese to the under sides of the buns. Arrange the lettuce/salad leaves, tomato and onion slices, cheese and patty as desired. Drizzle with a little tomato ketchup or chilli sauce. 

6. Serve with a side salad, crisps or onion rings.

Notes:

• If you find the potato mixture too soggy, you could add in more breadcrumbs or a little more rice flour. Baking the potatoes in the oven or cooking chunks of potatoes in the microwave (skins on) intermittently with a light sprinkling of water each time until done is a great way to alleviate moisture.  
• These burgers would be a great main course for kids so you may want to cut down on the chillies in the patty. 
• If you have left-over potato mixture you can refrigerate it and make kebabs at a later stage. For the kebabs, shape the potato mixture into rolls/fingers and deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown. Serve with ketchup/sauce or chutney of your choice.

Cheers,

Megha