Recipes, Vegetarian

Veg Burger

Burger with potato patty is a vegetarian favourite. Of course, it’s Indian! It’s totally worth all the weekend calories.

Ingredients

  • Makes 6 Burgers
  • For the Patty
  • 6-7 Potatoes (medium-sized)
  • 1/2 Cup French Beans (finely chopped)
  • 1/2 Cup Orange Carrots (finely chopped)
  • 1/4 Cup Green Peas
  • 4 Bread Slices (ends of the loaf with the normal ones or use readymade breadcrumbs)
  • Salt to Taste
  • 2-3 Tsps Chilli-Ginger Paste
  • Oil (for shallow frying)
  • 2 Tsps Worcestershire Sauce (see the recipe for an alternative)
  • Alternative to Worcestershire Sauce
  • 2 Tsps Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 Tsp Lemon Juice
  • 1/4 Tsp Sugar
  • A Dash of Hot Sauce
  • For the Layering
  • 8-9 Iceberg Lettuce Leaves
  • 2 Onions (cut into rings)
  • Cheese Slices
  • Mayo
  • Ketchup
  • Mustard & Barbeque Sauce (optional but it does enhance the flavor)

Preparation

Prep: 90 minutes
Cooking: 30 minutes

  1. For the patty, steam the potatoes in a pressure cooker or a microwave. Steam the finely chopped carrots, French-beans and green peas so that they become soft. If you boil the veggies directly in water, make sure you drain all the water well. Let the veggies cool down in the strainer so there is no condensation due to steam.
  2. Peel and mash the potatoes. Let them cool down. Then add chilli-ginger paste and salt. Next add the steamed veggies, 1 tbsp breadcrumbs and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well. This sauce gives some heat to the patty.
  3. Make sure the patty mix is a little spicy so it gets balanced with the bread.
  4. Once the patty mix is ready, let it rest in the refrigerator for ten minutes. Once the mix is out, heat a pan with some oil.
  5. Now make a patty of the size of the bun and a good 2-cms thick. Then dab both sides on the bread crumbs.
  6. Next, shallow fry the patty. Once the pan is hot, place the patty on a high flame and after some seconds change the low flame. Let it cook for about 5 minutes so that it’s nice and brown before you flip to cook on the other side. (If you hurry and flip before a nice brown binding layer is formed there is a chance that the patty might crack while you flip.)
  7. Put some drops of oil on the top before you flip to cook the other side. The patty should be nice dark golden brown with both sides crisp.
  8. On the same greased pan, place onion rings. Once they soften up, take them off the pan.
  9. For the burger layering, butter the inside of the buns and sear them on the pan quickly keeping them soft. You can dab some butter on the top side of the bun and sear it for a bit too.
  10. Of the different sequencing I have tried, I prefer this one – bun base, hot sauce, lettuce, patty, ketchup, barbecue sauce, cheese slice, onions, mayo, bun top (with ketchup spread on the inside). Serve with some Mustard sauce and Ketchup on the side.

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Dhara Shah

I am not quite sure when my interest in cooking grew as a child. I remember how keen my mother was to teach me how to make round fluffy phulkas and a basic meal. She is an amazing cook and I grew up seeing her make a lot of different food, even more than what is cooked in a traditional Gujrati home. I think most of my intuitive skills come from her and the tips she passed on to me. An architect by profession, while studying design, I made friends who were well-travelled and got introduced to global food. Then my own adventure and experiments with food began. I love to travel and tasting new cuisines while at it. Food for me has always been a means of connection and love. While I have always found the time to cook, the lockdown made me take pictures and actively share recipes of the food I make. Today I aspire not only to cook but to plate beautifully because nothing makes me happier than a beautiful plate of food.