Black Bean Burger

I never thought of making burgers at home as I always bought Patel brothers veggie burgers or trader Joe's masala burgers. These burgers were so handy for an after school snack or lunch for my son.
Unfortunately I don't have either one of these stores nearby:(( . Tried the morning star veggie burger and they were, not up to my taste.

Most of the recipes that I searched used egg as a binder in them. I do eat eggs and somehow was reluctant to use them this time. My parents are here and they don't eat eggs. So, I've replaced the egg with corn flour and made these burgers. One could also use cooked brown rice or bulgur wheat or soy chunks as the binder. I found this recipe in a magazine which I modified to my taste.

The key is to drain your beans pretty well before making these burgers. Infact, I spread them on a kitchen towel before you start to work. They froze well and can be used for a quick meal anytime.

Get Ready:

• 1 can black beans, rinsed and well drained
• 1/2 onion, very finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1/4 red pepper finely chopped
• 1/2 carrot grated
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp Garam masala powder
• salt to taste
• 1/2 cup corn flour
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs ( I used panko)
• 2 -3 tbsp water.

Go:

1. Mash the black beans using your hand or the back of a fork. You don't want them all too mushy, so leave a couple of chunks so you can bite into it.
2. To this add the onion, garlic, pepper, carrot, salt to taste, cumim powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder and mix well.
3. Mix the corn flour in water to a paste like consistency. Add the cornflour paste and bread crumbs to the bean mixture and mix well to incorporate every thing.
4. Adjust spices as needed.
5. Pre heat oven to 375 F and line a baking sheet with foil. Grease the foil with cooking spray.
6. Bivide the bean mixture into 6 0r 7 balls.
7. Flatten them and shape like patties.
8. Arrange them on the foil lined baking sheet and bake for 20 - 25 mins. You can also cook them on the tava with little oil.
9. Serve as burgers topped with tomato rings, cilantro and a dollop pf sour cream in burger buns.

This was my packed lunch today and was satisfying!

Enjoy! PS: excuse me for the terrible picture, as it was taken in a rush!
Sending this to Priya's