Veggie Burger Approaches and Recipes

[Fat Guy]

I find myself called upon to fashion a tasty veggie burger for some friends. I'm totally unfamiliar with this whole area of the food world, but I know some of us have thought about it extensively (as evidenced by the earlier thread on the BK Veggie).

What are the various species of veggie burger?

What's the best general approach?

Any specific recipes or instructions?

[SobaAddict70]

Ewww.

After a little serious thought (well maybe not much), I suppose you could do the pressed tofu route. Just don't put chopped water chestnuts and we'll get along just fine.

SA

[kjohn]

You know, I've never had a non-prepackaged veggie burger. I'll leave the recipes to the experts, but I think you need some soy and other beans to get the texture right. How to bind this together without egg, I don't know.

Is this a strict 'Vegan' veggie burger?

[Beachfan]

I was going to post the recipe from the Moosewood cookbook. But I couldn't bring myself to do it - lentils and rolled oats. We made it once 18 years ago.

At least it's a complete protein.

[Jinmyo]

Good for you, Beachfan. The angels of your better nature kept you from it. I've eaten at Moosewood and it was dire.

No. 1, don't bother trying. I've done it with grains, with tofu, with meinjin (gluten), and on and on. Edible but pointless.

Better to go the grilled portobello with chevre in a bun if they want to pretend it's a burger, I think.

Or just make hamburgers and lie. Just say it's a new Japanese "beef-flavoured" product made from micro-fibres and inverted barley or something.

[Fat Guy]

Well, just for fun, let's try to figure it out. I don't think the goal should be to emulate the taste of a beef burger with TVP or whatever. I'm more looking for an acceptable patty-like thing to put on a bun. As long as it tastes good, I don't care what it tastes similar to. I'm not limited to vegan ingredients, BTW. Ovo-lacto stuff is acceptable.

[Steve Plotnicki]

Fat Guy - The best veggie burger is one from my youth. It was to be found at (and possibly still can be found) at Smile of the Beyond which is connected to the community based around the teachings of Sri Chimnoy (is he still alive?). There is a small enclave of shops on Parson Blvd. just off of Hillside Avenue in Queens that are operated by people who follow him. Smile of the Beyond is sort of a vegetarian coffee shop. They used to serve these terrific veggie burgers made from soy protein and chopped veggies in pita bread. It might be worth the schlep to Queens to check it out. And there are other foodie points of destination nearby including that Guatamalen Place that had it's ten minutes of fame a few years back. And there are a few Salvadoran Papuserias on Jamaica Avenue about a 1/2 mile away.

[Sandra Levine]

Steve, you could try using something like the stuffing for stuffed derma and instad of stuffing it into a casing, make a patty.

[Adam Balic]

Borlolti beans (Pinto beans in the US?), they have "meaty" taste to them, use them as a base. Need texture componant next. Shredded duck breast? No, that's wrong isn't it. Uh, some of fancy Japanese mushrooms (Enoki?), they taste good grilled (with bacon, but that's wrong too right?). Can I use eggs?

[bigbear]

I tried a meatless burger from BOCA was decent. It was the Chef's Choice or the Chef Max's. I think it's called the All American Classic now.

[mamster]

Has anyone done a falafel-based veggie burger? It seems like that might be tasty.

[Haggis]

There are a number of good fillers to compose veggie burgers from. Most whole grains work well, with sticky, slightly overcooked brown rice being maybe the easiest to bind. Whatever recipe you finally settle on, let me suggest that you use bread softened with milk as your binder. White bread works well, or French/Italian with the crusts cut off. All mushrooms, even plain old button mushrooms, improves the taste, as does chopped raw onion. If you don't use soy in any of its forms, use sunflower or pumpkin seeds as a protein source. These also provide extra crunch, which is appreciated by vegetarian friends of mine when I make them. One more suggestion: the more chopped vegetables your burger contains, the more binder you need to use, and you could also throw in an egg or egg whites to help it along.

[Beachfan]

Fat Guy - The best veggie burger is one from my youth. It was to be found at (and possibly still can be found) at Smile of the Beyond which is connected to the community based around the teachings of Sri Chimnoy (is he still alive?). There is a small enclave of shops on Parson Blvd. just off of Hillside Avenue in Queens that are operated by people who follow him. Smile of the Beyond is sort of a vegetarian coffee shop. They used to serve these terrific veggie burgers made from soy protein and chopped veggies in pita bread. It might be worth the schlep to Queens to check it out. And there are other foodie points of destination nearby including that Guatamalen Place that had it's ten minutes of fame a few years back. And there are a few Salvadoran Papuserias on Jamaica Avenue about a 1/2 mile away.

Quantum Leap (in Fresh Meadows, nearby) also had a nice one during those starry eyed flower power years.

[Beachfan]

I don't think the goal should be to emulate the taste of a beef burger with TVP or whatever

Good approach. As my wife said when I mentioned the vegetarian bacon thread:

"If you are trying to create an artificial pig, that's impossible. But if you don't like pig, it's flavor or it's texture, then vegetarian bacon is nice".

By the way, the vegeburgers I've had that managed to work in peas seemed the better for it.

[polly]

Try very soft cooked rice, potato pieces ( cooked), sauteed onion, shredded pumpkin, beets and mushroom.

Spice it like a felafel or samosa, some could have sharp cheese through them, fetta or haloumi would be good.

Use a bit of egg and breadcrumbs to make it stick.

Good luck.

There must be nice recipes out there for vegetarian kofte .

[Fat Guy]

Thanks for these excellent suggestions, and please keep 'em coming. To get an idea of the commercial product, I picked up some Boca burgers today. Haven't worked up the nerve to try one yet, though.

[Stone]

I was having a big BBQ and one person I did not much know or like told me she would like a veggie burger. I suggested she bring one, and she started whining about how if I was having a party the least I could do . . . .

So I made one. It was simple. I was delicious.

I started with a patty of lean ground chuck. Grilled it to perfection. And added a thick slice of tomato.

Damn I'm a good cook.

[SobaAddict70]

Steve, have you ever tried one of Burritoville's burritos with veggie chorizo as one of the fillings? I suppose if you could deconstruct the ingredients in the veggie chorizo, you could make a passable veggie burger out of that.

There's been many a time when I've had that chorizo, where I've thought I was eating something that could pass for beef.

SA

[Fat Guy]

Never had it, but I'll try. I'm still working up the nerve to sample the Boca burger, though.

[Jason Perlow]

I would take the middle-eastern route by making it a giant felafel ball shaped like a burger patty. Deep fried, served on a burger bun with fixins.

I might try some combination of fava beans and chickpeas for different consistencies. Perhaps use a spice mixture similar to those used for seasoning steaks or burgers.

I might also consider a patty of reconsistuted dried mushrooms mixed with fresh (like portobello or porcini), with some type of starch like maybe potatoes or tofu as a binder, with some eggs, then breaded and deep fried.

[Suvir Saran]

Steve I make my own veggie burgers at home. Similar to what Polly suggests. I add tapioca pearls, potatoes and scallions to the mix. And some coarsely ground chana dal.

I love the Garden Burger brand. Santa Fe is my favorite one they carry. The original is also very good. I stay away from veggie burgers that try and capture the beef flavor. I find them gross.

Are you making these yourself? Are you simply having to suggest a good brand? If you need a recipe for someone to make them on a regular basis, let me know, I will take time and test a recipe and post one. Or else, go with Garden Burger.

Maybe you can taste a few brands and see which you prefer.

[Fat Guy]

These are to be home made. I'm not sure I'd make them very often, but it would be good to have a good recipe on file. Next time you're making them, if you post some notes it will be appreciated.

[Suvir Saran]

I just read Jasons post. I would go with his approach. My veggie tikkis are deep fried. They are amazing.

I make them with more of any one vegetable when making them for parties. I had made coctail sized small patties to be eaten just by themselves for the dinner with Ms. Jaffrey. She had found the spinach based tikkis delectable and took some home for the next day.

I have often used a falafel recipe which I have made heartier by adding chopped onions, corn, dried mushrooms, spinach and green peas. That works very well. I also add to the falafel recipe a little besan (chickpea) flour so as to hold the extra veggies and any water they may exude.

[Suvir Saran]

If this is not urgent, I am making my tikkis for testing for the cook book late August. Would that be ok? It will be a perfectly tested recipe then. If you can wait.

Also I am sure the other recipes you have found here will be of great help between now and then.

When I was much younger and in school in Bombay, I once used the store bought falafel mix and added lots of fun stuff to them (my touch) and made veggie patties that used the falafel recipe as a binding. It worked very well and was an instant hit. I am now embarassed even thinking that I ever used a store bought falafel mix to make anything at all. But maybe you can give this approach a try.

If you like crunchy patties, use chana dal (chickpea lentil) that have been soaked overnight in warm water. I grind these coarsely and add to the falafel mix with onions, corn, peas, chiles, spinach and scallions and mix well. Form into a stiff dough and shape into patties of desired size and deep fry.

[dobbs]

hello, I just found this forum...lots of swell ideas!

However, I am utterly astonished that nobody suggested nuts as a veggie burger ingredient. As a lifelong vegetarian, I've sampled countless dreary patties, and only found several decent varieties, the best of which must include nuts.

I would suggest a patty made of most or all of the following: roasted ground walnuts/pecans, shredded cooked spinach, carmelized mushrooms/onions, cooked brown rice, grated carrot, minced garlic and fresh breadcrumbs. Flavor with thyme, chile, soy sauce, etc. Once mixed together (perhaps lightly foodprocessed) refrigerate overnight to help stick everything together (or use an egg if you want). This will taste extremely good, especially to protein-deficient vegetarians. Horseradish mayonnaise goes awful well with it too.

I'm sure acceptable falafel/flour-based nutless patties can be concocted as well, but I sincerely doubt they match the mighty spinach-nut burger...