Chunky Salsa & Lentil Burgers

Who does not like Burgers? Burgers are interesting in more than one ways. Composed of various components, burgers can be perceived as a collage for creative gastronomical combinations. Today, DSB brings to you a burger assembly which is inspired by the famous Indian Thali ! Interesting right ?? Read on and discover the magic 🙂

A Big big hello from the Sunny California ! I am now in the beautiful city of San Diego and life is very colorful here 🙂 I am loving every bit of this city and with just 3 days gone by, this city has already started casting its magical spell on me and i am mesmerized !

When i started writing this post, the only thing in my mind was to bring something which was a reflection of my current state of mind a.k.a “Thinking afresh”.  This meant re-looking at various cultural food interpretations and bringing out dishes with a radical note. Now being an Indian, my first thought was to re-look at a typical “north Indian Thali”. The process of deconstructing the elements and giving it a new form was truly exciting and made me feel creative !

For those of you who are not entirely aware of the quintessential of an North Indian Thali, it is composed of Proteins (Dals/ Lentil curries), Carbs (Chapati – Indian flatbread/ Rice) and heartiness (vegetables stir fries and curries).

This burger takes the same approach with replacing Chapati with Whole wheat Burger Buns, incorporating rice and lentils into a hearty, healthy and satisfying patty and adding a Chunky salsa on top for that zesty flavour.

Chunky Salsa & Lentil Burgers

Recipe

Preparation time : 2 hrs (including time for burger buns)

Cooking time : 30 minutes

Makes: 8-10 buns

This recipe is divided into 3 components :

• Chunky Salsa
• Lentil Patties
• Burger Buns

Chunky Salsa

• 2 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 1/2 green bell peppers, roughly chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1tablespoon oil (vegetable/canola/sunflower/ olive oil.. any works)

Lentil Patties

• 2 cups brown lentils (masoor dal in hindi), cooked and extra water drained out.
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup cooked brown rice
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped mushrooms ( u can also choose other vegetables like grated carrots, peas, french beans etc)
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp dry mango powder/ 2 tsp tamarind paste (optional)
• 2 medium green chilies, finely chopped
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 2-3 tablespoons roughly chopped coriander
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons of oil for pan frying

Burger Buns*

*For the burger buns dough, follow the same recipe as that used to make Bread. You can find the recipe for making the bread on my blog here.

You can always use store bought ones but in case you are feeling as enthusiastic as i usually do (:P), you can have the pleasure of making your own buns and eating it too… because in my opinion, nothing is more satisfying than eating your own , home made bread 🙂

Method

We will begin with making the burger buns as they take the maximum time and while the dough rests to rise, you can prepare the salsa and the lentil patties.

For the burger buns

1. After the dough has risen once, punch to remove excess air and divide into 6 equal balls and bake at 375- 400 F for about 20 minutes. You can sprinkle sesame seeds on the bun before baking.
2. Once the buns are baked, let it cool down completely.

For the Lentil Patties

1. Take a bowl and to it add the cooked brown lentil and rice. Mash it well till it turns mushy. Add all the other ingredients and combine. The lentil patty mixture is ready.
2. Divide the mixture into 8-10 portions and form into patties. Arrange on a plate and freeze it for an hour or more.
3. Pan fry the patties just before assembling the burgers. The Lentil Patties are ready.

For the Chunky Salsa

1. Take a saute pan. In it, add in 1 tablespoon of oil and put it to medium high flame.
2. Once the oil is hot, add in the chopped onions, bell peppers and jalapeno and saute for a couple of minutes or till the rawness of the onion is gone. Now add in the other ingredients except lemon juice and cook with lid on simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
3. Mash the ingredients with the back of the spoon to form a chunky mixture and shut the flame. Let the salsa cool down completely. Add in the lemon juice and mix well. The Chunky Salsa is ready.

To assemble the burgers, arrange salad, chunky salsa and lentil patties together on top of each other in a stack and enjoy your Chunky Salsa & Lentil Burgers  🙂

I served these burgers with a side of my Herb & Feta Salad (recipe here) , Mixed Indian Bhajias (recipe here) and Tzatziki (recipe here) . Now i know that the above sounds like a crazy combination with the Traditional indian snacks of Bhajias, Greek style Salad and the Tzatziki Dip in a burger dish but who cares when it works for my taste buds 😛 Make your own combination and i am sure this burger rocks as much with a ketchup and mustard sauce a it does with my Tzatziki dip 🙂

Taking this recipe for the burgers to the Virtual Vegan linky Potluck

Click below to continue with the others