Lentils soaked overnight and ground raw, mixed with sautéed onion, carrot and bell pepper, shaped and pan-fried. Six burgers, and nothing in them but vegetables.
The lentils are never boiled
This is the thing to understand about the recipe, and it is not how most lentil burgers are made.
The lentils go into water for seven or eight hours and come out soft but raw. They are then ground into a mass and mixed with the sautéed vegetables, shaped, and cooked in the pan. At no point are they boiled.
That is why they hold together without egg, breadcrumb or anything else doing the binding: the raw ground lentil sets as it cooks, the way a fritter batter does. Burgers made from boiled lentils are a different thing and they need a binder.
The meta description on this page previously said the lentils were cooked and mashed, which was wrong, and it was my own error rather than the recipe's.
Keep them thin, and check the first one
Because the lentil goes in raw, the patties cook from the outside in, and thickness decides whether they work.
No thicker than a finger. A thick one browns nicely on both sides in the five minutes given and is still raw paste in the middle, which is the single way this recipe goes wrong.
Break the first one open before committing to the batch. The centre should look set and dry. If it is sticky, press the rest flatter and cook them longer over lower heat, or put them in the oven at 200°C for twenty minutes instead.
The hour of resting
The fifth step suggests letting the shaped patties rest for an hour to gain consistency, and it is easy to skip and worth doing.
Ground soaked lentil keeps taking up moisture after it is mixed. Straight after shaping the mixture is slack and the patties sag; an hour later they are firm enough to lift with a spatula without breaking.
It also means they can be made well ahead. Shape them, cover them, and cook when you want to eat.
Nothing in them but vegetables
Lentils, garlic, onion, carrot, bell pepper, oil, salt and spices. That is the whole list.
There is no egg, no cheese, no breadcrumb unless the mixture needs help, and nothing that came from an animal. It is not a recipe pretending to be meat; it is a lentil fritter that happens to be the right shape for a bun.
Served with rice and salad it is a plate on its own. In a bun with tomato it is a burger.
More without meat
- Sopa de arveja — the other pulse.
- Cauliflower fritters — fried the same way.
- Arroz con champiñones — a meatless plate.
- Ensalada rusa — what goes beside them.
Lentil Burgers FAQ
No. They are soaked for seven or eight hours until they soften, then ground raw and cooked in the pan. This is why they hold together without egg or heavy binding: the raw ground lentil sets as it cooks.
Break the first one open. The middle should be set and dry rather than sticky or pasty. If it is not, flatten the rest a little more and give them longer over lower heat.
Because they cook from the outside in. A thick patty browns on the surface while the centre is still raw ground lentil, which is unpleasant and easy to avoid. No thicker than a finger.
Either the lentils were not ground finely enough, or the mixture was too wet. Grind to a smooth mass, and use the hour of resting in step five: the ground lentil keeps absorbing moisture and the mixture firms up considerably.
Yes, and it is easier to get them cooked through. About 20 minutes at 200°C, turning once.
Brown or green ones, which hold their shape and grind well. Red lentils break down too far during soaking and give a wetter mixture.
Yes, once shaped and before cooking, layered between parchment. Cook from frozen over lower heat and allow a couple of minutes more per side.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 250 grams raw lentils (soaked, not cooked)
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 large onion (diced or grated)
- 3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil (across the sofrito and the frying)
- 1 grated carrot
- 1 small bell pepper (grated or diced)
- Salt, pepper and spices to taste
Notas
Instructions
- Soak the lentils for 7 to 8 hours, then drain and rinse them well. They go into the recipe soaked and raw, not cooked.
- Grind the soaked lentils in a food processor or blender, or in a hand mill if you have one, until you have a smooth mass that holds together.
- Soften the garlic, the grated carrot, the onion and the bell pepper over medium heat in half a tablespoon of the oil.
- In a bowl, mix the lentil mass with the sautéed vegetables and season with salt, pepper and whatever spices you like. If the mixture will not hold, work in a little breadcrumb.
- With wet hands, or using a ladle as a mould, shape the burgers or croquettes. Keep them no thicker than a finger. Resting them for an hour firms them up and they hold together better in the pan.
- Heat half a tablespoon of oil in a non-stick pan and cook them for about 5 minutes a side, until they are golden and cooked all the way through. Break one open to check the first time: the middle should be set, not pasty.
- Serve them with rice and salad, or in a bun with tomato.
Comments
No Comments