Hamburguesas de Lentejas
Lentils soaked overnight and ground raw, mixed with sautéed onion, carrot and bell pepper, shaped and pan-fried. Six burgers or a trayful of croquettes, and nothing in them but vegetables.
Servings: 6
Calories: 222kcal
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
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.
Notes
The lentils are never boiled. They are soaked until they soften, ground raw, and then cooked in the pan, which is why the patties have to be kept thin: a thick one browns on the outside while the middle is still raw paste.
Break the first one open before you commit to the batch. The inside should be set and dry rather than sticky. If it is not, flatten the rest a little more and give them longer over lower heat.
The hour of resting in step five is worth the wait. The ground lentil keeps absorbing moisture as it sits and the mixture goes from slack to shapeable.
Nutrition
Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 398mg | Potassium: 482mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2336IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 3mg