WIKI NOTE: The lentil (Lens culinaris or Lens esculenta) is an edible legume. It is a bushy annual plant known for its lens-shaped seeds. It is about 40 cm (16 in) tall, and the seeds grow in pods, usually with two seeds in each. Lentil colors range from yellow to red-orange to green, brown, and black. Lentils also vary in size and are sold in many forms, with or without the skins, whole or split.
Lentils have been part of the human diet since aceramic (before pottery) Neolithic times, being one of the first crops domesticated in the Near East. Archeological evidence shows they were eaten 9,500 to 13,000 years ago.
LENTIL BURGER
YOU WILL NEED:*vegan recipe
150g cooked green lentils
NOTE: A can of green lentils in water (265g drained weight) works well.
2 whole eggs
Half chopped aubergine
Half chopped red onion
1 grated carrot
A couple of garlic cloves
Extra virgin olive oil or olive oil, to taste
Bread crumbs
Wheat flour (plain or all-purpose)
Ground cumin, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Sesame seeds (optional)
Cheese slices /*vegan cheese slices (optional)
LET´S COOK!
1. Put the dried lentils into a pot and add 3-4 cups of water. Boil it vigorously at high heat for 10 minutes, then turn it down to minimum heat and boil it for another 20 minutes. Drain the lentils and let them cool.
NOTE: You can soak the lentils soaked for about 12 hours in cold water. It will be faster to boil them later.
2. Once they are cooled, put them on the base of the blender, and add a handful of bread crumbs.
3. Mix everything with the blender, until obtain the desired texture (creamy). Put the mix into a big bowl.
4. Wash the vegetables well. Chop the red onion, aubergine, and garlic.
5. Put into a frying pan on a medium heat, add a little bit of olive oil. Saute the onion and garlic until transparent.
6. Add the aubergine. Stir for several minutes with the rest of the ingredients.
7. Add the ingredients to the big bowl. Mix it with a wooden spoon.
8. Grate the carrot. Beat an egg and add it into the bowl. Add salt / black pepper / ground cumin, to taste. Mix everything well. Add bread crumbs as necessary until the mix is not sticky.
9. Divide the mix into small balls. Flatten each ball to get a burger shape.
10. Beat an egg in a bowl. Put the flour on a plate. Put the breadcrumbs on a different plate. First, batter the burger into the flour. Second, dip it into the beaten egg. Third, batter it into the breadcrumbs with sesame seeds. It is a triple action.
NOTE: If you make lots of burgers, you can freeze them. It is always a good moment for homemade lentil burgers.
11. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Fry the burgers, one by one, until golden brown on each side. Remove them from the pan and drain with kitchen towels.
12. Serve the burgers on burger buns with lettuce leaves, sliced tomato, sliced cheese, ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise. The best way to eat a burger is with chips.
NOTE: HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE / +VEGAN RECIPE: EGG-FREE MAYONNAISE
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