Day 20 Vegan MoFo. This is it! This is the last post for
Vegan MoFo 2014. Congrats to all who made it this far, and congrats to all who
started in the first place. It can be pretty intimidating, especially if you
aren’t a daily blogger (does anybody blog daily?)
My last post is not another burger post, but rather a
round-up of five of our favorite burgers from this MoFo and tips on how to make
your own vegan burgers.
Our Top Five Faves from this month, in no particular order:
Schnitzel Burger. This was the only burger that was fried
and was made out of seitan. There is nothing else needing to be said, as
basically anything fried would taste good, but then make that fried something a
seitan, add a dill-horseradish sauce AND serve it on a homemade pretzel bun? Forget
‘bout it! This definitely makes our Top Five.
Rou Jia Mo (Chinese Burger). This one didn’t get a lot of
hit action for some reason. It didn’t seem to appeal to too many of you. You
have no idea what you’re missing. You HAVE to make this burger, from bun to
finish. I guarantee love at first bite. The sauce/broth is nothing short of
amazing and I am not the least bit surprised that this is a street food of
unparalleled love in China.
Pizza Burger. Another one with a homemade “bun,” this one
made out of focaccia. Even if you make the focaccia and not the burger (read:
eat it alone in the back of the kitchen quietly so no one is the wiser and
comes to pilfer your treasure), you are still way ahead of the game. Make the
sausage-style burger and the sauce for it, and you have died and gone to pizza
heaven. Decadent!
Eggplant Sriracha BBQ Burger. An elusively simple burger to
make in the sense that the burger patty is nothing more than grilled eggplant.
But that is just the start of the magic. It is then based with Sriracha BBQ Sauce and served with a Zucchini Slaw to cool things down. Do not forget the
mayo! It ties everything together and is the host of the party. Told you it is
simple, but the sum is so much more than the parts. Said that before, but with
burgers, this is the #truth.
Thanksgiving Burger: all the holiday fixings on a single
burger. Admit it, we all have our perfect bite at Thanksgiving – a bit of
stuffing, a little cranberry sauce, some green bean casserole, a little gravy –
and then we shovel it all in our mouths. Now you can stuff to contention and
not feel as though you have crossed some sort of social divide. Eat your Thanksgiving
meal! One complete bite at a time. The way the Feast was meant to be enjoyed.
Tips to Making Your Own Burgers:
The Bun:
You can use any bun you like but make sure to toast it. And
I’m not talking just any old way. Lightly butter the buns and toast them in a
skillet or grill pan over medium heat. That is the best way to toast your buns
for your burgers.
Think outside the bun! I used all “burger” type buns because
of the theme (lest someone mistake my burger for a sandwich!) but you have no
such restrictions. Use lettuce leaves, lavash, tortillas, bread slices, whatever
you have handy or you desire.
The Sauce:
All burgers need a sauce, whether it as simple as vegan mayo
or ketchup or as complex as a BBQ sauce. But you can do better than ketchup,
can’t you? Mix that ketchup with the mayo and add some grated onion and
sriracha. While moderation is always best (please, don’t make a 40-ingredient
sauce), get creative and add a few things: spicy, sweet, creamy, tangy, etc.
The Veggies:
Contrasting the hot burger, cool veggies are always a
welcome addition. Your veg can be a slaw, a lettuce leaf, a slice of onion, a
tomato slice, pickles, cucumbers, shredded cabbage, whatever you feel would
make the burger complete. Try to match your veggies with your burger patty –
napa cabbage on an Asian burger, etc.
The Burger Patty:
As I’ve demonstrated this month, your burger patty can be anything,
from a cauliflower steak, to a cabbage steak, to tempeh and tofu and beans and
anything that can be mashed, flavored and formed into a burger. All you really
need is a binder for a patty, if you mash up ingredients such as veggies
and beans.
Your binder can be: gluten flour, nut butters, seed butters,
bread crumbs, oat flour (or other flours), flax meal, soaked chia seeds, etc.
Anything that becomes sticky and acts like glue. Get the ratio of “food glue”
to delicious burger filling right and you’ve got a burger that won’t fall
apart, won’t become mushy and won’t be hard as a rock, but WILL be full of
flavor.
Which brings me to flavor: over flavor the filling because
once you sauté it or grill it, it tends to mute the seasonings. This includes
salt. Don’t go overboard, but don’t produce a bland burger, either.
Theme:
Yes, you need a theme. Otherwise what on earth will you
make? A theme is your starting point. It can be a region, a country, a style of
burger, a flavor, a dish you want to make into a burger, etc. Making an Asian-inspired
burger will start your journey with an Asian vegetable or flavor profile, such
as teriyaki sauce, sriracha or Thai basil.
Recreating a meal into a burger, such as making your
favorite curry Burger-fied: start with a coconut-curry sauce and make your
patty from there: perhaps a cashew-tofu-veggies-Thai-curry-paste burger patty.
The theme is your starting point from which you will draw
your map. Don’t veer too far off-course, and you’ll find your way to your
burger destination.
Thus ends Vegan MoFo 2014 for me! I’ll be reading and
chatting with you all over the coming weeks. Thanks for all the support and
enthusiasm! It’s been a blast!
Zsu
I am linking to these recipe parties: Healthy Vegan Fridays, What I Ate Wednesday and Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck.
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