samosa burger + raita sauce

Day 8 of Burger Extravaganza: I present to you this samosa-inspired Indian burger with raita sauce. All the wonderful flavors and aromas you love in a samosa, not just in burger form, but healthier - no deep frying involved!

This burger is made of roasted cauliflower and potatoes, scallions and the herbs and spices you've come to love in Indian cooking - mustard seeds, coriander, cumin, curry leaves and cilantro. It is then topped with a cooling cucumber raita.

If you've never had the pleasure of cooking with curry leaves, please do yourself a wonderful favor and get to an Indian market as soon as possible. I've been known to grab a bag or two, not just for cooking, but just for the scent! It is ridiculously aromatic and so exotic. I've never smelled anything its like before and I'll sneak into the fridge to have a sniff. And if you cook with - omg, hold me back. So wonderful!

I've found that using vegan yogurt alone for a raita leaves something wanting - the texture and body of the raita is not quite right. To fix this problem, I add a few tablespoons of vegan sour cream which brings a little richness and tang that is otherwise missing.

Serve this up with some garlicked greens (recipe is in Everyday Vegan Eats, page 196) and you have an excellent meal.

If you need to get your hands on a copy of Everyday Vegan Eats (my cookbook), Vegan Heritage Press is giving one away. Giveaway ends September 14 - hurry!

You can make this recipe into 4 double-stacked burgers, or spread the love to others and make 8 single burgers. Either way, these will satisfy your craving for Indian food. At least for a little while. The craving is never actually truly satisfied.

SAMOSA BURGER WITH RAITA SAUCE PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Samosa Burger with Raita Sauce

Makes 4 burgers

3 cups small cauliflower florets

1 pound waxy potatoes, chopped into ¼- inch dice

2 tablespoons vegetable broth

3 tablespoons neutral oil, divided

2 teaspoons mustard seeds

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ to 1 teaspoon red chili flakes

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

4 curry leaves

¼ cup cashews

½ cup dry breadcrumbs

4 scallions, minced

¼ cup chopped cilantro

4 burger buns or ciabatta rolls or 8 focaccia slices, toasted

Raita Sauce, recipe below

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Combine the cauliflower, potatoes and vegetable broth in a large bowl. Season with salt and black pepper and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Stir in the mustard, coriander, cumin, chili flakes, turmeric and curry leaves, if available. Stir and cook until the seeds pop, about 2 minutes. Remove and discard the curry leaves. Transfer to a small bowl or to the cooked potato mixture. Set aside.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in same medium skillet over medium heat. Add the cashews and stir and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. Stir in the breadcrumbs and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add to the potatoes.

4. Transfer the potatoes, cauliflower, spice mixture, cashews, breadcrumbs and scallions to a food processor. Pulse until combined but not pureed. Form the mixture into 8 burgers, about 2 ½ inches in diameter and ½-inch thick.

5. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the burger patties, in increments, adding more oil as needed, and cook until golden, about 2 minutes per side.

6. Make the burgers by topping a bottom bun with 2 burger patties and adding about 2 tablespoons raita. Add top of the bun and serve.

Raita Sauce

1 cup plain unsweetened plain yogurt

2 tablespoons vegan sour cream

2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

¼ cup shredded cucumber, squeezed of excess moisture

2 red radishes, shredded

1 teaspoon minced garlic

½ teaspoon dried thyme

Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning.

 

© 2014 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

pizza burger

Day 7. You knew it was coming. No Burger Extravaganza worth its salt would omit a Pizza Burger. Am I right, or am I right? This burger is a sausage-style patty, simmered in tomato sauce, smothered in vegan cheese and served between two pieces of fresh focaccia. Mmm, that's right.

The patty is made with tempeh and gluten and is baked before being simmered. The focaccia dough can sit overnight in the fridge to rise and your sauce can be cooked and stored for future use. As you can see, the burger, the sauce and the dough can all be made in advance.

Just as the previous burgers, these didn't last long, either. And although my family claims that they don't like tempeh, I beg to differ with them based on the empty plates.

Don't be afraid to make your own Focaccia Bread because it really is simple and easy. When you turn the dough out onto the baking sheet, be sure to poke the dough all over with your fingers. And I mean HOLES - deep holes all the way down through to the pan.

When the dough rises a final time, most of the holes will fill in, but you will still have the characteristic dips and valleys in the bread. I added a few slices of thinly cut tomatoes, but you can add a few slices of olives ...or nothing at all.

A few contest reminders before I share the recipe....

Vegan Heritage Press is giving away a copy of "Everyday Vegan Eats" (my cookbook). Enter to win HERE. Contest ends September 14.

Have you entered to win "Vegan without Borders," the soon-to-be-released cookbook by Robin Robertson? Contest ends September 14. Enter HERE.

And now for the Pizza Burger....

PIZZA BURGER WITH FOCACCIA PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE

Pizza Burger on Focaccia Bread

Makes 6 burgers

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, minced

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 to 1 teaspoon red chili flakes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 (8-ounce) package tempeh, grated

6 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1 cup vital wheat gluten

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

3/4 cup vegetable broth

Tomato Sauce, recipe below

3/4 cup shredded vegan cheese

Focaccia bread, recipe below

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onions and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the fennel, chili flakes and oregano. Cook until the onion is beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tempeh, garlic and salt. Cook until tempeh is golden, about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cool the mixture completely.

2. Preheat the oven to 300-degrees F. Add the gluten and bread crumbs to the mixture. Mix well. Add the broth and knead until the gluten forms threads, about 3 minutes.

3. For the mixture into 6 burgers and arrange them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, flip and continue to bake them for another 30 minutes.

4. Warm the tomato sauce in a large skillet (if cooled) and add the burgers, coating them in the sauce. Cook until the burgers have softened, about 8 minutes.

5. Remove as much sauce as possible to a bowl and add the vegan cheese to the tops of the burgers. Cover and cook until the cheese melts.

6. Cut the focaccia into squares large enough for the burgers and top one focaccia with the cheeseburger and add another piece of focaccia on top. Serve.

Tomato Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, grated

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon salt and fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoon tomato paste

1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Natural sugar, as needed

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Stir in the onion and carrot and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, basil, oregano and salt and black pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it darkens, about 1 minute. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper and sugar. Cool or use immediately. Sauce will keep for 3 days stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Focaccia Bread:

1 cup warm water

7 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast

2 teaspoons dried Rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon maple syrup

2 cups unbleached all-purpose white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt

Coarse salt

1. Combine the water, 2 tablespoons oil, yeast, rosemary, oregano and maple in a small bowl. Set aside to activate the yeast.

2. Combine the flours and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Add the yeast mixture and process until a dough is formed.

3. Add 1 tablespoon oil to a large bowl and add the dough. Cover with a plastic wrap and allow to double in size, about 1 hour.

4. When doubled, knead the dough right inside the bowl until smooth and elastic. Cover again and allow to rise until doubled. This may be done overnight in the refrigerator.

5. Preheat the oven to 425-degrees F. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a baking sheet. Without deflating the dough too much, transfer the dough to the oiled sheet and flatten using your hands. With your fingers make holes in the dough, all the way through to the pan. Cover the pan with wrap and set aside to rise, about 30 minutes.

6. Add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the top of the dough and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from pan as soon as possible to keep crust crisp.

 

© 2014 Copyright Zsu Dever. All rights reserved.

I am linking to these recipe parties: Healthy Vegan Fridays, What I Ate Wednesday and Virtual Vegan Linky Potluck.