Easy Vegan Burger

From Cajun to BBQ, this burger is bursting with flavour.

Ingredients

-1 burgers+

Metric

Method

1. 1

   Cook the brown rice in just over 1 cup of lightly salted water.

   
2. 2

   Heat a little oil in a frying pan on a medium-high heat. Add the onion and fry for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

   
3. 3

   Add the mushrooms and garlic and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for 10 minutes, or until all the water has evaporated and the mushrooms have started to brown.

   
4. 4

   Put the fried mushroom mixture into a food processor along with the soy sauce, Cajun seasoning, BBQ sauce, maple syrup, walnuts, flaxseeds, panko breadcrumbs, parsley and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Add the cooked brown rice (this should now measure roughly 1 cup) and pulse a dozen or so times, until the mixture has mostly broken down but has not turned into a purée! Note: to check if the texture is correct, try shaping the mixture into a patty. If there are a few cracks, pulse the mixture a little more to break it down, but be careful not to over-process it into a mush.

   
5. 5

   Line a plate or baking tray with baking paper. Shape the burger mixture into 4 equal-sized patties and place on the prepared dish. If you have time to leave the burgers to sit, pop them into the refrigerator until you need to cook them (ideally for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight). This will help the patties hold together and also improve the flavour.

   
6. 6

   Put the red cabbage and carrot into a mixing bowl along with the apple cider vinegar and a light drizzle of olive oil to create a coleslaw. Stir and leave to one side while you fry the burgers.

   
7. 7

   Put a little oil into a frying pan on a low–medium heat. Once hot, add the patties and fry for 5 minutes on each side, or until crispy. Brush each side with a little more BBQ sauce as you go, and add a slice of cheese to the tops of the patties.

   
8. 8

   To build the burger, cut the burger buns in half and spread a generous spoonful of mayo on the bottom half. Add a few lettuce leaves on top, followed by a patty, slices of tomato and gherkin, and finally the coleslaw. 

   
9. 9

   To make the burger sauce combine a few spoonfuls of ketchup with the same amount of vegan mayonnaise in a small bowl until smooth. Spread the burger sauce over the inside of the top half of the burger bun and place on top of the burger. Now tuck in!