Vegan black bean burger

Ingredients

BURGERS

• 400g tin black beansrinsed and drained well
• 100g from a pouch cooked brown rice
• 1 onionfinely chopped or grated
• 1 tsp fennel seedscrushed
• 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 25g panko breadcrumbs
• finely chopped to make 1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley

PICKLED ONIONS

• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tsp 
golden caster sugar
• 1 red onionfinely sliced

CHIPOTLE ‘MAYO’

• 100g silken tofu
• 1 tsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• a pinch English mustard powder
• 1 tsp chipotle paste

GUACAMOLE

• 1 avocadopeeled and stoned
• 1/2 small red onionfinely chopped
• 1/2 red chillifinely chopped
• chopped to make 1 tbsp coriander
• 1/2 limejuiced

TO SERVE

• 4 vegan or regular bunshalved
• curly lettuce leaves
• beef tomato slices
• ketchup
• mustard

Method

1. For the pickled onions, mix the vinegar and sugar with a pinch of salt until the sugar dissolves. Add the onion, cover and leave to pickle. To make the chipotle ‘mayo’, put all of the ingredients into a small bender (or use a stick blender) with a pinch of sugar and whizz until very smooth. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, whizz again until it looks like mayonnaise. Season, tip into a bowl, cover and chill.
2. Mash the avocado with a fork, then stir in the onion, chilli, and coriander. Season and stir in the lime juice, then chill.
3. To make the burgers, tip all the ingredients into a blender and pulse until combined. Divide into 4 and shape into burger patties. Put onto an oiled baking sheet or plate and chill until you need them, at least 30 minutes.
4. Heat the barbecue or a griddle pan to high. Brush the burger patties with a little olive oil, then put onto the grill. Cook for 3 minutes then flip, and cook for 3 minutes more. Don’t keep moving the burgers or they will be more likely to break up, and you want a good crust on them.
5. Lightly char the burger buns on the grill, then spoon in a dollop of the ‘mayo’ to the base. Add a few lettuce leaves. Top with a burger, then add a spoon of guacamole, and a few drained picked onions. Add another spoon of mayo to top, some tomato slices, and sandwich on top. Secure with a skewer if you need to. Serve with mustard or ketchup, if you don’t have your full fix of sauces and toppings!