I love burgers and am always up for trying out new recipes. This weekend, I finally got down to making one I had been thinking of for a while. It is very meaty since mushrooms and tofu are the main ingredient. I used traditional seasonings, and some oats to add body and as a binder. I used TVP granules before for my soya vegetable burger, but this one is more fresh tasting due to the veggies I used.
It is not easy to get access to a lot of condiments, so fixing burgers is a bit time consuming. I miss the days when I could just breeze through Walmart or Ukrop’s and pick up pickles, mustard, sour cream etc. or a french onion dip. I made almost all the condiments here from scratch – instant pickled cucumbers, a greek yogurt garlic spread, prepared mustard – whew. But the end result was delish, and also quite heady.
Fresh made mustard is very bold, especially when you use the yellow mustard seeds or ‘Raai Daal’ you get in India. I dressed the burger with the creamy dip on one bun, ketchup and mustard on the other, cheddar and tomatoes, onion, lettuce and pickle. As I said, quite traditional.
The recipe for tofu mushroom burger is as follows –
Tofu Mushroom Burger is the best veggie burger you will ever taste. Homemade from scratch, served with spicy mustard and creamy garlic spread, top as you like.
Ingredients
- 2 packs firm or extra firm tofu
- 1 pack mushrooms, 8-10 whole
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper finely diced
- 1/2 cup onion finely diced
- 1 Tbsp garlic chopped
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp mustard
- 1/2 cup oats
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 5-6 cloves garlic crushed
- salt and pepper
- lime juice optional
- 100 g yellow mustard seeds
- 2 Tbsp honey
- salt to taste
- 2 Tbsp vinegar
- water
- Sliced onion
- sliced tomato
- sliced pickles
- lettuce leaves
- Ketchup
- cheddar cheese slices
- burger buns
Method
- For the mustard sauce - Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add water a little at a time to get desired thickness.
- For the creamy spread - Mix the yogurt, garlic, salt and pepper, whisk well and refrigerate.
- Slice all vegetables needed for the toppings.
- Wash and drain tofu and crumble it. Take a little oil in a nonstick pan and saute the tofu until all moisture is absorbed. Add some salt so that it draws out the maximum moisture.
- Transfer dry tofu scramble to a mixing bowl. Now repeat with the onions and peppers and transfer to mixing bowl.
- Chop the mushrooms finely and saute with garlic. Season well and transfer to bowl when all the liquid evaporates.
- Let all the veggies and tofu in the bowl cool down. Add all the spices/condiments, add pepper as needed and add the oats and half the breadcrumbs. Mix well with a spoon. Refrigerate for at least half an hour.
- The oats will fluff up after some time, and you should be able to form patties easily. If it is still moist, add more bread crumbs as needed.
- Gently form patties. You will get 6-8 good sized patties from this mixture.
- Heat some oil in a nonstick pan and shallow fry until brown on both sides. Drain on some paper towels, and place cheese slices on top when still hot.
- Assemble the burgers before serving - Toast the buns lightly. Add the creamy spread to the bottom of the bun. Place the patty on top. Place lettuce and sliced veggies in layers. Spread mustard and ketchup on the top bun and press it down.
- Serve with fries or a side of chips, or a salad.
These burgers were tasty beyond my imagination, and well worth the effort.
Have you ever tried veggie burgers? What’s your favorite kind of veggie patty. Leave a comment and let us know.