Burgers

Falafel Burger

Explore the delights of international cuisines with this wonderful lebanese burger recipe that features kabuli chana cutlet, and is served with tabbouleh. The bread slice, although used only meagrely is very important to bind the cutlet, while the garlic and mint leaves make these cutlets very flavourful. What is more, the falafel burger features a tasty and colourful vegetable spread, which adds crunch to every mouthful.

Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 10 mins
Makes 4 burgers

For The Cutlets
1 1/2 cups kabuli chana (white chick peas)
1/2 cup roughly chopped onions
1 1/2 tbsp chopped garlic (lehsun)
1/2 cup chopped coriander (dhania)
2 tbsp roughly chopped green chillies
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp chopped mint leaves (phudina)
1 bread slice
salt to taste
1/2 cup plain flour (maida) dissolved in 3/4 cup water 
bread crumbs for rolling
oil for deep-frying

To Be Mixed Into A Vegetable Spread
1 cup hung curds (chakka dahi) , refer handy tip
1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic (lehsun)
1/4 cup capsicum , cut into juliennes
1/4 cup shredded purple cabbage
1/4 cup grated carrot
a pinch of sugar
salt to taste

Other Ingredients
4 burger buns
4 tsp melted butter
4 lettuce leaves
4 cheese slice
4 cucumber slices
4 tomatoes slices
4 sliced onions
salt and freshly ground black pepper powderto taste

Accompaniments
tabbouleh

For the cutlets

1. Soak the kabuli chana in enough water in a bowl overnight. Drain well.
2. Combine all the ingredients and blend in a mixer to a coarse mixture using 2 tbsp of water.
3. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, divide it into 4 equal portions and shape each portion into a circle of 75 mm. (3”) diameter and 1 cm thickness.
4. Dip each cutlet in the plain flour mixture and roll in the bread crumbs till it is evenly coated from all the sides.
5. Heat the oil in a kadhai and deep-fry each cutlet till it turns golden brown in colour from both the sides. Drain on absorbent paper and keep aside.

How to proceed

1. Cut each burger bun horizontally into two. Apply ½ tsp of butter on the insides of each half of the burger bun and toast them lightly on a tava (griddle). Keep aside.
2. Place a lower half of the bun on a clean, dry surface with the buttered side facing up.
3. Place a lettuce leaf, 1 cheese slice, 2 cucumber slices, 2 tomato slices and 1 onion slice and sprinkle a little salt and pepper over it.
4. Place a cutlet and apply 2 tbsp of the vegetable spread over it.
5. Cover with an upper half of the bun with the buttered side facing down and press it lightly.
6. Repeat with the remaining ingredients to make 3 more burgers.
7. Serve immediately with tabbouleh.

Handy tip:

1. ¾ cups of curds when tied in a muslin cloth and hanged for at least ½ hour gives approx. 1/3 cup of hung curds.

Recipe Source: Falafel Burger