SPICY BEAN BURGER BONANZA

We eat a lot of veggie burgers down at Matty B Bakes towers and we can honestly say we have never been fussed on bean burgers. They just never really feel like your eating a burger in the same way that the like of Quorn burgers do, especially for myself being a carnivore. Of course though I have a mantra and that is that everything always tastes better when it's homemade and when it comes to these beautiful bean burgers that is defiantly 100% true. All you need is a tin of beans, an onion and some herbs and spices and your ready to roll!

So let's take beans. I used Rosecoco beans mainly because I had them in the cupboard but actually the texture and flavor of them was spot on in the finished burgers. Kidney beans would work equally as well for a more Mexican vibe or you could even try some cannelloni or black eyed peas to mix it up a little. See what beans are looking sad an unused in your kitchen and give them a whirl.

Whichever bean you do decide to use make sure they are fully drained and dried as much as possible before you chuck them in the blender. My tip is to drain the juice in a sieve, wash them under water and then pat them dry in between two pieces of kitchen roll. Excess moisture will make the burgers too wet and they may fall apart in the frying pan.

You can make some other changes too if you wish. Red onions can be used to add sweetness and colour and if you don't have a whole chili then pop in a few chili flakes or a tsp of chili powder instead although I find the whole chilies add more crunch to your patties. 

If your not a fan of spice then you could even leave the chilies out. Same with the chili jam although a tbsp of my chili jam recipe works beautifully in these burgers. The chili jam can be swapped out with a tbsp of tomato puree to replace some of the flavor and make them more subtitle for kids and fussy eaters.

Finally, I love the crunch and golden look that using Panko breadcrumbs give to the burgers. It's the perfect contrast to the soft patties. However, should you want to use some blitzed up slices of bread or ready made fine crumbs instead then feel free but you might just lose that crispy coating. I suggest in this case you keep the burgers in the fridge for around an hour and use less oil so that the crumbs don't get instantly soggy again as soon as they hit the pan!

Lets get too it! Recipe below will make you 4 delicious bean burgers. Feel free to double up on quantities if you have to feed more hungry mouths.

Spicy Bean Burgers

Drained 400g Tin Of Rosecoco Beans
1 Chopped Onion

1 Chopped Red Chili

Grated Clove Of Garlic

1 Tbsp Chili Jam

1 Tsp Cumin Powder

Salt And Pepper To Season

2 Tbsp Cornflour

4 Tbsp Panko Breadcrumbs

1. Place the beans, onion, chili, garlic, chili jam and cumin powder into a blender and whizz until a chunky paste has formed. Season with the salt and pepper.
2. With dry hands, form the paste into four equal sized patties. Flatten the tops down slightly and then leave to one side.
3. In a separate bowl mix together the cornflour with 5 tbsp of water to form a  loose paste. Pour this out onto a plate and on a separate plate spoon on the breadcrumbs
4. Take each party and first dip it into the cornflour mix andcover on all sides before  dipping into the breadcrumbs and coating them all over. Wash and dry your hands after each one to ensure you don't make a clumpy mess. Pop the breaded patties into the fridge to firm for 30 minutes.
5. Once firm, heat around 3 tbsp of oil in a frying pan until a breadcrumb dropped into the oil will instantly fizz. 
6. Fry the burgers in two batches for around 1 minute on each side until golden brown and crispy on the outside.

With that you now have four fabulous burgers ready to be chucked into baps and garnished however you see fit although I recommend some slaw on them. The cooling effect of the mayo in the slaw is a perfect foil to the chili in the burger. With each note you should get a nice crunch of onion in around those beautiful spicy beans.

 So much tastier than any bean burger I've ever tried in a restaurant or from the supermarket and so simple to make that you will be having a bean burger bonanza at your gaff every night!