Getting kids to eat chicken and meat is simple; my kids adore fish too and will happily eat the fish based dishes I cook. However, when it comes to foods that are based on vegetables or pulses it can be difficult to make it appealing to hard to please palates, this was my experiment in the kitchen one day to see if I could make a tasty bean burger for my kids. I have to say it went down really well and everyone ate all of the bean burger, none of it went in the bin so either the recipe was half decent or my kids were simply starving! I asked them what they thought of the bean burger and they said it was “nice”, I was happy with that. At least they didn’t say “eugh” or “never eating that again”.

I’ve used kidney beans for this recipe as they’re packed full of nutrients, filling and they’re cheap to buy. You could try using other beans or a mixed can of beans if you prefer but I don’t know how it would affect the end texture of the bean burger. This was my very first attempt at making bean burgers like this so the spices I added were just what I felt would taste right, I’m sure there is room for experimenting with different seasoning. You can always try adding different spices depending on what you like, it’s half the fun of cooking! While I made these particular burgers jumbo sized, there’s no reason why you can’t make them smaller and freeze for snacking on. I imagine they would be a very good vegetarian option when entertaining and also perfect for iftar (meal at which fasting Muslims break their day long fast). I double coated my burgers in the breadcrumbs to make the outer coating firmer and although I baked my bean burgers in the oven I imagine shallow pan frying them in some oil would result in a deliciously crispy bean burger. How you cook it is entirely up to you, just make sure you enjoy it!

You will need: for Afelia’s Jumbo Sized Spicy Bean Burgers

3 cans of red kidney beans
2 medium onions peeled
3 cloves of garlic chopped in half
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp Mr Naga hot pepper pickle OR chilli sauce/pickle of your choice
4 tbsp chopped parsley OR 4 tbsp coriander
flour (for dipping)
3 beaten eggs (for dipping)
1 tub Paxo breadcrumbs

Method:

Start by draining your kidney beans, leave them to drain for 10 minutes. Mash the drained beans; I used my mini chopper to blitz them but you can use a potato masher as they’re cooked and soft anyway. Place in a large mixing bowl (sorry I didn’t take a photo of this step but in the next few photos you’ll see what they look like). Finely slice 2 medium onions.

Peel and cut 3 garlic cloves in half. Without adding salt, sauté the onions and garlic in a little oil in a frying pan till caramelised and brown all over. Allow to cool for a few minutes.

Blitz the caramelised onions and garlic finely in a food chopper or finely chop using a knife. Add the chopped onions and garlic to the mashed kidney beans….

….followed by; 1.5 tsp salt, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp of Mr Naga pickle (use less if you’re concerned about small children finding it too spicy)….

….and lastly 4 tbsp of chopped parsley (or use coriander if you prefer). Mix everything together by hand. Taste some of the mixture to ensure you’re happy with the seasoning, adjust if necessary. You can make them spicier too if you prefer.

Divide the mixture into six large portions. Get three bowls/shallow dishes ready with plain flour, 3 beaten eggs and Paxo breadcrumbs in each individual one. Take one portion of the mixture and dip into flour.

Shape the bean burgers once they’re coated in the flour as it’s easier, try to get an even circular shape and keep them fairly wide in the middle. The mixture is quite soft so handle gently.
Next dip the bean burger into the beaten egg.

Lastly dip the bean burger into the Paxo breadcrumbs and coat. It can be quite messy doing all of this, so for the last stage of coating in the breadcrumbs I use a spoon to help avoid my hands getting too messy. It was really difficult doing all the coating and picking up my phone in between to take snaps!

Repeat the process of dipping the coated bean burger into the egg and breadcrumbs for an extra thick breadcrumb coating. Do this for the remaining portions. These freeze really well too so you can also make them for packed lunches.

To cook lightly drizzle the burgers (top and bottom) with oil and place on a baking tray (I used greaseproof baking paper as well, not essential) in a hot oven gas mark 5/6 for 25 – 30 mins. Once the bean burgers are cooked they may crack a little which is perfectly normal (bottom left photo). Next time I think I’ll shallow fry my burgers as I wanted more of a golden brown colour to them.

I planned to serve the burgers without buns but added a slice of cheese on top and grilled for 5 – 7 minutes.

Serve with sides of your choice, I opted for some healthy ones for myself- carrot and cucumber sticks and homemade hummus/houmous and coleslaw. My younger children also had a serving of fries.

Bon Appétit!!

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