Chili Cheese Veggie Burger

Crunchy, Juicy and absolutely tantalizing

Burgers make me deliriously deliciously happy!  The best part is that I do not even know how a real hamburger with ham or chicken wings burger tastes like. Believe me, I have learnt that one can enjoy a burger with a veggie patty just as much! The credit to my recent excessive fondness of burgers goes to this burger joint I went to Trier, the city I live in.  I was so impressed by what they offer that I had to post a recipe inspired by one of my favorite off their menu. 

I tried this chili-cheese burger with veggie patty this weekend and loved it! The highlights are the tortilla chips and salad toppings. They give the burger a unique crunchy, juicy and natural flavor. The classic tomato-cucumber-lettuce makes it a classic. Jalapenos on top of it with melted Gouda cheese, slathered with a home-made burger dressing makes it spicy and totally drool-worthy! As I was writing down the recipe, I could not stop my mouth from watering. Ha ha!

This recipe is going to be a regular on weekends now.  I like to have an extra-large burger with sweet potato fries on the side, some extra tortilla chips and guacamole dip. Totally ecstatic! 

THE RECIPE

Servings: 4 Burgers

Ingredients:

 - 4 hamburger buns, extra large size

 - 2 tablespoons butter, to toast

Veg Patties

 - 2 potatoes

 - 1 carrot

 - 1 zucchini, grated

 - 2 tablespoons corn kernels, boiled

 -  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or breadcrumbs

 - 2 tablespoons corn flour or corn starch

 - 1 teaspoon pepper powder

 - 1 teaspoon chili flakes

 - 1 teaspoon cumin powder

 - salt to taste

 - vegetable oil, to pan-fry patties

Burger Sauce

 - 4 tablespoons tomato ketchup

 - 4 tablespoons mayonnaise

 - 1 tablespoon mustard sauce

 - 1 teaspoon chili flakes

 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Burger Toppings

 - Cucumber, thinly sliced

 - Tomato, thinly sliced

 - Iceberg lettuce leaves, any other salad leaves

 - Jalapeños, chopped

 - Tortilla chips, plain or chili-flavored

 - 8 Gouda cheese slices or toast cheese of choice

Instructions:

Veg Patties

1. Peel, cut into halves and boil or steam the potatoes and carrots until cooked. The important trick here is NOT to over-cook them. Keep checking the vegetables while cooking with a toothpick or fork. Overcooked vegetables will result in a soggy patty.

2. Remove the vegetables from the heat and immerse in cold water.

3. In a big bowl, add in rest of the ingredients for 'veg patties' (except bread crumbs and oil). Add in the cooked potatoes and carrots and mash well. Use your hands to thoroughly combine the ingredients.

4. Adjust the amount of corn flour in order to get a solid, lump-free patties dough. The dough should not be too sticky and should be easy to handle.

5. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and make patties or cutlets about the size of the hamburger buns.

6. Heat a pan and drizzle some oil and shallow fry the patties one by one until both sides and all edges are browned and crispy.

7. Remove the patty from the pan and place between 2 cheese slices on a plate. This step makes the cheese slightly melt in the heat of the patty.

Burger Sauce

8. Mix all ingredients listed under 'burger sauce' and mix it. You can obviously try you own variation of favorite condiments. This is just the one I make with sauces that are always available in my kitchen.

9. Cut the hamburger buns, like you would for a burger. Smear the sides with butter and toast them in the same pan. Toast each bun for about 30 seconds. This ensures a soft and crispy bun at the same time.

10. ASSEMBLE the burger with patty, plenty of sauce and salad! Serve and Enjoy!

Tip : Best served with potato / sweet potato fries and guacamole dip.

Notes:

 - Refrigerate the patties for 1 hour before frying them for a crispier texture.

 - Dip the patties in a flour-water slurry and coat it with bread-crumbs before frying. This is a universal technique used to achieve a crunchy outer layer.

 - Burger buns can also be toasted under the broiler or toaster. I personally love pan-toasted buns.

 - Smear the sauce or condiments generously for a juicy, finger-licking burger!

 - I usually assemble the burger in the following order : Lower part of bun > Sauce > Tomatoes > Cucumber > Jalapeños > Cheese-covered Patty > Sauce > Tortilla Chips > Lettuce > More Sauce > Top part of bun.