Black Bean Burger

Ingredients

• 2 tins of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 80 g dried breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 4 burger buns
• 1 avocado, sliced

Method

1. Dry the beans

   Spread the drained beans on a tray and leave them in a 180°C oven for 12 minutes, or blot them hard with a cloth. Wet beans are why bean burgers fall apart; drying them out is the whole trick.

   12 min

2. Soften the aromatics

   Fry the onion in half the oil until soft and just colouring, then add the garlic, paprika and cumin for a minute. Raw onion in the mix stays crunchy and pushes the patty apart.

   8 min

3. Mash and bind

   Mash about two thirds of the beans to a paste, then fold in the rest whole with the onion mixture, breadcrumbs and tomato puree. Leaving some beans intact gives the patty something to bite on.

4. Chill and shape

   Season well, shape into four thick patties and chill for 15 minutes. Cold patties hold their shape when they hit the pan.

   15 min

5. Fry and serve

   Fry in the remaining oil over a medium heat for 4 minutes a side, until a firm crust forms — resist turning them more than once. Serve in buns with avocado.

   8 min