Southern-Fried Chickpea Burger Recipe

By Iggiewoman

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder or smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chile pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4-1/2 cups neutral oil

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from thedailymeal.com

Preparation

Step 1

For the burgers:

Place the beans in a bowl and add enough water to cover by a few inches. Soak for at least 6 hours at room temperature. (If your kitchen is very warm, you may want to place the chickpeas in the refrigerator to minimize the chances of fermentation.) Drain and set aside; you now have about 2½ cups of soaked chickpeas.

Using a food processor or stand blender, pulverize the chickpeas using the "pulse" function, until the beans form a paste that sticks together when you squeeze it in your hand. Be careful not to overprocess; too smooth and the batter will fall apart when cooking. Add the remaining ingredients (except the oil) and process, using the "pulse" function about 12 times.

Using a scant 1⁄3-cup measure, shape the batter into patties and place on a plate. Cover the patties with parchment paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a shallow 12-inch skillet, heat ¼ cup of the oil over medium-high heat. Gently place the patties into the hot oil in small batches (don’t crowd the pan) and fry the first side until golden brown and slightly crusty, 2 to 3 minutes. Gently turn onto the second side and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer to a baking tray to finish cooking in the oven until the patties slightly firm up and dry out, about 7 minutes.

To keep the patties warm without further cooking, lower the oven temperature to 225 degrees.

Serve by itself or on a bun with barbecue sauce, or your favorite fixings.