Curried Lentil Burgers with Sweet Potato Oven Fries

I did promise another recipe to go with the very berry coulis, and there is one that’ll go up next week… but when I looked back at the most recent recipes, I noticed that it’s been a while since I posted a meal idea, so I thought I’d end the week with a really delicious dinner, plus some thoughts on recipe creation in our mixed-culture kitchen!

Every so often I get a brainwave idea for dish or a dessert, and I can’t stop thinking about it until I make it happen. These original recipes or ideas are the ones that I just love sharing — like these curried lentil burgers, or the lemon cream cheese pound cake and the chai spiced apple cake.

The secret to coming up with your own food? You have to come up with an idea that catches and keeps your interest — something you really want to spend time on. Original(ish) recipes are real labors of love — I often go through a loo-oo-ong process of spicing and tasting and fiddling to get them just right. Even if they are based largely on other recipes, like this one was, my adjustments can sometimes throw the ratios of the whole recipe off, and I basically end up building the whole thing again.

These curried lentil burgers were like that: a definite labor of love. Inspiration was twofold: I found this recipe for lentil burgers on another blog, and was immediately reminded of a deliciously spiced lentil burger I had at this restaurant in KC. I took Jennie’s basic recipe and modified it to include the basic Indian flavors: onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, ground coriander seeds, cayenne pepper for spice, tumeric for color and aroma. By the time I was finished writing the recipe (I write all my recipes before I cook them, then add notes of changes made along the way), my brain hurt. It’s tough deciding ratios of spices for something you’ve never made before!

Why did these curried lentil burgers get into my head and refuse to get out? I think it has to do with their mutt-like character.  It’s hard to classify I recipe like this — it’s not Indian, and it’s not really American either. We eat a lot of food like that… fusion, I guess? It seems that a lot of what comes out of our kitchen is an American take on Asian food, or an Asian take on American food. I know that that phenomenon is partly just a generational trend — people our age grew up eating Thai food and sushi on the weekends, and we might be the first American generation to have really experienced that.

In addition, though, I think part of our eclectic meal choices come from our intercultural marriage. We don’t eat the food I grew up with, although Sean would probably be perfectly happy with that. I love to cook Korean food… but even then, I know it’s not the real thing. It’s my (our) take on it, and that’s OK. Mostly, we just eat our own, third-culture food. Welcome to the world of curried lentil burgers and chipotle lime shrimp fried rice!

You’ll see that the recipe is comprised of three separate steps: step one, make the lentils; step two, sauté the veggies in the spices and mix the burgers; step three, form and cook the burgers. I decided to split up the process over a couple of weeknights, and that made it definitely manageable. None but the second step really requires much attention or thought, and once those burgers came out of the pan and onto the bun… OH BOY it was all worth it! We’re making them again tomorrow!

I almost forgot to mention (sorry for the long post!) — we ate these burgers with ALL of the fixings listed below. I was especially a fan of the horseradish mustard and the fried egg… especially amazing if you can achieve a runny yolk. Just throw that in the bun on top of the burger and watch the magic. And I added the sweet potato fries recipe at the bottom, too. Whew! I think we are finally done… on to the recipes!

Curried Lentil Burgers

Adapted from In Jennie’s Kitchen

makes 4 large burgers

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh peeled ginger, minced
• 1 ¾ cups cooked lentils (about 10 ounces)
• ¾ teaspoon table salt
• juice of half a lemon (around 1 tablespoon)
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Burger fixings: fried eggs, hot sauce, horseradish mustard, spinach leaves, raw onions, goat cheese

Using a clean frying pan heated over medium heat, dry roast the spices until aromatic, 1-2 minutes. Add oil, then onion, and stir fry until beginning to soften, 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and ginger, cook until fragrant and onions are soft, another 3-5 minutes.

Place lentils in the bowl of a food processor; add spice/onion/garlic mix, salt, and lemon juice. Pulse until mostly puréed (you can leave some whole lentils for texture). Transfer to a mixing bowl; gently stir in the egg and ¼ cup of breadcrumbs. Cover and refrigerate for two hours, or overnight.

When you are ready to cook the burgers, stir in the remaining breadcrumbs. Shape lentils into 4 patties. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add burgers and cook until golden brown all over and holding together, about 5 minutes on each side. Serve hot on buns or over mixed greens.

Sweet Potato Oven Fries

Also adapted from In Jennie’s Kitchen, and Emily!

• 4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
• 3 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon plain bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 450ºF. Pierce potatoes with a fork a few times before baking them for 10-12 minutes. Let cool for two minutes, then slice fries into desired thickness.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Combine potato wedges with olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, brown sugar, cornstarch, and breadcrumbs in a bowl, and toss to coat well. Arrange in a single layer on the pan. Bake for 25 minutes, turning once, until crisp (time depends on the size of your fries! Check them to make sure they are done). Remove from oven and let the potatoes rest on the pan for a few minutes to let them continue crisping up, then serve while still hot.

Tagged as: curry, dinner, vegetarian