Recipes by Rupa Sethu

Cumin Spiced Lentil Burger

The original recipe for the cumin spiced lentil burger was published in Food and Wine, way back in 2005! In the past, I have served it as an appetizer (smaller sized patties), with a yogurt sauce. I have since modified it to use whole brown lentils and cut out sodium to make it a flavorful burger.

Ingredients

  • 1 small red onion, chopped fine
  • 2 carrots, shredded
  • A cup of dry lentils, cooked
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 1 tsp cumin (preferably freshly ground cumin seeds)
  • 1/2 tsp red chili powder
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • a handful of fresh parsley, chopped fine
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 cup panko style breadcrumbs (find one with low sodium like the 4C brand)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for shaping the burgers

Method

The first few steps are similar to cooking the lentils in the Quinoa and Lentil Powerfood Bowl.

  • Sauté the onions and carrots in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, until the vegetables start to soften.
  • Add all the spices and stir to get that wonderful warm aroma from the toasted spices.
  • Add the cooked lentils and cook for a few minutes till all ingredients are combined and warmed through. Let cool.
  • In a large bowl, combine the cooked lentils with the egg, the parsley and the breadcrumbs. You can substitute a gluten free version of the breadcrumbs. You can also just toast your favorite low-sodium bread and crumble it up in a spice mill!
  • Using well oiled hands, shape the burgers. Adjust the breadcrumbs to make sure that the burgers hold their shape. There should be a nice sheen of oil to them as well.
  • Broil under high heat for about 4 minutes per side. The burgers will come out nicely browned with a slight crunch to them.

Build The Burger

  • To build the burger, start with a low-sodium bun of your choice.
  • Layer the lentil burger with some baby spinach and sliced tomato.
  • This is good as is but if you need to, feel free to make a quick sauce with yogurt as in the original Food and Wine recipe or even just a bit of mayonnaise combined with a low-sodium hot sauce.
  • Serve with a few potato chips for crunch and you are all set with your cumin spiced lentil burger. Yum!