Usually when I write up a recipe, I have a little idea about why I want to write it. Whether it’s because I want to use up a glut of something in the garden, or try a new ingredient. There’s a story behind it, something to flesh out the recipe and to introduce it to my blog readers, new or old, as to why you might want to try the recipe yourself.
With this Chickpea and Cauliflower patty /burger recipee however I found myself at a bit of a blank. There were a few bits and pieces I wanted to explain, but none of them really fitted together as a narrative. Which meant I procrastinated a bit on writing this up, not really knowing how to go about linking them together, or even if I could make them all make sense.
It wasn’t until I remembered I had taken the left-overs of a batch to work & my colleague had shared them with me & asked for the recipe, that I thought maybe I owed it to this recipe to share it, story or no story. (Besides, I had made a promise…)
The thing is, these are pretty freekin’ delicious. So maybe that’s the story?
(Also- they are pretty difficult to photograph beautifully.. so please excuse the somewhat dodgy snaps. They taste WAY better than they look, that I can promise you)
Anyway here are the assorted bits and pieces of information I wanted to add about these, in no particular order.
- They are 100% gluten free, and use ‘Aquafaba’ aka chickpea water to help bind them. Aquafaba works like eggwhite, and is great for baking, whether sweet or savoury. I used a little chickpea flour (aka gram flour) in these too for extra binding power.
- They are great cold as well as warm, which makes them perfect for lunch boxes
- The recipe would be really easy to update with other flavours. Italian.. Mexican.. just get out your spices and experiment.
- Just one of these patties is super filling- which leads me to my last point
- This recipe makes at least 8 good sized patties which is way too many for 2 people, so I froze most, ready to bring out for food emergencies. You can then cook these from frozen in the oven. Perfect for busy weeknights. If you have more mouths to feed, double the recipe & make even more, once the intial mixing is done you might as well cook a double batch.
- These are amazing with the Tahini sauce that I’ve come to love. Mix Tahini, lemon juice, salt and a bit of water until runny. Pour on everything.
- 1 tin chickpeas , drained, reserving the chickpea water (aquafaba) as well as the chickpeas!
- 1 medium head cauliflower
- 4-5 tablespoons gram (chickpea) flour
- 5 tablespoons chickpea water from the tin
- 1 small onion , finely chopped
- 2 small cloves garlic , finely chopped
- 1 small red pepper , finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon chilli powder (or to taste)
- Salt & Pepper
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Cut the cauliflower into small florets and boil or steam until tender.
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Fry the onion, garlic and pepper until the onion is translucent.
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Add the spices and fry for a minute until fragrent.
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In a bowl, combine the chickpeas and onion mix. Bash the chickpeas around with a potato masher or fork until roughly mashed.
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Add in the cauliflower & stir till combined.
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Add the chickpea water and gram flour and stir until combined and able to be squished into a cohesiveish ball.
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Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and turn the oven on to Gas Mark 7/ 220C.
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Form the mixture into balls and squish into patty/burger shapes onto the tray. I found this easiest to do with my hands, although quite messy.
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Bake in the oven for 10 mins, then turn over, to bake for another 10 mins (or a bit longer if you want a more browned and crispy finish)
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Serve with salad, or in a bun.
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