This was an experiment and didn’t go quite as planned, but was incredibly tasty and worth another go once I have consulted with people who know better!

I talked about this with a friend last night who kindly gave me a home-made bun so that I didn’t have to go to the supermarket in the morning. We decided the best approach was to try making a lentil burger to see what happens, take note, then try again.

This is the first attempt and the quantities were kept small to make one patty, which will fall apart as you eat it.

  • 30g dry red lentils
  • 30g dry green lentils
  • 15g red onion, finely diced
  • 10g celery, finely diced
  • pinch turmeric
  • handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon “Hot Pepper Sauce”
  • 1/2 teaspoon flour

Boil the lentils together in salted water until the red lentils are starting to disintegrate, then drain them and put them aside to cool. When they are cool, take the lentils in your hand or hands and squeeze them firmly to expel any water. This caused the red lentils to break down in a way I had incorrectly hoped would bind the mixture.

In a bowl, add the onion, celery, turmeric, parsley and chilli sauce and mix the ingredients together using your hands. Form the mixture into a ball (or balls) and squeeze the ingredients together firmly, then flatten the ball and form it into a patty.

Fry the patty in olive oil until it is crisped on either side. Use a couple of wooden spatulas to turn it.

Nom nom nom

Cut the bun in half and toast it lightly. Spread some achards de légumes on the bottom half and some mayonnaise on the top half. Layer some lettuce and tomato on the base and then place the lentil patty on top. Layer some red onion rings on top then close the burger and eat.

As it absorbs quite a lot of the oil, let it cool a little before biting into it.

This was super tasty but needs some help staying together. In larger quantities, a beaten egg might work.