"Veggie burger" texture not right

[Fritz_Monroe]

We've been trying to put more meatless meals into the rotation. The main reason is that I'm getting older. It doesn't hurt that veggie meals are a bit cheaper, and I can grow or store pretty much all of it.

 

But tonight we had a the split pea burger shown below, except since we don't like mushrooms, we left those out. But the burger's texture left a bit to be desired.

 

Other than the texture, it was really good. We loved the taste. We had them on potato rolls and had baked beans. Really good meal.

 

So I'm looking for some recommendations on how to change the texture to be more meat-like. I think that not putting it into the food processor but just mixing well will help a lot, but any other suggestions for changing the texture?

 

Split Pea Burger

 

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 to 2 additional tablespoons for sauteing

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons minced garlic

4 ounces mushrooms, sliced

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup dry split peas, picked and rinsed

1/2 cup dry brown rice

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

3/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs, plus 1/4 cup for coating

 

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large (4 to 6-quart) saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper along with a generous pinch of salt. Sweat for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the garlic and mushrooms and continue to cook for another 4 minutes.

 

Add the broth, peas, rice, coriander and cumin. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Decrease heat to low, cover and cook at a simmer for 1 hour or until the rice and peas are tender.

 

Remove from the heat and gently pour the mixture into the bowl of a food processor and process until just combined.* Do not puree. Pour this mixture into a bowl and stir in the 3/4 cup of bread crumbs. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground pepper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

 

Shape the mixture into patties and dredge on each side in the remaining 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 burgers at a time and saute until brown on each side, approximately 3 to 4 minutes per side. To grill, cook on high for 3 to 4 minutes per side as well. Serve immediately.

 

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.

[sjllm]

If you add eggs it with hold it together better. Also, if you add glutin flour it will give the burgers a chewy texture. I would add about 3-4 Tbs. of glutin flour to your recipe. You can find glutin flour in any health food store. HTH.

[CrabGrassAcres]

Try some zucchini shreds and I second the eggs.

[sassenach]

You can find wheat gluten flour in Walmart. Hodgson Mills brand is what I have picked up.

[Fritz_Monroe]

There's no problem holding together. The problem is that it's the texture of paste. I'll take a look at gluten flour, and since we have zuke in now, maybe give that a shot also.

[furbabymom]

What if you mixed in some oatmeal for texture?

[CrabGrassAcres]

You also can try cooked brown rice. Mix it in without using the blender.

[Fritz_Monroe]

We didn't have any brown rice, so we used white rice. I've also thought about oat groats instead of oat meal.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I won't be able to experiment for a while. The recipe made enough for 2 meals, so we froze half of the patties. Will make it again the following week.