Black Bean-Shiitake Burgers with avocado-wasabi dressing

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 2 cups Shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and diced 
• ¼ cup grated carrot 
• 1 small can black beans, drained and rinsed (265 grams) 
• 2 small shallots 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 green chilli pepper (or less to taste) 
• 2 teaspoons light soy sauce 
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt 
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup oat flour
• ½ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water

Ingredients for the Dressing

o    1 avocado

o    1 teaspoon wasabi paste

o    ½ green chilli pepper finely chopped (or more to taste)

o    1 teaspoon soy sauce

o    ¼ cup soy yoghurt

o    ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

o    1 tablespoon coriander finely chopped

Directions

• 1 avocado 
• 1 teaspoon wasabi paste 
• ½ green chilli pepper finely chopped (or more to taste) 
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce 
• ¼ cup soy yoghurt 
• ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice 
• 1 tablespoon coriander finely chopped

Preheat the oven at 200⁰C

• Mix ground flax seed with water 
• Remove the stems from the Shiitake mushrooms and dice finely 
• Chop the onions, garlic and chilli pepper. 
• Grate the carrots. 
• Heat the olive oil in a pan, add onions and fry for 2 minutes, add grated carrots, garlic and chilli pepper. 
• Add shiitake mushrooms, cook for 2 minutes. 
• Cool the cooked mixture. 
• Preheat the oven at 180⁰C 
• Mash the beans slightly. 
• Mix all ingredients 
• Divide the mixture into 4 portions. Form a ball with your hands, the mixture should stick together as you press together and form it. Press down into a 2 cm. thick burger. Dust with sesame seeds. 
• Place the burgers on a (lined) baking tray. 
• Bake for 10 minutes, flip over and bake another 10 minutes.

Variations

Serve on a salad leaf with the dressing on top.

Serve as a burger on a bun:

• (hamburger) buns 
• 2 cups rocket 
• 2 tomatoes, sliced 
• Top with the dressing 
• Gari (Japanese pickled ginger) at the side

Chickpea burgers with tamarind chutney and mint dressing

Ingredients

• 1 small can chickpeas (or 60 gm if you soak and cook them yourself)
• 1 cup zucchini, grated
• 1/2 cup carrots, grated,
• 1/2 cup green peas
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small shallot, minced
• 1 green chilli, minced
• 1/4 cup oat flour
• 1/4 chickpea flour
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 teaspoon red chilli (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped coriander or parsley
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

• Preheat the oven at 180⁰C
• Use a food processor or blender to make a rough puree of the chickpeas, some smaller pieces of the chickpeas left.
• Chop the onions, garlic and chilli pepper.
• Grate the zucchini and carrots.
• Mix the ground chickpeas, zucchini, carrots, peas, chilli pepper, shallot, garlic, oat flour, flaxseed, oil, coriander leaves, and spices.
• Measure out 3 tablespoons of the mixture and form a ball with your hands. The mixture should stick together as you press together and form it. Press down into a 2 cm. thick burger, about 8 cm. wide. You can make around 10-12 little burgers.
• Place the burgers on a (lined) baking tray.
• Bake for 20 minutes or until a little crispy.
• Serve the burgers hot with yoghurt-mint sauce and tamarind chutney. 

For the yoghurt-mint dressing:

• Blender all ingredients on high speed to get a smooth creamy sauce.

For the tamarind sauce:

• See recipe Dhokla (perhaps you still have some in your freezer