Beluga Lentil Burger
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Last update July 10, 2024
Making plant based burger doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, the basic ingredients- lentils and water are all you need, and you build it from there, adding spices, herbs, and vegetables you desire. For this veggie burger, I used beluga lentils. Check out my red lentil, and moringa split mung bean burger recipes for other types of lentils to use.
Lentil burgers are a favourite in our household. I also have lentil burgers during my Ayurvedic spring and fall detox. I had the good fortune of studying Ayurveda with Vaidya Rama Kant Mishra, who came from a long line of Ayurvedic doctors. In his family lineage called Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda, SVA for short, there is an emphasis on diet, and to nourish with fresh, prana rich food using ingredients that will not shrink, clog or inflame the physical channels. Also during detox, there is no fasting, as this will cause the liver to overheat. Have a read through my blog on detoxification to learn why, and some other considerations you should know before doing detox. Getting back to the burger…
I have made beluga burgers a number of times, soaking the lentils overnight, and soaking them for only 15-20 minutes before cooking them. When soaked overnight, the lentils will absorb water, so less water is needed for cooking. Ensure you mash the lentils after they are cooked, and let them sit afterwards before shaping them into patties.
Beluga Lentil Burger topped with mango-mint chutney accompanied with okra fries, baked sweet potato fries and taro fries, zucchini, on a bed or arugula with Thyme Lime Dressing. A balanced summer meal, with pitta balancing tastes: sweet from the lentils and mango, bitter from the arugula, astringent from the lentils, and cooling elements from the spices fennel and coriander, mint and zucchini.
Thyme Lime Dressing
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tablespoon fresh lime
1 tsp thyme or ⅓ tsp dried
½ tsp maple syrup or honey
Dash of natural salt and ground black pepper
Beluga Lentil Burgers
Yields: 4-5 thick burger patties
Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus 20 minutes for soaking time for lentils, or soak overnight
Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Frying Time: 5 minutes
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup beluga lentils, soaked and rinsed well
2 ½ cups water - less water at 1 ⅓ cups if lentils are soaked overnight
1 tsp ghee or olive oil
1 Tbsp ghee or olive oil for frying
½ tsp ground fennel
½ tsp ground coriander
7 fresh curry leaves or ¼ tsp dried
⅛ tsp ground cumin seeds
⅛ tsp turmeric
3 tsps tapioca powder
1 ½ cups kale, about 3 strands, stemmed and finely chopped
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
In a medium-size pot heat ghee or olive oil on low heat, then add spices, curry leaves and tapioca powder and combine all together.
Add lentils and water, stir and turn heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil. Allow the lentils to boil for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally,
Cover with a lid and turn heat down to medium-low to cook for another 20-30 minutes. Half way through stir to the bottom of the pan. Add a bit of water if too dry, but not too much as the kale will add a bit of moisture to it.
Add kale in the last 5 minutes of cooking, mix all together and cover again to cook the kale for a couple of minutes.
Turn off stove. Add flour and salt, and combine all together well.
Let lentils sit for 5 minutes to cool.
While lentils are cooling, heat ghee or olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
Mash the lentils, or work it with your hands until the lentils come together more, enough to form into thick patties.
Fry up the patties a few minutes one each side, until golden brown.
Serve with with okra fries or baked sweet potato fries!
Enjoy!
Beluga lentils soaking in water
Cooked beluga lentils with kale
Use a masher or get in there and work it with your hands to form patties.
Frying up Beluga lentil patties with kale
Plant-based burgers made from lentils, like this beluga variety, are highly nutritious containing protein, fibre, folate, iron, potassium, manganese, and various antioxidants, such as found in polyphenols.
Beluga lentils are particular high in polyphenols, natural occurring compounds found in plants, which protect us from developing cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis and neurodegenerative diseases.
Ayurvedic Profile of Spices and Herbs
Cilantro- the plant of a coriander seed; cooling quality; used for chelating heavy metals; ensure you eat foods that bind the toxins the day you have cilantro, like barley, arrowroot, taro and okra
Coriander seeds - ushers toxins out the urinary tract
Cumin - helps in digestion and absorption of nutrients
Curry Leaves - cleans the liver without overheating it
Fennel - helps regulate and support digestion
Kale - high in vitamins and minerals; cleanses the physical channels
Turmeric- cleans the liver known in Ayurveda as a “friend to the liver”, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory
Soma salt- also known as Soma Lavan, a rock salt; written in the Ayurvedic texts as the best salt; cooling variety of the Himalayan salts, and all other salts; contains magnesium, calcium and potassium in addition to sodium
Zucchini - cooling effect on the body, supports cleansing
Beluga Lentil Burgers with Baked Sweet Potato Fries, Taro Fries, Okra Fries, Zucchini with Kalunji, on a Bed of Arugula with Thyme Lime Dressing and Mango-Mint Chutney
References
Kale - https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/kale/
Beluga Lentils - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8623742/
Lentils - https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/food-features/lentils/
Vaidya R. K. Mishra- Notes from Shaka Vansiya Ayurveda Courses, Practicum, Conferences and Lectures 2003-2015