Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 bunch scallions, including 1 inch into the dark green parts, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2-inch piece fresh ginger, grated
- 1 serrano chile pepper, finely chopped (seeded or not, depending on your personal heat threshold)
- 4 cups grated carrots (about 8 medium carrots)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 egg whites
- 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Heat a large lidded sauté pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil. When hot, add the scallions and cook just until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and chile pepper and stir for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Stir in the carrots, salt, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the carrots are soft but not mushy.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg whites, peanut butter, and lime juice. Stir in the carrot mixture and the cilantro. Fold in the bread crumbs. Let sit for about 10 minutes, allowing the crumbs to absorb some of the liquid. Adjust seasonings. Shape into 4 patties.
- In an oven-safe skillet or nonstick sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add the patties and cook until browned on each side, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the burgers are firm and cooked through.Want more veggie burger recipes and tips? Read How to Make Veggie Burgers.
Recipe from Veggie Burgers Every Which Way: Fresh, Flavorful and Healthy Vegan and Vegetarian Burgers—Plus Toppings, Sides, Buns and More, copyright © Lukas Volger, 2010. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment, LLC. Available wherever books are sold.
Veggie Burgers Every Which Way (The Experiment LLC, 2011) is the perfect alternative to the rubbery, over-processed frozen burgers found at the supermarket. Author Lukas Volger offers more than thirty unique and delicious veggie burger recipes, more than half of which are vegan and/or gluten-free. From the chapter entitled “Vegetable Burgers” comes this delightful Thai Carrot Burger Recipe.
Thai Carrot Burger Recipe
This recipe calls for just a small amount of peanut butter. You’ll need to use the natural, minimally processed kind that is made to order with a peanut butter machine at some grocery stores. If you are accustomed to Skippy, you’ll find that natural peanut butter is alarmingly dense, and that its natural oils collect at the top of the container. Be sure to store natural peanut butter in the refrigerator. If you can’t find it, buy something that is as unadulterated as possible (organic, low-salt, definitely no sweeteners). Red Cabbage slaw goes nicely with these burgers, either as a side or served directly on the burgers, as does julienned cabbage that’s been tossed in a bit of rice vinegar and salt.