These veggie burgers were inspired by the Peruvian dish tacu tacu, a filling combination of refried beans and rice, fried steak, eggs, and plantain. Black beans are perfect for veggie burgers, and rice works in place of bread crumbs. The rice and bean patty in tacu tacu is seasoned with aji chile peppers and onions and tastes wonderful - what could be better for a veggie burger? Serve these burgers with aji amarillo sauce and slices of fried ripe plantain.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 veggie burgers
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon aji chile pepper paste
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cans of black beans (15 ounce)
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1-2 eggs
- 15 saltine crackers
- 4 hamburger buns
- Lettuce and tomato
- 1 very ripe plantain
- aji amarillo sauce
- Vegetable oil or olive oil for frying
Preparation:
- Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, chile pepper paste, cumin, and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until onions are soft and fragrant.
- Drain and rinse the beans, then add 2/3 of the beans to the onions and mash them with a potato masher over the heat, mixing them with the onions and seasoning. Once they are well mashed, stir in the rice and remaining (unmashed) beans. Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in one egg.
- Peel and slice the plantain into 1/4 inch thick slices. Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in the same skillet and sauté plantain until browned on both sides. Set aside.
- Process the saltine crackers in a food processor until finely ground, and spread them on a plate. Take 1/4 of the bean mixture and shape it into a round patty, about 1 inch thick.(If patty seems too crumbly, you can add another egg). Roll patty in the saltine crackers. Repeat with remaining rice and bean mixture, until you have 4 patties.
- Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in the same heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook the patties until well-browned on each side and heated through. Serve warm on buns, garnished with lettuce, tomato, fried plantain, and aji amarillo sauce.
