These chickpea lentil burgers are a favorite from my childhood. So sweet, crunchy and delicious with so many tantalizing flavors. They are oil-free, healthy, nutritious, so filling, and packed with protein, sweet- spicy flavors. They are made with chickpeas, lentils, chickpea flour, carrot, herbs and spices. You can also add some chopped onion, cilantro, lime juice mixture in the middle of each patty before closing for extra crunch and ooomph! This step is totally optional, passed down from my mom.
The patties can be made very quickly for snack time, lunchtime or dinner. Toss them in a salad, or make a Buddha bowl or stack them up in a burger with oodles of delicious tomato jam on top. Mom used to make this tomato jam all the time and we would just lick it out of the pot it’s so delicious. Enjoy!
Ingredients
For the Chickpea Lentil Patties:
· 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
· 1 cup green or yellow boiled lentils
· 3 tablespoons chickpea flour
· 1 tablespoon garam masala
· 1 1/2 cups small carrots
· 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
· 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
· 1 teaspoon red chili powder
· 1 teaspoon ginger garlic powder or paste
· ½ cup fresh basil or cilantro
· 1 jalapeno for spiciness optional
For the Tomato jam:
· 1 can of chopped tomatoes
· 2 teaspoons lemon juice
· 6 medjool dates for sweetness remove pit
· ¼ teaspoon red chili powder
· ¼ teaspoon cumin powder
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 355°F.
2. Cook the lentils in water in a saucepan for 30 minutes or until soft. Once cooked, strain out any remaining water and place lentils in a large mixing bowl. This step can be done a day before as well.
3. In food processer add carrots and cilantro, jalapeno if using and pulse to chop up in small pieces.
4. Next, add chickpeas and lentils, pulse a few times until combined.
5. Add all remaining lentil patty ingredients and pulse until combined, remove the mixture and add to a mixing bowl.
6. Place baking paper on baking tray. Take a scoop full in your hand and roll into a ball and press down gently onto baking paper. You can also add some chopped onion cilantro lime juice mixture in the middle of the patty before closing for extra crunch. This step is totally optional. Very tradional step passed from my mom. Continue this step for the remaining mixture.
7. Place tray in the oven for 30 minutes, turn patties over in 15 minutes.
8. While the patties are in the oven you can make the tomato jam.
9. Add all ingredients into a sauce pan and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes until tomato is soft and dates are transparent. Add cilantro for garnish.
10. Serve the chickpea patties on top of salad, in a burger, in Buddha bowl with brown rice. They are perfect for snack time or anytime. You don’t have to eat it with the tomato jam, you can add any sauce, hummus or chutney of choice.