Thai Quinoa Burgers
Thai Quinoa Burgers
My family and I love all Thai flavors – peanut, cilantro, lime, lemongrass, curry paste -- and we also love burgers, so I came up with a Thai-inspired burger recipe. I usually keep this one pretty mild in terms of spice, but if you want to add some heat you can always use chopped Thai chilies!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 2/3 cup vegetable broth
- 1 package tofu, (extra firm, cut into 1/2-inch slabs)
- 1/2 cup panko or gluten-free panko
- 1/2 cup scallion, (finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup carrot, (coarsely grated)
- 1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts, (finely chopped)
- 1/4 cup red Thai curry paste
- 2 tablespoons cilantro, (chopped)
- 2 teaspoons lime zest, (finely grated)
- 2 teaspoons lemongrass, (finely grated)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 flax eggs*
- 2 tablespoons canola oil or oil of choice
Instructions
- Combine quinoa and vegetable broth in a 1-quart saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to low, then cover and cook until broth is completely absorbed into quinoa (about 12 minutes).
- Remove from heat and keep covered for 10 minutes, then transfer to a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, layer paper towels on a large rimmed baking sheet, arranging tofu slabs about 1 inch apart, and top with another double layer of paper towels.
- Place another baking sheet on top of the tofu and weigh it down with cans for about 10 minutes to press out excess moisture.
- Crumble tofu into pea-size pieces and add cooked quinoa.
- Mix in panko, scallion, carrot, peanuts, curry paste, cilantro, lime zest, and lemongrass.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Stir in flax eggs. (*To make a flax egg, mix well 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal and 2 1/2 tablespoons water and let it sit for 10 minutes.)
- Chill mixture for at least 30 minutes.
- Portion burger mixture into 8 balls, then form into 3-1/2-inch patties with moistened hands.
- Heat canola oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat.
- Add burgers to the pan, reducing heat to medium-low, and cook until browned on one side (about 3-4 minutes).
- Gently flip with a thin spatula and cook until browned and heated through (about 3-4 minutes).
