Soy chunks and corn burger | Veggie Burger recipes

It's time for the monthly recipe for the Groovy Gourmets again. This time we were asked to make veggies burgers, but it had to be something different from the usual potato and peas patty. Veggie burgers are almost always limited in most menus, if there are even available, then its got to be with potatoes.



Soya chunks are something that TH likes and I manage to make it once in a few months, because I find the texture a little weird and it seems to have a slight smell which I don't particularly care for. I recently found this packet of mini soya chunks which is quite nice and maybe after all the rinsing and dousing it with some spices, it actually tastes good.
Soya is really high protein and is a great addition in a vegetarian menu, so I do try to make it once in a while and it is getting more frequent now. I decided to give these a chance again and used it to make the patty. To bind the soya and corn, I used a couple of slices of bread, potato and a handful of leftover rice ! Left over rice mashed up always works well as a binder.



A few spices and a little cooking later, they turned into these really tasty patties
Topped with mayo and mustard, cheese, onions and tomatoes, you'd never realize all that's been hidden inside this burger !

If you never liked the soya chunks, give this a shot. You won't regret it
Check my previous entries to the Groovy Gourmets here.

Soya chunks and corn burger

What you need -

1 cup mini soya chunks / regular soya chunks
1/2 cup corn kernels (fresh or canned or steamed)
1 potato, boiled, peeled and mashed
2 bread slices
a handful of cooked rice
2-3 pods of garlic
2 green chillies
roasted cumin seed powder
dry mango / amchur powder
1 tsp salt
a few coriander and mint leaves

4 burger buns
sliced tomatoes and onions
mayo and mustard sauce
cheese slices

What you do with it -

Boil the soya chunks in water for about 5-7 mins and then rinse 2-3 times and drain the water completely
Clean and chop the coriander and mint leaves
Grind together the soya chunks, cooked rice, bread slices, garlic and green chillies
In a bowl, add the mashed potato, amchur powder, cumin seed powder, salt and the chopped coriander and mint leaves
Add the ground soya to the potatoes and mix well to make it pliable
Add the fresh / steamed corn kernels to this
Take a big chunk of this mix and roll well between your palms
Then flatten it slightly to make a palm sized patty
Dip it in the bread crumbs and shallow fry in a pan with a tsp or so of oil
Use up all the mix to make the patties. I got about 4 large ones
Slice open the burger bun horizontally and apply a little butter
Heat both sides slightly on a pan
Add a little mayo on one side. Place the patty on top and then top it with some mustard, a slice of onion, tomato and cheese
Top it with the other half of the bun

Corn stuffed bread rolls

Ever since I saw this stuffed bread roll on Sara's Bake tales, I was itching to bake it. The recipe looked simple enough and I decided that a simple filling of corn, tomatoes and capsicum would work really well with this



Since it was really hot in Ahmedabad, it hardly took any time for the dough to rise. I had left it by the light that streaked into through the glass windows of my balcony. When I went back to check on this, there were ants all over the bowl. Summer is a difficult time, dealing with the heat and these ants. They had gone right through the dough. Its just so frustrating when you are waiting to try something out and then something as silly as this happens !



I just had to bake this and eat it that day, so I dumped the entire dough in the bin and started all over again. Since it was close to 5 in the evening, I was a little worried about the dough rising again, but it all worked out fine. I made two 8" size rolls with this dough and really enjoyed it

Sending this to Susan's Yeastspotting

Corn stuffed bread rolls
Adapted from Sara's Baketales

What you need -

For the dough

1 cup (250gm) flour / maida
1.5 tsp instant yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 -3/4 cup lukewarm water
1 tbsp butter for brushing over the loaf

For the filling

1 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup chopped capsicum
1 medium sized tomato
1 small onion
3 tbsp grated cheese
1/2 tsp crushed pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano / Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp olive oil

What you do with it -

Take the flour in a large bowl
In a bowl of water water (1/2 cup), sprinkle the yeast, salt, sugar and a spoon of olive oil
If using dry yeast granules, wait for it to froth up a little and then pour over the flour
With instant yeast, you can add it to the flour immediately
Knead the dough, adding little more water, only if required
Make the dough in a large ball and add the remaining olive oil
Place in a greased bowl and cover with cling film or a thin cloth
Keep aside for about 456 to 2 hours depending on how warm it is
Get the filling ready while the dough is rising
Heat a tsp of olive oil in a pan
Add the onions and capsicum pieces
Stir on high heat for 2-3 mins and then add the corn kernels
Once the corn is slightly cooked, add the tomatoes and all the seasoning, salt and pepper
Keep aside and allow it to cool
Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and knead for 2-3 mions on a floor dusted area
Roll into a 10"x 8" rectangle, sprinkle a little olive oil over it
Sprinkle the filling evenly over the top, about an inch away from the sides and then roll it up gently, using both your hands
Fold in the edges under the roll and roll it on the surface to smoothen out the edges, as evenly as possible
Make a few narrow gashes on the roll with a sharp knife
Place it on a greased baking sheet and allow it to rise for another 15-20 mins
Pre heat the oven at 180 C for about 10 mins
Bake at 180 C for 15-20 mins
Once its done, brush with a little butter and wait for it to cool slightly before you cut it

Methi makai - Fenugreek and corn in an aromatic gravy

This is the low-cal version of the popular methi malai matar (fenugreek, cream and peas in a cashew-rich gravy)

I substituted the peas with corn, cashews with pumpkin seeds and did away with the cream. I had saved the seeds the last time I bought a pumpkin - rinsed them well and dried them in the sun and stored them in an air tight jar
Pumpkin seeds are a pretty good substitute for cashews. I discovered this on one of the episodes of Master Chef India and gave it a try here.

The masala is very aromatic, so try not to substitute with store-bought garam masala



The original recipe is from a caterer based in Mumbai. He makes some absolutely fabulous food and caters at most of our family get-togethers there (We have a large family, we need caterers, honestly...)

What you need -

3 cups chopped methi/fenugreek leaves
2 chopped onions
2 tomatoes
1 cup cooked corn kernels
1/2 - 1 cup milk
1/2 tsp sugar
salt to taste

Masala 1 -

1 onion
4 green chillies
1/2" piece ginger
3 cloves garlic
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds (or cashew nuts, if you like)
2 tsp khus khus / poppy seeds

Masala 2 -

2 sticks cinnamon
4 cloves
4 cardamoms
4 pepper corns
1 tsp cumin seeds

What you do with it -

Roast and powder all ingredients for Masala 2
Grind all the ingredients listed under Masala 1
Wash the methi leaves. Add 1/2 tsp salt and soak the methi leaves and salt for 15 mins and then drain out
Blanch the tomatoes, peel the skin and puree it
Heat a tbsp of oil in a deep bottomed pan and add the cumin seeds
Add methi and cook for 3-4 mins. Remove and set aside
Heat oil, add onions and the ground paste (masala 1)
Fry till the raw smell goes away. Add tomato puree and dry masala and fry a bit
Add corn, methi leaves, milk, sugar, salt, 1/2 cup water and bring to a slow boil

Corn Bhel

Bhel is essentially street food, very popular in Bombay. Its a great fusion of flavours, sweet, tangy, spicy - all in one !
Usually, puffed rice (kurmura, mamra) is used to make bhel.
Here, I have substituted it with corn kernels
Its actually a healthy dish, I would think, camouflaged as a chaat, almost like a salad, except for the addition of the chutneys

There are two chutneys used in making most chaat dishes. I discovered this style of green chutney here in Ahmedabad. Peanuts are used here instead of onions. A little sugar is also added in this green chutney usually, which I skipped out



What you need -

1 1/2 cup fresh corn kernels
2 tomatoes
1 onion
1/2 cup of coriander leaves
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1 potato
2 tsp green chutney (recipe follows)
2 tsp sweet chutney (recipe follows)
1/2 tsp chaat masala
1 tsp lemon juice
salt to taste

What you do with it -

If the corn is really tender, use as is, otherwise, cook in salted water till done
I used the pressure cooker to cook the kernels since it was not very tender
Boil the potato and peel and chop
Finely chop the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and coriander leaves
In a bowl, mix the corn, potatoes, onion, cucumber and the green chutney and sweet chutney
Add tomatoes and salt if required
Mix it well and then garnish with coriander leaves
Sprinkle the chaat masala and lime juice over it
You could also sprinkle some sev over it


The chutneys here are more than what is required for this recipe
These chutneys can be stored and used as accompaniments for other dishes too

Green Chutney

1 cup packed coriander leaves
2 green chillies
small piece of ginger
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp peanuts
salt
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Grind all the ingredients together to make a smooth paste
You can store this in an airtight jar in the refrigerator

Sweet chutney

1 cup deseeded dates
1/2 cup cleaned and deseeded tamarind
2 tbsp grated jaggery
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 cup water
a pinch of salt

Chop the dates and soak in warm water
In a pan, heat the jaggery powder and water and add the dates, tamarind and salt
Heat on a low flame and slowly bring to a boil
Once it starts thickening, add the chilli powder and cumin powder
Keep on heat for 2-3 mins and allow to cool
Strain and store in an airtight jar in the refrigerator

Corn and Methi Pulao

There was this really nice restaurant called Bombay Post in the Indiranagar area of Bangalore. The decor was very Bollywood, with pictures of movie stars and old movie posters adorning the walls there. Nice old Hindi film music generally playing in the background, though people trying to talk above the music, always created a bit of a din.



This place was one of standard ones for team lunches and one of the places where I met up with my friend from college, for our 'weekly lunches', at least thats what we hoped it would be, but we did try and meet up at least once a month.
Very very nice food, though during our lunches, the food really did not matter, it was more to chat up non-stop, share our woes about the men in our lives, gossip a bit and generally have a good time.

This one pulao we had there was really nice - it did have a fancier name though and had fried paneer instead of corn, but when I made this pulao the other day it reminded me a lot of the one from Bombay Post. This one's for you Maya...

What you need -

2 onions
2 tomatoes
1/2 cup curd
1 bay leaf
1" stick dalchini
3 cardamoms
5 cloves
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 cup fresh methi leaves
2 cups corn
2 cups basmati rice

Masala -

2 green chillies
1 small piece ginger
5 cloves garlic
1/2 tomato
1/2 tsp chilli powder

What you do with it -

Soak the basmati rice in water for about 30 mins
Chop onions lengthwise
Chop the tomatoes
Grind together all the ingredients listed under Masala, to a smooth paste
In a large kadai / handi, heat 2 tsp of oil
Add the bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and fry for 2 mins
Then add the ginger-chilli-garlic paste and fry for 3-4 mins
Add onions and fry till the onions are slightly brown
Add tomatoes and fry till they get a bit squishy
Then beat the curd till its smooth and add it to the kadai with the chilli powder
Stir and heat till the oil starts separating
Add the soaked rice, methi, corn and salt into the kadai
Fry for 5 mins and then add water
Cover and cook on medium flame
Should get done in about 12-15 mins
Or it can be cooked in the microwave or a pressure cooker