Definitive Veg Burger

Well, there's a lot of them out there so you can only take my word for it that when I say this is good, it is really good. Over the time Theresa and I have been partners in eating and for some reason it's been one of our challenges to find the best possible veggie burger; I suppose it comes down to the idea that it's a kind of special event meal being that it doesn't seem to overly healthy or wholefoody. It's also become a thing with us as Theresa was bought up in Canada where good burgers were a norm and I was pretty much introduced to the burger at McDonalds and that's where my experience ended. So it's an interesting slant on her trying to teach my how to construct a proper burger - from taste and texture of the patty to toppings and then me trying to recreat the burger of her childhood but vegetarian.  The weird things people do to pass time..

Anyway, we got even more deep into this when we used to go to Raddha Eatery in Vancouver. They had a very great Veggie Burger created by our very own friend and Radha Head-Chef Robert Wilson Smith. It was one of their standard menu items and we always used to feel so guilty when Robert came out of the kitchen to tell us the specials he'd been working hard on and we would listen politely and then say pretty sheepishly "two veggie burgers, please?".  But they were that good I didn't so much care to experiment when you're pretty much up against a sure thing. Robert was not impressed, but luckily ( I think) he is still our friend. He even gave me the recipe he was that generous about the whole thing, but then when I tried it at home it just didn't turn out.

So the provenance of this Burger, like a lot of my favourite dishes is uncertain as it started out kind of inspired by one thing or another and then gradually went through stages of transformation over time. I think it originally stems from the idea of using TVP by the Veganomican girls. This is where it truly begins because it's only with TVP that you can get that real ground-beef kind of texture. See, I think the Radha one was a Quinoa and Nut concoction and as all grain-burgers, even at the top of their game, they can't compete with the chewiness of the Soya Protein. They still have the texture of mushed-up grain however tastefull they may be. Kind of like a nut-roast in a bun, which this certainly isn't. It's a Burger and no excuses needed, that's the last word.

Definitive Veg Burger (makes 2 patties)


2/3 cup soya protein (TVP)
1 cup stock or  hot water
5 tbs olive oil
1 stick celery
1/4 cup finely diced red pepper
1/2 tbs tomato paste
1tbs liquid smoke (hard to come by but if you can get it, it makes a hell of a difference!)
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp coriander
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp mustard
1 tbs soya sauce
1 tbs peanut butter
2 tbs white flour
2 tbs baby-oats

1. Heat he stock or water until very hot and add the TVP. Leave to soak for half and hour. Then drain and chop in a food processor or by hand into a very fine "ground beef" texture. reserve the stock or soaking-liquid.
2. Heat 1 tbs of the oil and add the celery and red pepper saute for five minutes until very soft. Then add the tomato paste and a tablespoon of water and stir to cook for a minute. Add all the herbs and spices, the liquid smoke, the TVP and a quarter of a cup of your soaking liquid. Saute for ten minutes, adding more liquid as you need to keep the mixture from drying out.
3. Transfer to a bowl and mix thoroughly with the rest of the ingredients. Shape into patties about a half-inch thick and 5-6 inches wide. Transfer to the fridge to firm up for at least an hour.
4. Heat a heavy bottomed pan and add the remaining oil. When the oil is hot gently slip in the two patties. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then carefully with a spatula flip them over and cook the other side for the same time. Serve with your favourite accompaniments...

How to Build and eat the Perfect Burger

As I mentioned above, being a clueless English boy I am a complete novice against The Canadian. I even tried to eat my burger with a knife and fork. I tried to explain to Theresa is was called "manners". It was bloody hard to do and didn't really work. She just laughed and kind of shoved and pushed the burger neatly into her mouth. I think she called it "the pincer effect". When I tried it just seemed very impolite, but now when it's just her around and we're not in public I'm practicing in true North-American fashion and according to Theresa, starting to get the hang of it. Which for some strange reason makes her very happy. Perhaps, it's a kind of perverse joy at corrupting the stiff and uptight English into finally enjoying themselves.


So eating covered; in other words, don't stand on ceremony, just grip the thing firm and kind of ram it in with sheer greedy enjoyment, now we start on toppings. Apparently, I thought it was all about the burger, but Theresa tells me it's just as much about what goes with it. Now the only experience I've got with this is either Macdonalds secret relish recipe, or when my dad used to BBQ them to a cinder we would put mayo' over the top just so they had some slight element of moistness. But, yet again, it turns out, I hadn't really lived. These days, since meeting Theresa life has been notched-up a few ranks and we do it as follows.

1. Get yourself a really good and light and airy white roll. Experiement a little to find the right one. Taking the time is worth it and this isn't a meal to be all worthy about; sometimes the underdogs come through over the more posh bread-offerings.
2. Split the thing almost in half leaving it slightly attached at one side and spread open.
3. Smear the base with wholegrain mustard. Nothing too strong. The other side do the sam, but with Vegan Mayo (if you can lay your hands on Veganaise you're luckier than me right now and consider yourself in heaven)
4. Place burger down on the mustard side. If you want some kind of Ketchup sauce sometimes we put a little dollop directly on the burger. Then over top slice one (what we call) "gherkins" in the UK, but what are referred to as "Dill Pickles" on the other side of the Atlantic.  Then add a slice of tomato over that, the avocado, then your finely shredded lettuce.
5. Confidently, press the top half of the bun over the burger and firmly press down. You're ready.