Can a burger be so delicious and so healthy too at the same time? Well, if you ask me then my answer is “Finger millet burger!” A whole new burger that is so healthy with finger millet buns and a protein packed veg burger patty.
Finger millet burger is so much intriguing, right? So, this one was one of my successful experiments. There were a few lessons that I learnt too while doing it. But, on the whole, the result was so much worth it! I loved it so much and it was so filling too!
Did I ever mention that this finger millet burger has steamed buns? Yep, this is not our usual oven baked buns. Well, you can bake it too. But then, you should alter the recipe and include all purpose flour instead of just ragi / finger millet flour.
The reason why all purpose flour is also used is because while baking the buns, using just ragi flour makes it hard and dense. There should be some gluten present to make it soft and airy. So, I would strongly suggest you to add all purpose flour while making the dough. On the other hand, if you are steaming the buns, then it is not necessary to add all purpose flour.
Moving onto the patties for this burger, of course I made a super healthy one. In fact this is the best veg burger patty ever which is packed with so much protein. Trust me when I say that you will not miss chicken burger at all because this one is a meatless version of chicken burger.
It has so much flavor and for a umami taste, I have used mushrooms for the patties. Make sure you use everything that I have mentioned for the perfect taste. I have used some veggies, legumes, grains, herbs and spices to build this veg burger patty.
Apart from this, onions, garlic and a few others are like standard ingredients that are used to enhance the flavor profile. For veggies, I picked mushroom and carrot. I love mushrooms in my burger and roasted carrots, oh my god, these are an acquired taste.
I have been in love with roasted and caramelized carrots’ taste ever since I made this caramelized carrot ice cream. So, whenever I get an opportunity to use them, I do it right away. Apart from these, I used bulgur, mung beans, coriander leaves, olives and some spices too.
To bind the patty, you can use bread crumbs. But, I wanted to keep it healthy and so I had used ground oats. This is just a simple guide for you to know the measurements to build a veg burger patty from scratch. But, you can always modify it to suit your taste buds.
Make this delicious finger millet burger for a healthy yet tasty brunch or an evening dinner. I bet all kids will love this. Something like a burger is fast selling and this burger also has so much healthy ingredients too. I would say that this is the perfect way to sneak some vegetables too.
So, enjoy having this finger millet burger with your family! You can serve the burger with some fries by the side. To make it healthy, serve with baked fries. Stay safe; stay healthy! Happy cooking and eating!
While you are here, do checkout my other burger recipes to prepare for a weekend brunch or dinner! Try out my other recipes from the American cuisine as well as fusion recipes from the Indo-American cuisine.
Has meal planning been a little bit difficult during this lockdown? Look through my No Veggies, 21-Day Lockdown Series for ideas on what to cook during this lockdown.
If you have tried any of my recipes, then tag @the_busy_apron and share it on Instagram with the hashtag #thebusyapron. Also tag @TheBusyApron and share it on Twitter with the hashtag #thebusyapron
Finger millet burger
Ingredients
For the finger millet steamed buns
- 1 cup finger millet (or ragi) flour
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup powdered / grated jaggery
- 1 tsp instant dry yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup lukewarm water, or as needed
- handful of finely chopped dill leaves
For the burger patty
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 400 grams mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- ⅓ cup bulgur, cooked in 1 cup of water
- ½ cup mung bean, soaked for 4 hours or overnight
- ¼ cup chopped black olives
- ¼ cup coriander leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp red chili flakes
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- 1½ tsp cayenne powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ cup ground oats
- salt, as required
- oil, for cooking
To assemble each burger
- 1 burger bun
- 1 cheese slice
- 1 lettuce leaf
- some sliced onions and tomatoes
- 2-3 tbsp burger mayo
Instructions
To prepare the finger millet steamed buns
- Add all the dry ingredients mentioned under "For the finger millet steamed buns" into a mixing bowl. Whisk together until combined.
- Add olive oil and warm water. Mix and knead to form a dough.
- Add the dill leaves and knead together with the dough.
- Let the dough rest for 2 hours or until it doubles in size. Once it has doubled in size. punch the dough down. knead and divide the dough into equal sized balls. Let it rest covered for 20 minutes. Then, steam the dough balls for 15 minutes.
To prepare the burger patty
- Add the soaked mung bean to a pressure cooker and cook for 4-5 whistles.
- Add some oil to a tawa on high heat and roast the mushrooms until golden brown. Transfer to a food processor once cooled down and pulse until coarsely ground.
- Roast the diced carrots on the same tawa. Transfer to a food processor once cooled down and pulse until coarsely ground.
- Saute the chopped onions and garlic until it turns soft and golden brown. Remove from heat and keep aside.
- To a mixing bowl, add all the pulsed vegetables, cooked onion and garlic, along with salt and all the spice powders for the burger patty. Mix well until combined.
- Add the chopped olives, ground oats, coriander leaves and the mashed mung beans to the patty mixture. Combine everything well. If the mixture is too wet, add some more oats powder and if it is too dry then add some mung bean liquid.
Assembling the burger
- Cut each bun in half. Add burger mayo to the bottom half of the bun. Place a lettuce leaf followed by a burger patty on top.
- Place a cheese slice on top along with a few pieces of sliced tomatoes and onions.
- Place the other half of the bun on top and serve with some fries.
Notes
- Before steaming the buns, you can top it off with some white sesame seeds.
- You can also replace the whole wheat flour and jaggery for all purpose flour and sugar. This is just an alternative.
- For the burger patties, instead of mushrooms and carrots any other vegetables can also be used. Make sure that you take the same quantity of veggies.
- Also, you can replace mung beans and bulgur for any other bean and grain alternatives.
- You can roast the veggies in an oven too.
