Tandoori Tempeh Burgers

I still remember the time when I was growing up and had started to learn how to cook. I remember how badly as a "vegetarian" I wanted to have the experience of cooking and eating a burger, yet did not really crave the beef. As time went on, meat substitutes such as tofu and tempeh were available. I noticed that many vegetarians were finding alternative ways to make traditional meat recipes such a burgers and chili with beans, etc. I did like the bean burgers, but those got old for me after a while. I had tried chicken burgers, which were pretty good as well, although I wasn't used to cooking with chicken meat yet, so I didn't make those at home. But once I had a Tandoori chicken burger that I really enjoyed that it inspired me to try out something new. I decided to experiment and make a similar burger with tempeh as a chicken meat substitute and that is how I came up with my Tandoori Tempeh Burgers. I used tempeh as the base, and eggs as a binder for the burger and although it required a little more careful "handling" than perhaps a real chicken burger, it turn out pretty good for vegetarian burger. In my opinion, this tempeh burger has more texture to the burger than most veggie burgers do.

I still make these Tandoori Tempeh burgers from time to time because we really love them! These burgers are my brother's favorite, so when he comes to visit, these burgers are on his list for me to make for sure. I think this is a fairly easy recipe that you can put together in under an hour or less. Anyway, give it a try and hope you enjoy it!

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Note: The following recipe will make four medium size patties.

Tempeh Patties

Ingredients:

- 6 oz slab of Lightlife Organic Soy Tempeh

- 1 large egg

- 1 tbsp of canola oil or EVOO

- 1 tsp of cayenne pepper powder, or red chili pepper

- 1/2 tsp of salt

- 1/4 tsp of turmeric

- 1/4 tsp of ground cumin

- 1 tsp tsp of garlic and ginger paste

- 1/2 tsp of Tandoori masala or garam masala

- 1/2 tsp of ground coriander

- 1 tbsp of plain yogurt

- 1 tsp of lemon juice

- 1/4 tsp of sugar

- 1/4 cup of chopped cilantro

For the burger:

Ingredients:

- Pepperidge Farm Burger Buns (toasted to your preference)

- Sliced Sargento Pepper Jack Cheese

- Romaine Lettuce

- Vine Tomato Slices

- Sautéed Onions and Jalopeno Peppers

- Maggie Chilli Garlic sauce or any other sauce you'd prefer

Directions

1 - In a mixing bowl, add cayenne pepper, salt, garlic/ginger paste, Tandoori masala, ground coriander, turmeric, cumin, plain yogurt, sugar, canola oil, cilantro, and lemon juice. Whisk it together to form a paste.

2 - With a shredder or a food processor, shred the tempeh block and add it to the mixing bowl.

3 - Crack an egg into the mixture and combine it all together.

4 - Divide the tempeh mixture into four parts and refrigerate for about 15-20 minutes so that it sets a little bit.

5 - Heat the griddle, or non-stick skillet over medium to high heat and add a tsp of oil for each patty, form the patty to your preference, and cook it for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Be careful when flipping it.

6 - Place a slice of pepper jack cheese on the patty and cover it with a steal or glass pot lid so that the cheese melts perfectly around it. I folded the cheese slice on all four corners so that it would fit on perfectly on top of the patty.

7 - Assemble the Burger: Add a little Maggie Chilli Garlic sauce on the buns, place a leaf of lettuce, then the tempeh burger, a slice or two of tomatoes, sautéed peppers and onions and close it. Enjoy!