Chickpea and couscous burgers

These burgers are a different way to eat chickpeas and they are very easy to make so don’t hesitate and try this recipe.

With these ingredients you get 8 burgers 4 inch in diameter, if they are like burgers in the pictures, or 4 if they are ¾ inch thick.

Ingredients

400 g (14oz) cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed.

100 g instant couscous

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 large clove of garlic

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon parsley, finely chopped

1 slice of soaked bread and a tablespoon breadcrumbs

Juice of half a lemon

Freshly ground black pepper

Salt

Olive oil

Sesame seeds to coat

Yogurt Sauce

Pita bread / Burger buns

Lettuce, tomato etc for the salad.

Directions

The first thing to do is to cook the couscous, you can follow the directions on the package. In the absence of instructions what I do is to put couscous in a bowl and add the same amount of boiling water. I cover the bowl with a clean cloth and I  let it sit for a few minutes. When couscous has absorbed the water, break apart and fluff with a fork.

While the couscous is done, put in a  pan a good dash of olive oil and fry the onion and the minced garlic until golden. Remove from the heat and add the cooked couscous. Mix and set apart.

In a large bowl mash the chickpeas with a fork until you have the consistency of a paste, then add the chopped parsley, the bread soaked and drained, the couscous, and if necessary, a bit of breadcrumbs.

Finally add to the mixture the ground ginger, the ground cumin, salt and  black pepper to taste. I recommend you to add the spices little by little and  keep tasting until the result is to your taste.  Add the juice of half a lemon, mix well and taste again, rectify seasoning if necessary. If the dough is too dry you can add a little olive oil.

Form the mixture into  equal burgers (4 inchs)  by hand or using a mold, I have improvised one with an old lid from a ice cream and some plastic wrap  to facilitate removal.

 Coat the burgers in sesame seeds and chill for at least an hour. It’s better make the burgers ahead  in time and chill them on a plate covered with plastic wrap in the fridge. This firms up the burger and helps it hold together during grilling.

Grill or cook in a non-stick frying pan with  a little olive oil, over a medium heat until they have a nice golden color in both sides. Serve with yogurt sauce and salad, or inside pita bread or burger buns. And enjoy!