Middle Eastern Style Chickpea Burgers are Healthy During These Challenging Times

posted on: Apr 15, 2020

By: Blanche Shaheen/Arab America Contributing Writer

Throughout the decades, people in Middle Eastern countries have dealt with a seemingly endless war, adversity, and food shortages which sadly continue to this day. One staple Arabs have depended on during these dark times to survive are legumes. Legumes are reliable in times of food uncertainty because they are cheap, readily available, rich with filling fiber, protein, and other micronutrients, and can be stored for a long time without perishing.

Arabs, in particular, have learned to turn the lowly legume into delicious dishes that remain popular today regardless of the socioeconomic environment. While chickpeas may taste boring alone, they transform beautifully into creamy hummus or crispy falafel. Most people don’t necessarily crave legumes, but once turned into flavorful dishes it doesn’t feel like such a sacrifice after all.  

During this Corona pandemic, chickpeas have come through for my family and me in a big way as I pined through aisle after aisle of empty shelves.  I decided to go to smaller middle eastern markets, where I knew they had a large inventory of legumes. While I typically have hummus in my refrigerator every day of the week, this time I wanted to transform the chickpeas into a warm and hearty dish the whole family could enjoy. So I created simple chickpea burgers that you can combine, cook and assemble in minutes.

This recipe yields four burgers, and with the buns and condiments come out to about six dollars. To save even more money, you can use dried chickpeas instead of canned. Make sure you sort through the beans to make sure there are no stones or debris, removing any that you find.  Then soak them overnight or for at least 12 hours in cold water. Now it is time to cook the chickpeas. Cover the chickpeas with water twice the amount of the chickpeas and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with a lid, then lower the heat to a simmer for one hour. Check to make sure they are tender enough for your taste. If not tender enough, you can simmer a bit longer. Drain then cool for 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can chickpeas

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from ½ lemon)

1/4 cup oats

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon cumin

½ tsp turmeric

2 cloves garlic, minced

¼ teaspoon sea salt

1 carrot, grated

¼  onion, grated

1 tbsp avocado or olive oil 

4 hamburger buns, split and toasted

Optional aioli sauce or hummus

Tomato and avocado slices 

 DIRECTIONS:

1) Drain the chickpeas. In a food processor, process the oats to make a coarse flour. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice, onions, garlic, cumin, turmeric, and salt. Process for 1 minute or until smooth. Add the carrots and parsley and pulse some more. Form into 4 ¾-inch-thick patties.

2) Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Heat 1 tbsp avocado or olive oil, then add the patties, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes each side or until golden and heated through, turning once.

3) Serve with avocado, lettuce, tomato, and aioli or hummus.

Blanche Shaheen is a journalist, host of the YouTube cooking show called Feast in the Middle East and cookbook author. For more authentic and classical Middle Eastern recipes, you can now purchase her brand new cookbook: “Feast in the Middle East, A Personal  Journey of Family and Cuisine” by clicking HERE:https://secure.mybookorders.com/Orderpage/2189 

To  check out her cooking video tutorials and other recipes follow Blanche on

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/blanchetv     

Her blog at: https://feastinthemiddleeast.wordpress.com/  

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blanchemedia/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FeastinTheMiddleEast

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