Red Lentil Vegan Burger

To prepare the vegan red lentil burgers, place the lentils in a pot 1, cover them with water about twice their volume, and add a small piece of kombu seaweed 2. Cook for the time indicated on the package (about 20 minutes), remembering to add salt only towards the end of cooking 3 to prevent the lentils from becoming too firm.

Once cooked, drain the lentils without squeezing them 4. Cut the scallion into very thin slices 5, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan 6

and gently sauté the scallion 7. When it becomes almost transparent, add the lentils to the pan 8 and sauté them for a few minutes to enhance their flavor. Add the curry 9

and pepper 10, and set aside. Cut the stale bread into small pieces 11. In a large bowl, combine the lentils and bread 12 and mix well to fully soften the bread, using a spoon or even your hands.

When the bread is absorbed, add the chopped chives 13. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the mixture to firm up for at least an hour 14. In the meantime, prepare the other ingredients for the vegan burgers. Wash the zucchini and cut them lengthwise into slices about 2-3 mm thick 15,

and do the same with the eggplant 16. Heat the grill and sear the zucchini 17 and eggplant 18 on both sides until they have grill marks.

Also, wash the tomato and slice it 19. Season the vegetables with a drizzle of oil and a pinch of salt, and set them aside. Now, let's work on the sauce: peel the avocado, remove the pit, and dice the flesh 20. Squeeze the lemon juice 21,

and place both the avocado and lemon juice in the blender 22, along with the oil 23, salt, and garlic, crushed with a garlic press 24.

Blend until you get a smooth sauce 25, and set it aside. After the resting time, divide the lentil-based mixture into 4 balls, each about 90g, and flatten them in your hands to give them the classic hamburger shape 26, using a cookie cutter of the same diameter as the buns if you want a more even result. Then, return the burgers to the refrigerator to firm up for half an hour. After this time, brown the lentil burgers in a non-stick skillet with a drizzle of oil for 3-4 minutes, turning them halfway through cooking 27: they should form a light crust.

When the burgers are cooked, you have everything you need to assemble your vegan burgers. Cut the buns in half 28, spread the avocado sauce on all the inner sides, and place a burger, a slice of tomato 29, and a slice of eggplant 30 on the bottom half, stacking them on top of each other.

Finally, add the zucchini 31 and a basil leaf 32. Then, close with the top half of the bun so that the sauce-coated side is always in contact with the filling 33. Proceed in the same way with all the burgers and heat them for 5 minutes in a preheated static oven at 200°C (390°F) to make the bread crispy. Your vegan red lentil burgers are ready to enjoy!