Chickpea Burgers with Mango Salsa

Finding a good meat-free burger patty that stays together to cook properly on a braai is a difficult task. Not only is this burger delicious, it won’t fall apart and only takes 10 minutes to cook on the coals. The spicy mango salsa is optional but adds a good bite and fresh flavour for hot evenings spent by the pool.

Chickpea burger patty

1 can chickpeas
¾ cup rolled oats
1 egg*
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground paprika
½ medium red onion, finely chopped
A handful fresh coriander, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup soaked sundried tomatoes, chopped
Salt and pepper

*For a vegan option, replace the eggs with ‘flax’ eggs. One flax egg = 1 tablespoon flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons of hot water and stirred.

Rinse and drain the chickpeas and mash them with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Mould the mixture into burger patties and refrigerate until ready to braai. The mixture may be too crumbly to braai on a grid, so use a pan and place on the fire. Cook one side until nicely browned and turn over and cook the other side. Serve with mango salsa.

Serves 4

Mango Salsa

Chop a few mangoes, a small red onion, a handful of coriander and some jalapeños (or green chillies) finely, mix them in a bowl and sprinkle with salt. One chilli has quite a kick but for the chilli lovers, two or even three small chillies will bring a lot of heat. Mango salsa is the perfect light and fresh burger topping to take your burger braai to the next level.

READ MORE: Learn how to grow your own chickpeas or make your own hummus with these 5 hummus recipes