First off, thank you to everyone at Impossible Foods for making the amazing Impossible Burger(TM) and letting everyone know that a really good plant based burger is doable. An Impossible Burger at a restaurant that serves them is great (and you should get one if you can), but I couldn't get one this weekend and decided to try my own. Mine is not as good as the original, but it sure hits all the right notes--I get the meaty texture and almost 'aged beef' flavor from the tempeh, the mineral-y taste from the beets and a crust and moisture from the coconut oil. PS-sorry about the photo quality today-not my best.
Ingredients (serves
8):
For the fat:
¼ cup coconut oil, well chilled
For the binder:
1 tablespoon ground flax seed
3 tablespoons water
¼ cup potato starch (like Bob’s Red Mill®)
¼ cup water
For the spice mixture:
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
½ teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon granulated onion
For the base:
24 ounces plain tempeh (3 8-ounce packages)
4-6 slices beets from a 15 ounce can (not pickled beets)
5 Tablespoons beet juice (from the same can)
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon coconut aminos (optional, but this has umami like
soy sauce does)
2 Tablespoons canola or olive oil for cooking, divided
Directions:
For the fat: Scrape a fork across the cold coconut
oil until you have ¼ cup of flakes. Place in the fridge until needed.
For the binder: Combine the flax seed and 3
Tablespoons water together and chill in the fridge for at least 5 minutes. Stir
in the potato starch and the remaining ¼ cup of water. Stir well and set aside.
For the spices:
Combine all ingredients and set aside.
For the binder:
Break up the tempeh and put it in the food processor along
with the beet slices, beet juice, tomato paste and coconut aminos, if using.
Combine:
To the base, add the binder, the spices and the fat. Stir
well until you can grab a handful and it holds its shape. If it breaks apart,
just add water, 1 Tablespoon at a time. Form into 8 patties.
Cook: Preheat a cast iron or non-stick skillet to
medium and add 1 Tablespoon canola or olive oil. Cook the patties, in batches,
for about 4 minutes per side, using the rest of the canola or olive oil.
Serve with your favorite burger toppings.
