To this effect, I decided to add some cooked brown rice, mung lentil and some veggies to amp up the nutrition content. I also added a slight Indian touch to this cutlet/patty by adding some curry powder to it. The result...........the patty/ cutlet turned out to be very tasty and versatile. I used it in a sandwich, in a burger and on its own and it never disappointed in each of these avatars. I have already made this a few times since that first time and look forward to making it often in the future too :-)
Here is another closer view of the cutlet...............
Click here for a printable view of this recipe
Ingredients and Method to make Quinoa cutlet (see notes)
1 cup quinoa washed and rinsed
2 carrots cut fine
1 large green bell pepper (capsicum/ koda molagai) cut fine
1/2 heaped cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup split mung lentil (moong dhal) (washed and rinsed)
1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice (see notes)
salt to taste
1/2 tsp cumin powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp red chili powder (or to taste)
1/2 tsp garam masala (or to taste) (can be substituted with any other curry powder)
a little oil to shallow fry the cutlets
On the stove top or the microwave steam cook the carrots until cooked yet crisp.
In a large heavy bottomed pan, add washed and drained lentil and enough water to submerge the lentils and place on heat. Once it comes to a full boil, lower heat and allow the lentils to cook.
When the lentils are half cooked, add quinoa and more water if required and cook until both quinoa and lentils are fully cooked.
Add the steamed carrots, bell pepper and peas, sprinkle a little water if required and cook until the vegetables are done.
Add all the spices, salt to taste and mix well.
Add the cooked brown rice and mix well. Mash the entire mixture, a little coarsely using the back of the spatula or using a potato masher. At this point the mixture should quite thick and a little stiff .
Allow it to cool, then shape into patties/ cutlets of desired thickness and size. Heat a flat pan/griddle/ tawa and place two or more cutlets on it. Pour a few drops of oil around the patties and allow the lower side to turn golden brown, flip over and cook until the other side becomes golden brown.
The copyright of this content belongs to Veginspirations.com
Use this as a sandwich stuffing, or in a burger or just serve with some ketchup as a snack or something additional to go with a hearty soup.
Suggested variation
Mince a couple (or more or less, according to taste) of Thai or Indian variety of green chilies and add to the cooked quinoa for a slightly different flavor and a little more heat.
Notes:
I had some leftover collard greens brown rice that I never got around to posting on this site. I used that in this recipe and since the rice had had its own spices and flavors, I used less spices in the burger patty/cutlet. In case you use plain cooked brown rice, you may need to increase the quantity of each spice according to your preference.
When hot this patty/cutlet is a little fragile, but in a minute or two it becomes easier to handle. I would recommend using a large spatula to flip it over so that it does not break in the process. If you find that it is a little too fragile, you can use whole wheat bread crumbs to make the mixture a little stiffer and make it easier to handle. I did not need anything extra so I haven't added it to my ingredient list.
