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Kūmara tempeh burgers

I use the standard red (Owairaka) kūmara in these patties as orange (Beauregard) kumara contain too much moisture. These can be prepared up to 3 days in advance and make use of leftover cooked brown rice. If you’re using ground cumin, add to the onions along with the turmeric instead of adding to the kūmara.
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 1 medium (approx. 300g) kūmara (sweet potato) un-peeled + cut into bite-sized chunks (see NOTE above)
  • 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds or ground cumin
  • olive oil
  • 1 250g packet tempeh roughly chopped
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 red or green chilli finely chopped (or use a pinch of chilli flakes if you don’t have fresh)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 cup leftover cooked medium-grain brown rice
  • 1 teaspoon white (shiro) miso paste mixed with 1 teaspoon warm water
  • handful coriander (cilantro) leaves roughly chopped
  • 4 burger buns gluten-free if needed
  • mayonnaise vegan, if needed
  • tomato, relish to serve
  • sliced avocado or salad greens to serve

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 200C (400F). Place kūmara (sweet potato) onto a tray, scatter over cumin seeds, drizzle with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and mix well to coat. Roast20-25 minutes or until the kūmara is tender and golden. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle.
  • Heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat, add a little olive oil and cook the onion, while stirring for 1-2 minutes or until tender, add garlic, chilli and turmeric and cook for a further 30 seconds. Blend tempeh in a food processor until finely ground.
  • Transfer roasted kūmara to a large bowl and roughly mash with a fork. Add ground tempeh, cooked brown rice, miso mixed with water and coriander and using your hands, mix well, squishing it altogether until it holds together. Shape into 4 patties, transfer to a tray and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
  • To cook, heat a little olive oil in a large frying pan and cook over medium heat until the underside is deeply golden, before carefully flipping and cooking the other side. Serve in a lightly toasted bun with mayonnaise, tomato relish and salad greens or avocado (or both!).

Notes

This recipe was created for and first featured in Nourish Magazine, NZ.