dinner · japanese

Vegan Rice Burger

45 min Serves 2

A Japanese-inspired rice burger with crispy soy-brushed rice buns, a hearty mushroom-lentil patty, and kinpira-style braised carrot and daikon.

dairy-freegluten-freeveganvegetarian gluten-freejapanesekinpiralentilmushroomrice burgervegan

Preparation time

Total: approximately 45 minutes
Preparation: 25 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 cup cooked short grain or glutinous rice
1 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce or liquid aminos (for rice buns)
2 tbsp oil for frying (rice buns)
1 tbsp oil (lentil patty)
3 fresh shiitake mushrooms (chopped)
3 king oyster mushrooms (chopped)
1 small onion (minced)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tbsp gluten-free soy sauce or liquid aminos (lentil patty)
½ cup cooked lentils (drained)
Salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup almond flour
1 medium carrot
½ daikon radish
1 clove garlic (kinpira)
1 teaspoon soy sauce (kinpira)
¼ cup teriyaki sauce
1 teaspoon oil (kinpira)
1 tbsp sesame seeds
4 nori sheets (toasted seaweed)

Description

This vegan rice burger is a plant-based spin on the popular Japanese MOS Burger. Crispy soy-glazed rice buns stand in for bread, hugging a savory mushroom-lentil patty and a sweet-savory kinpira of braised carrot and daikon. It's gluten-free (with GF soy sauce) and fully vegan.

Instructions

Rice Buns:

With wet palms, scoop out 3 tablespoons of cooked short grain or glutinous rice. Press firmly into a patty about 4 inches wide, keeping hands wet to prevent sticking. A circular mold works too. Make 4 buns total.
Brush each bun with soy sauce and set aside.
Heat a lightly oiled frying pan or griddle over medium heat. Cook rice buns until golden brown and crispy on each side. Remove from pan.

Vegan Mushroom-Lentil Patty: 4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. Add mushrooms and onion and cook until browned. Turn off heat. 5. In a bowl, mash the cooked lentils with a fork until the mixture clumps — leave some texture, don't mash smooth. 6. Add oregano, basil, thyme, garlic, and soy sauce to the mushrooms. Return to heat briefly to warm through. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in almond flour. 7. Shape into 2 equal patties. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a frying pan over medium heat and fry for about 5 minutes until brown on all sides. Alternatively, bake at 375°F (190°C) for 15–20 minutes.

Kinpira: 8. Slice carrot and daikon into matchstick pieces. 9. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a pan. Sauté carrot, daikon, and garlic for 30 seconds. Add soy sauce and teriyaki sauce. Simmer on low heat until the sauce thickens.

Assembly: 10. Place one rice bun on a plate. Layer with 2 nori sheets, the lentil patty, a spoonful of kinpira, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Top with a second rice bun.

Notes

Use glutinous (sticky) rice or Japanese short-grain rice for the buns — regular long-grain won't hold together.
Baking the patties is a lower-fat alternative to pan-frying and works well.
Nutrition is per sandwich (1 serving).

Substitutions

Liquid aminos can replace soy sauce throughout for a slightly milder flavor.
Any firm mushroom works in place of shiitake or king oyster.
Regular (non-GF) soy sauce works if gluten is not a concern.

Nutrition (per serving)

calories: 668.0
carbs_g: 63.0
fat_g: 40.0
protein_g: 20.0

Source: https://www.fromthecomfortofmybowl.com/vegan-rice-burger/
Jhanelle Golding, From the Comfort of My Bowl, 2019