Split Pea - Re-imagined

Good day everyone.

I’m sitting here wondering, “What can I say about Split Pea Powder?” We make pholourie and saheena, but we know about these things. How about we get a little more adventurous? Why not right? Food is fun…at least it’s supposed to be.

So…Split Pea Powder, Coconut Oil? Well, how about gluten free, veggie burger, cooked over a glaze of coconut oil with some tamarind topping (along with other things…think “Bake n Shark for this on?”

Searching around I found a recipe that I tried with the powder; I must say it was really good…coming from a meat lover.

Split Pea Burger

Recipe

2 cups cooked split peas – Sub for Split Pea Powder

1½ cups grated carrots (about 2 large carrots)

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon roughly chopped brown onion

¼ cup black olives

3 tablespoons marinated, drained sun-dried tomatoes, plus 1 tablespoon of the sun-dried tomato oil (the marinade)

2 medium-sized garlic cloves, roots removed

1 egg

½ cup garbanzo flour

½ cup almond meal

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1½ teaspoons granulated sugar

1 ¾ teaspoons sea salt

A few turns of freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Grape seed or olive oil for the grill – Simply Natural Coconut Oil

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Add the split peas, carrots, onion, olives, sun-dried tomatoes (plus the oil), and garlic to a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Process until every thing is incorporated and it's a relatively smooth mixture.
3. Add the egg and process just until it's blended in.
4. Remove the mixture from the food processor and pour it into a large mixing bowl.
5. Fold in the garbanzo flour, almond meal, paprika, sugar, salt. pepper and cayenne. Mix until you no long see any dry spots.
6. Using an ice cream scoop or measuring cup, shape the burgers and add them to the parchment-lined baking sheet as you go. (They should be about ½ cup each.) This mixture will not be firm like meat, it will be loose and might be tricky to work with. This can be solved by coating your hands with the garbanzo flour -- just to gently press on the burgers to flatten them out a bit.
7. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and ideally overnight.
8. To grill the burgers, preheat your BBQ or stove-top grill. (If you're using a BBQ, be sure the openings in the grate aren't too big -- these are delicate burgers.) Remove the shaped burgers from the refrigerator and drizzle grape seed or olive oil over them. When the grill is very hot, very gently use a flat-bottomed, metal spatula, to place them on the grill, oil side down. You should hear a sizzling sound — if you don’t, wait! You won’t get a nice caramelization and “crust” on the burger if it’s not hot enough. Grill until the bottoms are nicely charred, about 3 minutes. Drizzle oil over them and then carefully flip them over and reduce the heat to medium-low. Grill for another few minutes, to char the bottom and cook through to the center.
9. Place them on plate to cool.