I only had a tiny fraction of the amount of avocado that I was supposed to for this recipe, so imagine these patties topped with a lot more guac/avocado mash than they are in the photos. Also, the recipe as written just calls for mashing up the avocado with a bit of tomato, lime juice, and salt. This is fine, but I wanted to gussy it up a bit (especially since I had so much less than I was supposed to), so I opted to add some fried garlic, cilantro, and ground Kashmiri chilies.¹

The patties themselves were also relatively simple: just some onion, cumin, oregano, and jalapeño mashed up with some beans with a bit of egg and panko to bind it. This seemed a bit bland to me, so I added some garlic and a bit of adobo sauce from some chipotles in adobo. I also replaced some of the cumin with dhania-jeera masala to add another layer of flavour. I didn't add any black pepper this time, but I feel like that wouldn't've gone amiss either. There's room to play around with the seasonings a bit.

Black Bean Patties

Adapted from Healthy Dish of the Day by Kate McMillan

Ingredients

Patties

• scant 2 c. cooked black beans
• 1 Tbsp. garlic oil, divided (home-made or store-bought)
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. adobo sauce from chipotles in adobo
• 1 large egg
• 6 Tbsp. panko breadcrumbs

Topping

• 1 avocado
• 1 roma tomato, seeded and diced
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• 1/2 tsp. balti masala (optional)
• 1 tsp. minced fried garlic (from garlic oil or store-bought)
• 1/4 tsp. ground Kashmiri chilies
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. lime zest (optional)
• ~1/2 c. plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
• ~1/4 c. salsa verde, Envy sauce, or cilantro-mint chutney

Directions

1. Mash the beans and set aside.
2. Heat 1/2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium heat.
3. Add the onion, garlic, and jalapeño and cook until soft (3-5 minutes).
4. Stir in the cumin, masala, pepper, oregano, and salt and cook for another minute or so.
5. Add the onion mixture to the mashed beans along with the adobo sauce and stir to combine.
6. Mix in the egg and the breadcrumbs.
7. Shape into patties. You should get 4-8 patties depending on how big you want them.
8. Heat the remaining oil over medium heat.
9. Add the patties to the pan and cook until heated through and browned on both sides (5-6 minutes per side).
10. Meanwhile, mash the avocado and mix in the tomato, lime juice, masala(s), fried garlic, Kashmiri chilies, cilantro, salt, and lime zest (if using).
11. Serve the patties topped with the avocado mixture, yogurt/sour cream, and salsa/Envy/chutney.

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¹ I feel like I added one or two other things as well, but I can't remember what they were now. That said, I think a little balti masala and/or dhania-jeera masala would go nicely in this. Use whatever you feel best fits the vibe. ^Back