MEATLESS MEAL. The recipe for Spicy Brown Rice Edamame Burgers appears in The Ultimate Burger cookbook. (Daniel J. van Ackere/America’s Test Kitchen via AP)

From The Asian Reporter, V29, #16 (August 19, 2019), page 13.

By America’s Test Kitchen

No one will miss the meat when they take their first bite of these ultra-savory, Japanese-inspired rice burgers packed with edamame and infused with fresh ginger, sesame, and the distinct taste of nori, a type of dried seaweed.

For a burger with edamame in every bite, we pulsed it — along with some fresh spinach — with the rice in the food processor. This enabled us to incorporate far more filling into each burger, and slightly processing the rice released more starch, making the patties easier to shape.

We topped our burgers with flavorful sriracha mayonnaise and a medley of matchstick carrots, bean sprouts, and thinly sliced radishes for lively crunch. Swapping out the traditional burger bun in favor of iceberg lettuce leaves gave our burgers a lighter, fresher taste. To make these burgers vegan, substitute vegan mayonnaise.

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Servings: 4

Start to finish: 1 hour, 25 minutes

1 cup short-grain brown rice

1 cup baby spinach

3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame beans, thawed and patted dry

2 (8" x 7.5") sheets nori, crumbled

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon table salt

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons sriracha

8 large leaves iceberg lettuce

1 carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks

3 ounces (1 1/2 cups) bean sprouts

2 radishes, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin

Bring 1 3/4 cups water and rice to simmer in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer gently until rice is tender and water is fully absorbed, 40 to 45 minutes. Off heat, lay clean dish towel underneath lid, and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with fork and cover.

Pulse spinach, edamame, nori, sesame oil, ginger, and salt in food processor until the mixture is finely ground (it should not be smooth), about 10 pulses, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add rice and pulse until rice is coarsely chopped and mixture is well combined, about eight pulses.

Divide rice mixture into four equal portions. Using lightly moistened hands, tightly pack each portion into a 3/4"-thick patty. (Patties can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.) Heat vegetable oil in 12" nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Place patties in skillet and cook until golden brown and crisp on first side, five to seven minutes. Using two spatulas, gently flip patties and cook until browned and crisp on second side, five to seven minutes.

Whisk mayonnaise and sriracha together in a bowl. Stack lettuce leaves together to create four lettuce wraps. Serve burgers on lettuce wraps, topped with sriracha mayonnaise, carrot, bean sprouts, and radishes.

Nutrition information per serving: 391 calories (281 calories from fat); 31 g fat (4 g saturated, 0 g trans fats); 12 mg cholesterol; 672 mg sodium; 21 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 6 g protein.

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