Recipe: Chipotle corn 'vurger' with crispy fried jackfruit

Recipe for a vegan corn burger from the Vurger Co's new recipe book

Ingredients

For the patties

• 80g roasted red peppers
• 190g tinned sweetcorn, drained weight
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 2tsp chipotle paste
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1½tsp smoked paprika
• 160g tinned butter beans, drained weight
• 35g breadcrumbs
• 35g cornmeal
• 20g plain flour
• 12g jarred jalapeños, finely chopped
• ½tsp salt
• ½tsp black pepper

For the crispy jackfruit

• 400g tin jackfruit
• 2tbs rice flour
• 1tbs smoked paprika
• ½tsp dried oregano
• ½tsp cayenne pepper
• ½tsp dried thyme
• ½tsp sea salt
• 250ml vegetable oil, for shallow frying

Recipe

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.

Place the red pepper, sweetcorn and red onion on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and roast in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the chipotle paste, minced garlic and paprika and mix through. Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes, then remove and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, place the butter beans in a mixing bowl and roughly mash using a potato masher, leaving some beans whole to add texture.

Once cooled, add the cooked mixture from the baking tray and mix again. Add the breadcrumbs, cornmeal, flour, jalapeños and seasonings and mix.

To form the patties, divide the patty mixture into four equal parts and roll each in the palm of your hands to form a ball. Gently push down the ball using your hands or the bottom of a glass to form four burger patties. Place the patties in the fridge for 40 minutes to firm up.

Meanwhile, make the crispy jackfruit. Drain the liquid from the tin of jackfruit, place the jackfruit into a nut-milk bag or clean tea towel and twist and squeeze to expel as much water as you can. Once it's dry, place it in a mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients, except the oil, and mix thoroughly so the jackfruit is coated in all of the spices.

For the quick tomato salsa

• 10 cherry tomatoes, finely diced
• A handful of chopped fresh coriander
• ½ red onion, finely diced
• 1tbs white wine vinegar
• Juice of ½ lime
• ½tsp salt

To serve

• 4 slices vegan mozzarella
• 4 vegan brioche buns or gluten-free alternative
• 4tbs spicy vegan mayo
• 4 lettuce leaves

Heat the oil in a frying pan set over a medium-high heat. Fry the jackfruit for 3-4 minutes until evenly golden brown and crispy. Place on a plate lined with kitchen towel to remove any excess oil. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the frying pan, ready to fry the patties later.

To make the salsa, combine all the ingredients in a bowl and set aside until ready to serve.

Set the frying pan with the oil over a medium heat and fry the patties for 3 minutes on each side until cooked through. Keep flipping the patties to make sure they don't burn on one side. During the last minute of cooking time, add a cheese slice to the top of each patty and place under the grill for 1 minute to melt.

To assemble the burger, lightly toast the brioche bun. Spread the spicy mayo on the bottom bun then add the lettuce leaf. Place the patty on top of the lettuce then add the tomato salsa and jackfruit on top. Finish with a little more mayo then place the top bun over the top, securing it in place with a burger skewer to serve.

Recipe from The Vurger Co at Home by The Vurger Co (Harper Collins, £16)