IN THE POT | LENTIL & CHICKPEA PATTIES

There’s a wholefood store in Canberra that makes the nicest chickpea and lentil wrap and when I was pregnant with the little man I used to crave these wraps like no body’s business. I don’t know what it was about these wraps but I used to be drooling before I got into the store. They were magic and strangely for me a really healthy craving unlike the need for Big Macs that I would occasionally feel.

For awhile now I’ve been wondering if it would be possible to replicate the awesome that is these wraps in the comfort on my own home (thus eliminating the need for me to ever put on pants to leave the house!).

I did a bit of research and found a couple of recipes that looked like they’d do the trick. In the end I went with a recipe I found on Taste.com.au and just tweaked it a little. The result was so awesome I amazed myself.

The patties are really versatile as you can either make them up into burgers, wraps, sandwiches or serve them with rice and salads as a main meal. I served them on sourdough flat bread wraps with salad and a big glob of sweet chilli sauce (don’t forget the sweet chilli sauce as it’s made for these patties). The boys loved them which makes me happy because I’m totally making up another batch of these to freeze for days when I want something yum and quick.

Lentil & Chickpea Patties

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 brown onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon ground cumin

420g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained

420g can lentils, rinsed, drained

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup coriander leaves

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup plain flour

vegetable oil, for frying

1. In a small frying pan or pot heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add onion to pan, stirring occasionally and cook until soft. When onion is translucent add the garlic, turmeric and cumin and cook for 4 minutes or until soft. Be sure to keep stirring to ensure they don’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan.

2. Add the chickpeas, lentils, sunflower seeds, coriander, egg and onion mixture to a food processor and blend until almost smooth. While this is processing put 2/3 cup of flour in a bowl. When mixture is processed add to the bowl with the flour and combine.

3. Put 1/3 of plain flour on a plate, form chickpea mixture into patties and coat in flour.

4. In a large frying pan add enough vegetable oil to cover the base. Heat over a medium heat. In batches, cook the patties for 3 minutes each side or until golden. Remove from frying pan when cooked and let drain on a plate with paper towel.

Source: Taste.com.au