Tuna & chickpea burgers + Thai inspired salad dressing

Perhaps you have made your homemade sweet chilli sauce and fancy something that will go well with it. Recently I had it with some chickpea and tuna burgers. I have made them based upon what we had in a fridge, freezer and cupboards. I wanted to cook a dinner that firstly will not require additional shopping and secondly will comfort mine appetite, that recently is so not into meat and also will not live my dear meat eater hungry. So this is improvisation and have to say it was very successful.

makes about 12 

about  200g dry chickpea

2 x 175g tins of tuna (in oil)

1 small onion, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 small red chilli, chopped

handful of fresh coriander (I used frozen, as I have some in the freezer)

2 small eggs, beaten

2 level tbsp of ground cumin

juice of half lemon

salt

freshly ground black pepper

some gram flour

oil for frying (I used sunflower)

lime wedges for serving (optional)

Soak the chickpea in a water overnight, then drain, cover with fresh water, add some salt and cook over a low heat until tender. Then drain and let it cool down.

Fry the onion in little oil over a low heat - it should be softened but not browned. Just before you finish frying the onion add the chilli and garlic and fry for about 1 minute. Remove from a heat and leave it to cool down.

Place the chickpea on a food processor and whiz until coarse in consistency - it should not be smooth, but it still should keep some of its texture. Place in a bowl.

Flake a tuna using a fork and place in the bowl. I did not drain mine, as it was in very little oil. Then add the fried onion, chilli, garlic, coriander, eggs, lemon juice, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly with your hands.

Next wet your hands and form small burgers, then dip them in a gram flour and place onto a chopping board.

Heat a decent amount of oil in a frying pan _ you don't want to deep fry the burgers, but they should be dipped in a fat about half way. Fry on both sides until golden, remove from a pan and sit aside on a paper kitchen roll to drain the excess of oil.

I served these burgers with roast potato wadges, lime wedges, sweet chilli sauce and some iceberg salad with Thai inspired dressing.

Thai inspired salad dressing 

2 tbsp groundnut oil

1 tsp honey

1 tsp fish sauce (nam pla)

juice of half lime

pinch of chilli powder

Place all of the ingredients in a jar, seal and shake until mixed. Wash and chop the salad, place in a bowl, add dressing just before serving, mix well and divide between plates. Sprinkle with some dry roasted cumin seeds.

Bon appetite!