Red Lentil Burgers

Here is my experience and the fixes that worked.
The red lentils and rice turned to mush. I mixed it all up anyway and refrigerated it for several hours in hopes of it getting stiffer and easier to work with. (It was still super sticky so I floured my hands and added a little flour-not much, though.)Then I baked them for about 30 minutes each side on an aluminum foil covered and oiled raised side cookie sheet. They browned nicely and dried up a bit too. They have a really nice flavor, almost like there is cheese in them. I also used a chipotle style red pepper powder. Yum.

I agree with the other reviewers that this does not come together at all like it is written. I tried to fry them like the recipe said but I ended up rolling the balls in panko so that they would keep them in their shape. The taste was decent but they were a terrible mess to make. I assume that the original reviewer using bulgur added some necessary bulk and binding elements that are missing when you follow the recipe as written.

This recipe is horrible. I had a feeling it wasn't going to work out as soon as I noticed it didn't call for anything that would help the ingredients stick together (such as bread crumbs or egg). I decided to give it a try just as the recipe states anyway.The mixture was bland and the consistency of a very dense pancake batter. There was no way I could "form this into patties" as the recipe directs. Instead, I had to pour it into the skillet in spoonfuls. The first batch did not hold together at all and was just a lump of goo in the pan. I tried adding some egg and bread crumbs to firm up the batter. This turned out better, but the finished burgers were still really dense and mushing in the middle. Baking them for a few minutes after browning the outside helped make them palatable. I also made a cilantro sour cream sauce that helped with the blandness. Overall, this recipe was a lot of work for mediocre results.

Tried this recipe and it did NOT turn out. The mixture was delicious but was the consistency of a bean dip and would not form patties, no matter how much it cooked. It is noteworthy to mention that, as written, it is also WAY TOO HOT TO TOUCH in order to form patties (we had to try the fridge and putting it in an ice bath to cool it down). But even after it was cooled off, it became, at best, a thick dip consistency, and did not form patties upon cooking. I am convinced you guys missed something important in the printing of this recipe, because followed exactly as written, this recipe did not work. The New Mexican green chile cheeseburgers (black bean burgers) in July 2014 issue, however, were excellent.

This is a delicious vegan and gluten-free meal ! I used the classic bugler rather than white rice to up the whole grain and fiber content, but the rice will keep it gluten-free. It is simple and quick to prepare as 20 minutes of the time required was in cooking the lentils and rice. This has a little bit of heat, so if you want to tone that down decrease the red pepper. I used half the red pepper and half alleppo turkish peppers which was great. My family loved this and I will definitely make it again soon!