What’s a bunnuce burger?

Chickpea bunnuce burgers are healthy, substantial, crispy, and for you vegos out there, vegetarian. What’s a bunnuce burger? A burger or patties wrapped in lettuce not in a bun! What’s not to like about them! A few weekends ago I was down in Wellington (check out Shared Kitchen’s Instagram and Facebook page https://facebook.com/sharedkitchenblog) renewing my Italian passport. You have to front up personally at the Embassy and have your fingerprints taken. (Read expensive!) It was around 1am on Saturday night when I had the kebab of my life! Sure, it was post-drinkies so hunger and the usual cravings were at an all-time high, but holy cow. The kebab I had blew my mind! I must admit that kebabs are a weakness that I embrace openly, so I’m not afraid to say that I am a bit of a kebab aficionado. Hehe. Unlike the stock standard chicken doner kebabs you happen across everywhere, this one had an excessively generous drizzle of garlic yoghurt, a thick dolloping of hummus, tender spicy chicken pieces, a tomato salsa, and, lo and behold, a generous side of falafel. It was also massive. I had to force myself to eat it all, but, you guessed it, I managed, just. Success!

The inspiration for these chickpea bunnuces actually stems from this Wellington evening, and my recipe is a personal twist on the flavours and textures I experienced – there’s crispy light patties, a thick creamy sauce with a decent bite, a juicy crunch of lettuce, as well as a fresh sharp tomato salsa. These babies are kebabs’ next level … mainly because they have everything you need in them, but they are healthy with very little fat and salt. This, therefore, means you can eat however many you want, any time you want, without feeling guilty (and greasy) afterwards.
In terms of their creation, I do have my mum Julie to thank a bit here as she truly is the Patty Queen. Haha, it sounds so glamorous, doesn’t it? But her title is well deserved. She advised that an egg added to the mixture would hold all the ingredients together, and to add panko crumbs to make them light. The crumbs make it easier to shape the patties and they help them keep shape while frying. The result is a soft delicate pattie rather than a stodgy mountain of dryness. Anyway, enough babbling from me! Just give these a go – they are seriously so good and I swear that they’ll beat any kebab and falafel combo that a 1am service, or any other time, can offer you.