Indian Lamb & Eggplant Burger with Mayo Raita and Tomato Kasundi

Recipes, food styling & photography Sarah Tuck

	FOR THE BURGERS
	1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, roughly chopped
	1 red onion, roughly chop half and reserve the other half to serve
	3 cloves garlic
	1⁄2 teaspoon salt
	1 teaspoon turmeric
	1 teaspoon cumin seeds
	1 teaspoon garam masala
	1 tablespoon curry powder
	1 green chilli, roughly chopped
	2 cups fresh coriander, plus extra to serve
	600g lamb mince
	1 large eggplant
	1⁄4 cup olive oil
	4-6 brioche burger buns or Indian flatbread
	mayo raita (recipe follows)
	tomato kasundi (recipe follows)
	2 tomatoes, to serve
	2 cups baby spinach, to serve
	1 avocado, sliced, (optional), to serve
	FOR THE MAYO RAITA
	1 small cucumber, grated
	1⁄4 teaspoon salt
	1⁄2 cup Greek natural yoghurt
	1⁄2 cup good-quality mayonnaise (I use Best Foods)
	1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
	1⁄2 teaspoon ground coriander
	1⁄4 cup mint leaves, finely chopped
	1⁄4 cup coriander leaves
	FOR THE TOMATO KASUNDI
	1 teaspoon salt
	5 cloves garlic, crushed
	1 large thumb-sized piece of ginger
	2 teaspoons ground coriander
	2 red chillies, deseeded
	1 onion, roughly chopped
	2 tablespoons olive oil
	2 tablespoons black mustard seeds
	1 tablespoon cumin seeds
	1 & 1⁄2kg tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped
	1 tablespoon turmeric
	1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
	3⁄4 cup brown sugar
	2 tablespoons tomato paste
	1⁄3 cup cider vinegar

1.	Line an oven tray with baking paper.
2.	Put the ginger, half of the red onion, garlic, salt, spices, and chilli in a food processor and whizz to a chunky paste.
3.	Add half of the coriander and whizz again until it is chopped through.
4.	Put the mince in a large bowl and tip in the spice paste.
5.	Use your hands to mix well, then form into 4 mammoth or 6 small patties.
6.	Put the patties on the prepared tray and use your thumb to make a small dent in the centre of each patty (this will help to prevent patty-shrinkage).
7.	Cover the patties and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
8.	Slice the eggplant into 1.5cm rounds and heat half of the olive oil in a large frying pan.
9.	Heat the oven grill to medium.
10.	Fry the eggplant slices in batches for 2-3 minutes each side, until cooked through and soft.
11.	Set aside.
12.	Heat the remaining oil and cook the patties for 4-5 minutes each side until cooked through.
13.	While they are cooking, grill the burger buns and serve the burgers piled with mayo raita, tomato kasundi, tomatoes, spinach, onion rings, coriander and avocado (if using).
14.	FOR THE MAYO RAITA
15.	Put the grated cucumber in a sieve, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for half an hour.
16.	Whisk the yoghurt and mayo together with the cumin and coriander in a large bowl.
17.	Stir in the fresh herbs and refrigerate in a sealed container until ready to use.
18.	This can be prepared up to 3 hours ahead.
19.	FOR THE TOMATO KASUNDI
20.	Put the salt, garlic, ginger, coriander, chillies and onion in a food processor and whizz to a paste.
21.	Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and add the mustard and cumin seeds.
22.	Cook for 2-3 minutes until they start popping then add the ginger and onion paste.
23.	Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes then add the tomatoes, turmeric, ground cloves, sugar, tomato paste and vinegar.
24.	Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
25.	Cook uncovered for 90 minutes then transfer to sterilised jars and refrigerate until ready to use.
26.	It will keep for at least 3 weeks in the fridge

Sarah Tuck

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