Soak the mung beans: The night before (or about 8 hours before cooking), soak 3/4 cup uncooked mung beans in water. This helps them cook faster and improves digestibility. Simply soak them in the pot you will cook them with.
Cook the mung beans: Drain and rinse the soaked mung beans. Then cover with enough water to submerge the beans by at least 2 inches (5 centimeters). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 25-30 minutes, until tender.Check after the 15-20 minutes mark and add more water if needed. If you see foams on the top layer, simply remove them. To check for doneness, you should be able to easily press them between your fingers, without them getting mushy. Once done, drain any excess water.
Prepare the Other Ingredients
Make the chia egg: In a small bowl, mix 1 Tablespoon chia seeds with 3 Tablespoons of water. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes until it thickens.
1 tablespoon chia seeds, 3 tablespoons water
Prepare the parsley: Remove the thick parsley stems and measure out its quantity.
1/2 cup fresh parsley
Make the Burger Patties
Once the mung beans have cooled down to the touch, add the drained mung beans, oat flour, parsley, sunflower seeds, and burger seasoning (from the step above). Process for about 1 minute until the mixture gets sticky and can be easily shaped without falling apart, scraping down the sides if needed. You want most of the ingredients to get mashed. If you have trouble shaping the burger, process the mixture further.If you don't have a food processor, simply mash the mung beans, then mix the remaining ingredients by hand.
Add the chia 'egg' and stir until the mixture is well combined.
Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and use your hands to shape each into a patty. I prefer keeping them thin and wide instead of thicker since this means that you get more crunch, but do what you like!For maximum flavor, you can smash the patties, similar to my vegan smash burger recipe!
Bake or Air Fry the Patties
Lightly brush both sides of the patties with oil (optional).
2 teaspoons oil
Bake the patties in the oven at 200°C (400°F) for 10 minutes, flipping, then bake for another 10 minutes.
You can also air fry the patties for 8 minutes at 180°C (355°F), flip, then cook for another 8 minutes until golden brown and firm.
Assembly Time
While waiting for the patties to cook, toast your burger buns.
6 burger buns
Assemble your burger by placing the lettuce on top of the bottom bun, followed by your burger sauce. Then add the mung bean patty, (caramelized) onions, and tomato. Top with the other burger bun. Enjoy!
If you don’t have oat flour at hand, you can make it easily! Add 1/3 cup rolled oats or quick-cooking oats to a blender or food processor. Blend until it turns into fine flour. This yields approximately 1/4 cup oat flour.