Sous Vide Quinoa Burger with Walnuts and Ginger
About
A sous vide treatment of the popular animal protein substitute. Not only does this version provide complete protein, it's texture closely resembles that of the original fast food.
Ingredients
Quinoa, 1 cup/240 ml.
Fresh ginger, .5 oz./15 g.
Carrots, 1 ea. medium
Celery, 2 stalks.
Garlic, .5 oz /15 g.
Water, 2 cups/0.45 L.
Walnuts, 1 cup/175 g.
Bread, whole wheat, three slices 6 oz./175 g.
Olive oil, 1/4 cup/50 ml.
Egg, one each.
Accouterments:
Your favorite bun or sliced bread.
Asparagus ribbons, 1 stalk per burger.
Lettuce or greens of your preference.
Tomato, sliced.
Onion, sliced.
Pickles.
There is no shame in ketchup. It is an excellent accompaniment, for kids AND adults.
Sriracha or Thai chili sauce, Tabasco. Frank's Hot Sauce. All excellent.
Bacon , cheese. even some cured duck prosciutto will make carnivores feel included!
Equipment requirements
Immersion circulator, portable or stationary.
Heat rated container, minimum of 2 gallons/8 liters.
Heat rated sous vide bags.
Flour shaker or fine meshed strainer.
Flat bottomed skillet, approximately 12″/30 cm. and 3″/90 mm deep.
Kitchen tongs, metal.
Infrared or probe thermometer.
Instructions
Serves 4 Level of difficulty 3
Procedure:
Peel the ginger with a spoon and smash and peel the garlic. Cut the carrots and celery into bite size pieces and chop everything fine in a food processor.
Cook:
Combine the quinoa with the water and vegetables in a Ziploc Gallon Freezer Bag. Lower the bag into a 183F/84C bath and hang the bag over the edge of the vessel. Use the lid to secure the bag. Make sure the ingredients are fully submerged (the water will push out any remaining air). Process for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, grind the bread in the mini processor. Add the walnuts and egg and grind again. Combine:
Remove the quinoa from the bath and stage into a mixing bowl. Add the bread crumbs, nuts, and egg mixture, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix with gloved hands or with paddle for a few seconds.
Pasteurize:
After mixing, batch the mixture into three or four Ziploc quart freezer bags. Process again @ 183 F/84 C for 30 minutes. This will fully pasteurize the quinoa burger mix. Cold shock to 70 F/21 C in iced water and refrigerate at 40 F/4 C. If the seal is not broken, this mix will keep refrigerated @40 F/4 C for at least a week. Otherwise, the patties can be formed and frozen.Shape, Cook and Serve:
Form the patties using a ring or cookie cutter and stage on to parchment. Spray with a little Pam to prevent sticking. Pan sear on medium heat in a little oil to create crust. Sprinkle with chopped parsley, fresh or dried to help prevent the patty from sticking to broiler grates. Once completed, serve individually or create a miniature buffet. Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Sprinkle parsley sprigs and some greens on the parchment, and arrange all the toppings, leaving room for the buns. Toast the buns, arrange in between all the toppings, and lay the patties on top. Serve with fresh fruit on the table for a healthy, trouble free, complaint free meal. The combination of ginger, garlic and carrot creates a flavor profile commonly found in Asian cooking. The carrots also provide a colorful brightness to the mix. The walnuts bring a firm and crunchy texture to the overall experience. You can create a wide variety of appearance effects on the patties, sure to please all preferences with little or no alterations.
Medium heat works for all the methods, the pan's surface should be about 250 F/121 C. If the mix is formed into balls, rolled in crumbs and deep fried, it makes a tasty bar snack. [caption id="attachment_2414" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]
Buffet style is great because it lets people make their own choices with a minimum of discussion and special requests.[/caption] 
Sous vide pasteurization makes it easy to produce a large batch of quinoa burger mix. You will have a safe and wholesome end result with a much longer shelf life than the traditional preparations. The mix spends very little time in temperature danger zones, which makes it all that much more appealing to serve to immune challenged diners like pregnant women and children.