Serves 4 | Cook 30–35 mins
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, fi nely chopped
1 red pepper, cored, deseeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, fi nely chopped
1 tsp cumin seeds
¼–½ tsp dried red chilli fl akes
2 x 410g cans black beans or red kidney
beans, well drained
4 tbsp roughly chopped coriander
50g soft breadcrumbs
a little dry polenta or dried breadcrumbs,
for coating
rapeseed or light olive oil, for shallow-frying
lemon wedges, to serve
For the lemon mayonnaise:
1 free-range egg
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
300ml very light olive oil or other
neutral-tasting oil
salt and pepper
Spicy bean cakes with lemon mayonnaise
1. To make the mayonnaise, put the egg, mustard, lemon juice and salt and pepper into a food processor or blender and whizz for a few seconds to blend. Then, with the motor running, very slowly pour in the oil through the hole in the top of the mixer, barely a trickle at fi rst, increasing as the mayonnaise thickens. It will be very thick when you have added all the oil. Check the seasoning and set aside.
2. To make the bean cakes, heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion, cover and fry for 5 minutes. Add the red pepper and garlic, stir, cover and cook for a further 10–15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the cumin seeds and chilli fl akes, cook for a minute or two longer, then remove from the heat.
3. Add the beans to the onion mixture, breaking them up with a potato masher, or blitz them briefl y in a food processor until they are coarsely mashed – it’s nice to have some big pieces. Add the coriander, then stir
in 2 tablespoons of the lemon mayonnaise and soft breadcrumbs, to make a soft mixture that holds together. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Divide the mixture into 8 equal pieces, dip into polenta or dried breadcrumbs and form into burger shapes. Heat a little rapeseed or olive oil in a frying pan and fry the bean cakes on both sides until crisp – 2–3 minutes on each side. Drain on kitchen paper, then serve with the remaining lemon mayonnaise and some lemon wedges.