Recipe and images courtesy of Romy London (@romylondonuk on Instagram)

These hearty Lion’s Mane Mushroom Burgers combine golden, pan-fried lion’s mane with lentils, walnuts, oats and flavour-packed dried porcini for a really satisfying texture. The mushrooms stay slightly chunky rather than being completely blended, giving the patties plenty of bite while the lentils and oats help everything hold together.

Makes: 4 large burgers

Prep time: 25 minutes, plus 20-30 minutes chilling

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the mushroom burgers:

To serve:

  • 4 burger buns
  • Lettuce
  • Sliced tomato
  • Pickles
  • Your favourite creamy burger sauce

Method

  1. Soak the porcini. Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave to soak for 15 minutes, then drain well and finely chop the mushrooms. You can save the soaking liquid for adding to soups, sauces or gravy.
  2. Make the chia binder. Finely grind the chia seeds, then stir them together with 2½ tablespoons of water. Set aside for 5-10 minutes, until thickened.
  3. Prepare the lion’s mane. Gently tear the lion’s mane mushrooms into small, bite-sized shreds and chunks with your hands. Aim for irregular pieces rather than chopping them too finely - this will help give the burgers their mushroomy texture.
  4. Brown the mushrooms. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the lion’s mane and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring and gently pressing the mushrooms into the pan every so often. Cook until most of their moisture has evaporated and they are nicely golden around the edges.
  5. Add the aromatics. Add the diced onion to the pan and cook for another 4-5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and chopped porcini and cook for another minute. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool slightly.
  6. Prepare the burger base. Add the walnuts and rolled oats to a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. You still want a little texture, so avoid blending them into a fine flour.
  7. Add half of the cooked lentils to the food processor and pulse a few times, just until the lentils begin to break down and combine with the walnut and oat mixture. Avoid blending it completely smooth.
  8. Mix the patties. Transfer the processed mixture to a large bowl. Add the remaining whole lentils, the cooked mushroom mixture, chia binder, soy sauce, smoked paprika, thyme, cumin, black pepper and salt.
  9. Mix everything together thoroughly with a spoon or clean hands, pressing the mixture together as you go. It should hold together when firmly squeezed in your hand while still having visible pieces of mushroom and lentil throughout.
  10. If the mixture feels particularly soft or wet, mix in 1 tablespoon of plain flour. Add the second tablespoon only if needed. If it feels too dry or crumbly instead, add 1-2 teaspoons of the reserved porcini soaking liquid.
  11. Chill. Cover the burger mixture and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. This gives the oats and chia time to absorb some of the moisture and makes the patties much easier to shape.
  12. Shape the burgers. Divide the mixture into four equal portions and firmly shape each one into a thick burger patty, pressing the edges together so there are no loose pieces.
  13. Cook. Heat a little oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the patties and cook for around 4-5 minutes on the first side without moving them too much. Carefully flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes, until both sides are deeply golden and the burgers feel firm.
  14. Serve. Load the lion’s mane burgers into toasted burger buns with lettuce, tomato, pickles and your favourite creamy burger sauce. Serve straight away while the patties are hot and crisp around the edges.