I was a never a fan of black bean cakes. I think it is because people tried to pass it off as a hamburger substitute. They are not the same. It turns out, that if you don’t think of them as a hamburger substitute, black beans cakes are very delicious. These cakes stand on their own, and are wonderful when served with a salad.
Black Bean Cakes
source: Wegmans
Ingredients:
- 2 cans (15.5 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 6 tbsp finely minced sweet mini peppers (about 6) //If you can’t find mini bell peppers, substitute regular bell peppers
- 1 small onion, finely minced // I use a food processor to mince the peppers and the onion at the same time
- 3 large eggs
- 1/3 cup milk or water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups panko
- 2 cups vegetable oil
- salt & pepper
Directions:
- Mash drained beans with a potato masher in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil, peppers, and onions in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook stirring, about 5 minutes, until vegetables are soft and cooked through. Sprinkle with about 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. [If your beans have a ton of sodium, you can omit the salt completely] Dump pepper and onion mixture into mashed beans and fold to combine. Wipe out skillet.
- Divide mixture into 6 equal portions. Form into patties. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and place in freezer (uncovered) 30 minutes. // If you rub a little oil on your hands before starting, you will keep the mixture from sticking to your hands
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk eggs and milk together in a shallow bowl. Put the flour and panko in 2 separate shallow bowls. Arrange the bowls into flour, egg, panko order.
- Place each bean cake in flour bowl, coating well. Dip in egg mixture until well-coated, then dredge in panko until completely coated. Place cakes on a plate until all cakes are prepared for frying.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet to 350 degrees. Depending on the size of your pan, you may need more or less oil. You want about an inch of oil. You can place a bit of panko in the oil and if it starts sizzling immediately the oil is hot enough.
- Add cakes to pan. Cook 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Carefully turn over. Cook the other side 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. You can do this in batches if you don’t have a large enough pan.
- Place cooked cakes on baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes until heated through.
The cakes can be made in advance through step 8 and refrigerated. Bake in 350 degree oven until heated thoroughly (about 20 minutes).