This recipe tops the Teriyaki Edamame Burgers with grilled fresh pineapple, crispy green onions, and an Asian-inspired slaw.
A Trip to Japan
A few years ago, I thought it was a good idea to go to school full-time while working full-time as a librarian and almost full-time doing contract work for a search engine. (In case you now think I live in an alternate universe with 36 hour days, you should know that both my classes and my second job were online.) I just wanted work experience! I was in a competitive field! Also, if you have two full-time jobs, if you lose one, guess what? YOU STILL HAVE A JOB!
While the schedule was just a wee bit of a drag, the bonus was that having 3 full-time incomes in a household with no children and very few expenses meant that our fun money budget was huge. So when I checked airfares to Osaka on a whim one day and found a crazy good deal, we booked ourselves some tickets and went to Japan.
Japan! Best trip ever! I have loved Japan for as long as I can remember. I think it's because I love absurdity and the people of Japan have a deep appreciation for the absurd. Japan is a place where you can buy vegetable juice-flavored Kit Kats. It's a place where they put slices of cheesecake inside crepes. It's the homeland of Hello Kitty. Hello Kitty. Actually having the chance to go there was completely surreal and wonderful and we decided that we would go back every year.
Which, of course, didn't happen. The whole 2 full-time job thing didn't last very long because sometimes you have to put sanity ahead of money and awesome trips to Japan.
Finding things to eat in Japan presented a bit of a challenge. It's one of those countries where food that seems like it would be vegetarian often isn't. We planned most of our meals in advance with the help of Happy Cow, but sometimes that didn't work out and we ended up grabbing trays of veggie sushi at convenience stores or getting veggie burgers at fast food restaurants. And those veggie burgers were pretty good!
About the Recipe
Japan does all kinds of crazy things with burgers. The veggie burgers we had were pretty standard, but if you're more meatily-inclined, you can get burgers topped with spaghetti or squid ink ketchup. Burgers made with rice patties instead of buns are also a thing in Japan. I sat with this idea for a while and finally decided to tackle it on my blog, except I wimped out and made the rice patties the patty instead of the bun. (I think it's better this way for everyone, really. Do you really want a burger between two rice patties? No, you don't.)
Plain rice would be pretty meh, so I threw in some edamame too. Unlike other beans, edamame doesn't form a paste when it's mashed, so these burgers do have a tendency to crumble a little bit if you're not careful when handling them. To give them a boost of flavor, I brushed them with a teriyaki glaze as they cooked. And because a burger is really only as good as its toppings, I added grilled pineapple, crispy grilled green onions, and an Asian-inspired slaw on top. Yes, there is a lot going on in these burgers! But you really shouldn't skip any of these parts because the burger reaches maximum deliciousness with all these things combined together.
This is the last burger recipe in my summer of veggie burgers series! (It was also Chris's favorite.) In case you missed any of them, here they are:
Cauliflower Hummus Burgers with Mint Tzatziki
Lentil Mushroom Burgers
Chipotle Black Bean Quinoa Burgers with Sweet Corn Relish
Did I really only do 3 burger recipes this summer? It seemed like so many more. (Should I do fall of veggie burgers too? Winter? A YEAR OF VEGGIE BURGERS?! Hmm.)
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen shelled edamame thawed
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
- 2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- ¼ cup teriyaki marinade I like Soy Vay
- oil mister or cooking spray
- ½ pineapple cored and cut into ¼-inch rings
- 4 green onions
- ¾ cup coleslaw mix
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 –6 hamburger buns
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Pulse the edamame in a food processor until it's coarsely chopped. Transfer the edamame to to a large bowl. Stir in the rice, sesame seeds, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Fold in the egg.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide the burger mixture onto the baking sheet in 4–6 mounds (4 for bigger burgers, 6 for smaller ones), then press each mound into a patty. Bake the burgers for 15 minutes, then brush with the teriyaki marinade and bake for 10 minutes more.
- While the burgers are baking, heat an indoor grill to Sear (or High if yours doesn't have a Sear setting; a grill pan works too if you don't have an indoor grill). Spray the grates with oil and grill both sides of the pineapple and onions until the pineapple is has grill marks and the onions are crispy. Break the onions into small pieces.
- Toss the coleslaw mix with the vinegar, sesame oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Place each burger patty on a bun, then top with grilled pineapple, slaw, and crispy green onions.
Ashley says
Holy moly, that had to have been a little stressful! lol But a trip to Japan is awesome. These burgers sound delicious - I eat edamame all the time when we're out but for some reason have never used it at home. That must change!
Kiersten says
Edamame is one of my favorite snacky things. I love the big refrigerated containers they sell at Trader Joe's!
Abby @ The Frosted Vegan says
Those full time times 3 things always seeeeem like a good idea, don't they?! Been der done dat gurl! p.s. Faceplant right into alllll that crispy business up there!
Kiersten says
I am always over-committing myself. My famous saying is, "I'll find a way to make it work!" Ha ha.
Shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com says
Love this burger! What an awesome burst of flavors in one bite!
Emma says
You are a crazy lady! Well, at least you got a cool trip to Japan out of all that hard work 🙂 Love me some teryaki- got to try these burgers 🙂 Glad you opted out of the rice patty bun thing too.
Kiersten says
Yeah, the trip to Japan was totally worth the temporary craziness. 🙂
Archana @ FeedingTheFoodie says
I'm a sucker for all kinds of veggie burgers, usually with the same formula, you kinda get the same flavors. This is so different with the rice and edamame and the glaze.. looks yum. Grilled pineapple sounds so good in a burger.
Kiersten says
Yeah, a lot of veggie burgers kind of taste the same--especially the store-bought ones!
Hannah @ CleanEatingVeggieGirl says
I cannot even stand how delicious these look!! YUM!
Caitlin says
you crazy lady! two full time jobs and school full time? oh my. but, a trip to japan sounds crazy awesome and i love the idea of a veggie burger between two rice patties. i may have to try that...
Kiersten says
If you try it, you need to blog about it! 😀
Samantha says
Wow, good for you on the hectic schedule. I can barely juggle a full course load and one job.
I'll definitely be making these burgers!
Kiersten says
It was definitely a crazy time. 🙂
Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says
Japan on a whim? I love your style. I guess that's your old style so I love your old style. However, since your new style is cooking spectacular-ness, I like that too.
I also like this burger concoction. A lot.
Kiersten says
Yeah, that's my old style. My new style is, "Hey, should we go to the outlet mall this weekend?"
Christine @ Gotta Eat Green says
I've never traveled to Japan but it looks absolutely amazing! I went to China in 2007 and it was such an amazing trip. I found the same thing happened to me in China... meat would just appear in dishes that were supposed to be veg! It was so odd.. and so tricky! We also had crazy things like beet popsicles!
Kiersten says
Yes! I think there's fish in just about everything there--or at least it seemed that way at the time.
dixya| food, pleasure, and health says
i cant even imagine doing that - i started grad school today and worried about juggling school + full time job. Japan seems like a place-to-go. and that grilled pineapples yummmm
Kiersten says
Good luck with grad school! The good thing about grad school is that it goes by really quickly. 🙂
Ash-foodfashionparty says
I didn't know you were a super human..:) I love how you live your life...compared to yours..I am a lazy and a boring person..:)
These burgers sure look really good and perfect combination.
Kiersten says
I'm totally lazy and boring now, for sure. 🙂 I became infinitely less exciting once I hit my 30s.
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
These burgers look absolutely droolworthy! Love the combo of flavours!
Gretchen @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
Ummm ... I just drooled all over my computer. This looks absolutely delicious. I love teriyaki with pineapple - but never imagined it as a burger! YUM!!
Wish I could go to Japan on a whim ... lucky duck!!
Kiersten says
I know, I miss those days. Maybe I should take on a few more jobs again. 🙂
Maria Tadic says
I've been dreaming about veggie burgers for the last few days. I just NEED one. I wanna bite into it. This looks so good with the brown rice....ugh off to Trader joe's for some edamamae and burgers it is!
Kiersten says
I crave veggie burgers all the time too. 🙂 There are far worse things you could be craving!
skoraq cooks says
Trip to Japan must have been unforgettable experience. And your burger looks sooo good. I'm sure it would also be my favourite 🙂
Kiersten says
It was totally unforgettable! I hope we can go back someday. 🙂
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Great looking burgers, I love that teriyaki glaze!
Anele @ Success Along the Weigh says
I'm so jealous! I bet Japan was awesome! We want to go one day when we're at goal weight so we don't go over there and perpetuate the "fat American" stereotype. It would be exciting but scary.
Kiersten says
It is INCREDIBLE! You definitely need to go. I left with a whole suitcase full of Hello Kitty and other kawaii goodness.
Suzanne @ hello, veggy! says
Japan is now officially on my list of to-visit places!! These veggie burgers sounds sooooo good, right up my alley! 🙂
Kiersten says
Go, go, go! I would go back every year if I could. It is such a cool place. 🙂
Stephanie @ henry happened says
Ahh, I miss the days of being a "dink" - so much fun traveling! Tho I guess for you it would be tink (triple income no kids)? 🙂 Japan sounds pretty awesome - I love that your visit was so spur of the moment!
Kiersten says
I know, I wish we would have traveled more back then. Now we both have so much on our plates with our jobs, it's hard to find the time!
Cassie | Bake Your Day says
Amazing trip and amazing burgers! Seriously, I love these flavors and I'm definitely trying these.
mjskit says
Now this is different. Look at all of those flavors! Love the addition of the grilled pineapple to top it all off. Great burger! I'm sure the Japan trip was a trip of a lifetime!
Kiersten says
Grilled pineapple is one of my favorite burger toppings. But I think it only works on veggie burgers--it seems like that would be weird on a meat burger? 🙂
Melanie @ Just Some Salt and Pepper says
I love the flavors in this burger. So unique!
Richa says
😀 i wouldnt want a burger between 2 rice patties;) i like this hearty burger.
ah, the things we do when we can do.. working crazy hours and partying even more:)
Kiersten says
Yeah, I totally miss those days. Well, sometimes at least. 🙂
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
My husband spent 2 weeks in Japan for reserves a few weeks ago & he doesn't like seafood, so he said he barely ate for 2 weeks LOL. Poor thing.
Kiersten says
Yes, seafood is big there and they put fish broth in so many things too!