Peanut brown rice patties

My mother would make these if meat-eating friends were coming for dinner. They were always served alongside buttery mashed potatoes, boiled peas and carrots – a vegetarian’s version of meat and three veg. I use quinoa flakes but if you tolerate wholegrain rolled oats, that’s what Mum always uses. To keep these vegan, use olive oil to shallow-fry, however I usually cook these in ghee. The mixture will keep in the fridge for three days, making this easy to prepare in advance. Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 cup (150g) raw peanuts
• 1 cup (140g) cooked brown rice
• 1 cup (100g) quinoa flakes or wholegrain rolled oats
• small handful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ large onion, finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
• 2 tablespoons white (shiro) miso paste
• ½ cup (125ml) boiling water
• olive oil or ghee
• tomato chutney or sauce, to serve

Method

Place peanuts in a blender or food processor and blend until finely ground. Transfer to a large bowl and add rice, quinoa flakes and flat-leaf parsley.

Heat olive oil in a small frying pan over medium heat and cook onion for 3–4 minutes, stirring often until tender. Add garlic, oregano and thyme and cook for a further 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add to the peanut mixture. Stir miso paste into boiling water to dissolve and then add to the bowl. I usually get my hands in at this stage to thoroughly mix everything together. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Roll mixture into golf-ball sized portions, flatten to form patties (approx. 12 small patties or 8 larger ones) and set aside while you heat up a large heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a few glugs of olive oil or a couple of tablespoons of ghee to your hot pan and shallow-fry patties in batches for 2–3 minutes each side or until golden brown, crisp on the outside and warmed through in the centre. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain while you cook the rest. Serve with tomato chutney.