Indian-style veggie chickpea burger with cucumber-yogurt sauce

Ingredients:

Iced tea

• 2 large tea bags
• Ice

Wright

• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 small cucumbers, unpeeled, finely diced
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Chickpea cutlets

• 170 g inner romaine lettuce leaves
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil + extra for drizzling on grill
• 1 cup yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 cups yellow bell pepper, finely diced
• 1.5 cups zucchini, finely diced
• 1 tbsp. curry powder
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 0.5 tsp ground ginger
• 1.5 cups canned chickpeas, coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 4 sesame hamburger buns
• 4 lime wedges, for serving

Preparation:

1. Iced tea:
   
   In a 2-liter heatproof pitcher, steep the tea bags in 4 cups of boiling water for 3–5 minutes. Remove the tea bags and add sweetener to taste. Stir in ice cubes to melt. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Yield: 2 liters.
2. Wright:
   
   In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, lime zest, cayenne pepper, and a pinch of salt until smooth. Stir in enough water to make the yogurt barely runny. Mix the cucumber and mint into the yogurt. Set aside.
3. Chickpea cutlets:
   
   Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Thinly slice the lettuce leaves and coarsely chop the cilantro leaves. Toss the greens in a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 4 minutes. Add the bell pepper, zucchini, and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, 3–5 minutes. Add the curry powder, garam masala, and ground ginger and cook, stirring, for another minute. Transfer to a plate and refrigerate for about 5 minutes.
5. While the vegetables are cooling, combine the chickpeas and pumpkin puree in a medium bowl. Add the cooled vegetables, breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper and stir with a spatula until smooth.
6. Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form each portion into a patty. Grease the grill grate with oil and place the patties on it. Grill for 6 minutes on each side, then transfer to a plate.
7. Place a spoonful of raita on each bun's bottom halves, top with a patty, add another spoonful of raita, a little lettuce and cilantro mixture, and top with the top bun halves. Serve with lime wedges and iced tea.