These Moin Moin Vegan Burgers, made using The Real African Food Co.’s Love Moin Moin mix, are a tasty, soy-free alternative to tofu burgers. Inspired by West African flavours, they’re full of flavor and won’t fall apart as they cook!
In collaboration with The Real African Food Co.
Moin moin, also known as steamed bean cake, is a traditional West African savoury food made from soaked and ground black-eyed beans. It’s similar to firm tofu in texture, but is typically made with spices and seasoning incorporated into the mixture so it’s already full of flavor from the start. Moin moin is a source of protein, potassium, and vitamin A, as well as being low in fat and high in fiber – what’s not to love? Have you ever tried moin moin?
Traditional moin moin bean cake is made by soaking black eyed beans for a few hours, before rubbing them to remove the skins, grinding them with spices and pepper and then steaming them. While I’d love to have a go at making them from scratch one day, I’m very happy to have the option of letting the Real African Food Co. do all the hard work for me! With the Love Moin Moin mix, you simply add water and either steam or microwave the patties.
I’ve tested out both the steamed and microwaved option to make these moin moin vegan burgers and, in my opinion, there was virtually no difference between the two. The microwaved patties were ever so slightly firmer, but steaming for a little longer would yield the same texture. No doubt some of you would prefer to avoid the microwave, while some of you would prefer to save the time – so go with whichever option you prefer (I’ve included the timings for both in the recipe below).
As some of you might have noticed by now, I like my recipes to be flexible; there’s nothing worse than getting 3/4 of the way through an ingredient list only to realize you don’t have that one, very specific item. To keep these moin moin vegan burgers gluten-free, I chose to coat them in polenta in place of breadcrumbs. Polenta is easy to find and makes a really nice alternative, but you could also swap in panko breadcrumbs if you prefer and fancy an extra crispy version. Likewise, you can choose gluten-free or any other type of bread rolls you desire. These African-inspired vegan burgers are delicious with a simple smoky vegan mayo, but they’d also be delicious with a homemade barbecue sauce or something with a spicy kick.
The Real African Food Co.’s Love Moin Moin mix is dairy free, nut free, soya free, gluten free, egg free and suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Love Moin Moin mix is now available from selected Sainsbury’s and Asda supermarkets in the world food aisle, as well as directly from The Real African Food Co. website where they offer free delivery.
Moin Moin Vegan Burgers - A Tasty Alternative to Tofu!
- For the burgers:
- 1x 200g pack of Love Moin Moin mix
- 600ml cold water
- 3 tbsp vegan mayonnaise
- 50g polenta (cornmeal)
- 2tbsp sunflower oil
- 4 bread rolls of your choice
- For the smoky mayo:
- 4 tbsp vegan mayo
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Combine the Love Moin Moin mix with the cold water in a large bowl until smooth (it will be a fairly thin mixture). Divide between 8 lightly-greased ramekin dishes.
- Cover the ramekins with their lids or parchment paper. Carefully place four of them into a microwavable dish filled with water. Microwave for around 5-8 minutes, depending on your microwave.* Repeat with the remaining four. Alternatively, you can steam them for 30 minutes.
- Remove the ramekins from the dish and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, add 3tbsp vegan mayo into one dish and the polenta into another, ready for coating the burgers later.
- Once the moin moin burger patties are cool enough to handle, run a knife inside the edge of each to loosen from the ramekins. Gently remove the burger patties and reshape/flatten a little, if needed, to resemble burgers. Cover each burger patty in a thin layer of mayo and coat evenly in the polenta.
- Heat the oil over a medium heat in a large frying pan. Once hot, cook the burgers for around 5-6 minutes, turning frequently until the polenta crust turns golden brown. As they cook, mix together the smoky mayo ingredients and cut the bread rolls in half.
- Build the burgers by adding the burger patties and mayo into the rolls. You can also add extras such as lettuce and avocado, if you wish!
Would you give moin moin a try? I’d love to hear your thoughts and don’t forget to tag me @thetofudiariesblog in your remakes over Instagram!
Pin this recipe for later:
Thank you so much to The Real African Food Co. for sponsoring this post and helping to keep The Tofu Diaries up and running! All thoughts, recipes and photos my own. Please see my disclaimer for more details.
