A good veggie burger is quite a hard thing to find; many of them seem to consist of little more than beans and rusk and are, consequently, almost entirely devoid of flavour and texture. Inspired by Andina restaurant in London’s Shoreditch and adapted slightly, these ones have a superbly juicy/crunchy texture, and a fresh, cheesy/veggie flavour, and are an absolute delight, especially with the herby yoghurt dressing and the tomato salsa. You can adjust the heat levels to taste – we like them reasonably hot, using half a habanero, but of course chillies vary hugely according to freshness, what type they are and where they were grown etc... We've also done these as little round nuggets, deep fried, and they were divine. They freeze well, uncrumbed; when you take them out of the freezer, let them defrost completely, then flour, egg and breadcrumb them. They are very filling so serve two burgers for those with hearty appetites or just one for normal appetites

The chilli paste:-

Half a shallot, finely chopped

2 big mild chillies, deseeded and finely chopped

¼ to ½ a dried habanero chilli, depending on taste for heat. Soak it in boiling water for 15 mins, then deseed and finely chop

The burgers:-

120g quinoa

1 small red onion, very finely chopped

20g flour (we use gluten free and it works perfectly)

60g feta cheese, finely crumbled

30g Parmesan, grated

Burger coating:-

2 eggs, beaten

60g breadcrumbs

Salsa criolla:-

1 medium tomato, quartered and finely sliced

1 dstspn finely chopped chives

1 dstspn finely chopped coriander leaves

Juice of half a lime

1 tbspn olive oil

Minty yoghurt dressing:-

125mls drinking yoghurt (we do it with Bio-Tiful Kefir)

1 small avocado, peeled and stoned

1 kiwi fruit, peeled and quartered

½ tbspn chopped mint leaves

To serve:-

5 brioche buns (although we’ve also done it in thick slices of Gail’s brioche loaf)

Two handfuls of shredded iceberg lettuce leaves

• Put the quinoa on to cook as per the instructions on the packet

• Meanwhile, get the shallot frying gently in some olive oil. Then, when the shallot is clear and soft and just starting to colour, add the chopped chillies and continue to cook to a soft mush. Set aside to chill in the fridge

• When the quinoa is cooked, set it aside, allowing to cool

• Meanwhile, whiz the minty yoghurt dressing until ultra smooth, season with salt and pepper and set aside

• When the quinoa is cool, heat some olive oil in a saucepan and add the red onion and the chilli paste. Cook until red oil starts to come out of the chilli paste. Set aside, allowing to cool

• When the onion mix has cooled, put the quinoa into a large bowl, add the onion mix, the flour and the cheeses and season well with salt and pepper. Stir the mix with your hands, squeezing and moulding. What’s happening here is the fat in the cheese, warmed by your hands, is starting to bind the mix

• Divide the mix into 10 carefully formed burger patties, place on a plate, and put the plate in the fridge for at least an hour

• Combine the salsa criolla ingredients and set aside

• When ready to serve, take the burgers out of the fridge, carefully dust them with a little more flour, then dip them in the beaten egg and the breadcrumbs, gently pressing them so the breadcrumbs stick evenly

• Get a little olive oil heating in a frying pan on a low to medium heat, then carefully add the burgers and fry till golden on both sides and warmed through (about 8 minutes each side)

• Meanwhile, get your burger buns or slices of brioche bread toasting under the grill

• When the burgers are cooked and the bread is grilled, put one slice of bread or the bottom of a brioche bun on each plate, and put a generous dollop of yoghurt dressing, then some of the shredded lettuce. Then put a burger on each one, a tablespoon of the salsa, and the top half of the bun or another slice of toast. Serve immediately; they can be eaten with a knife and fork, but it’s really rather satisfying to pick them up and bite into them