Pork & Black Bean Patties with Pickled Vegetables & Garlic Mushrooms

Black bean sauce has an intense flavour and is commonly used in Chinese cooking, so I guess you could call this is fusion recipe! I've used grated ginger and black bean sauce to flavour my minced pork for a really simple burger patty which I fry in a little ground nut oil, you could also grill the burgers if you wanted to lighten the dish even more. The carrot and cucumber are quickly pickled in rice vinegar and add an Oriental freshness to the dish. I adore mushrooms, especially these baby button ones, they require little attention whilst cooking and have a lovely earthliness which compliments the black bean perfectly. I've made a creamy black bean sauce using natural yogurt to bring everything together.

Makes 4 patties

Ingredients

500g pork mince

4 tbsp black bean sauce, I used Waitrose 'Cooks' Ingredients'

2x2 inch piece of ginger, grated

75g tinned black beans, drained

1 carrot, spiralised

Half a cucumber, spiralised

5 tbsp rice vinegar

200g baby button mushrooms, washed

2 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp ground nut oil

1 tbsp olive oil

A knob of butter

Small bunch of coriander

2 tbsp natural yogurt

Instructions

Start by placing the spiralised carrot and cucumber in separate bowls, pour two tablespoons of rice vinegar on the cucumber and the remaining three on the carrot. Toss to coat and set aside to marinade for at least 10 minutes.

Place the pork mince, ginger, and black beans in a mixing bowl, then pour over two tablespoons of the black bean sauce. Using your hands, mix until combined, then form into four 1/2 inch patties.

Heat the olive oil in a medium sized pan on a high heat. Once hot, throw in the mushrooms but do not move the pan until they have caramelised at the bottom. Once caramelised, toss the mushrooms and allow to cook over a medium heat for a further five minutes. Now add the knob of butter and the minced garlic. Cook on a low heat for a further 5-7 minutes, until beautifully browned.

Meanwhile, heat a large pan with the ground nut oil over a medium/high heat. Once hot place the patties in the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

While the patties and mushrooms are cooking, make the creamy black bean sauce by stirring together the natural yogurt and remaining black bean sauce in a bowl.

To assemble, use a fork to twist the cucumber and carrot into balls and divide onto two plates. Arrange the patties and mushrooms, then sprinkle with coriander to finish. Serve immediately with the creamy sauce and enjoy!