Rehydrate the soy curls. Add the soy curls to a bowl and cover with hot water. Let the soy curls rehydrate for about 20 minutes or until soft.
Drain the soy curls and rinse them a couple of times under cold water. This step helps get rid of the soybean flavor. Next, squeeze the soy curls with your hands to remove the excess moisture. Set the drained soy curls aside.
Process the mixture. To the bowl of a food processor, add the cooked white beans, oil, sugar, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, onion powder, smoked paprika, dark soy sauce, liquid smoke, and water. Process until smooth.
Add the soy curls and process again. Then, add the rehydrated soy curls to the food processor and process for 4-6 seconds or until it looks like a bolognese sauce. You want the soy curls to be finely chopped but not completely puréed. Otherwise, you will lose the texture. The soy curls should be about ¼-inch (5-6mm).Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.
Stir in the vital wheat gluten. Add the vital wheat gluten to the blended soy curl mixture and mix using a spatula or your hands until it forms a paste resembling ground meat. Knead for about 10 seconds. The mixture should be soft and have a slight elasticity.
Divide the mixture. Divide the mixture into 3 even balls to make 3 large burgers. If you prefer thinner burgers, divide the mixture into 4.
Wrap each burger. Place one ball of the mixture on top of a sheet of parchment paper and shape it into a burger patty. Carefully wrap the patty in parchment paper. Next, wrap it in a layer of aluminum foil. Note: Your burger patties will be double-wrapped, once in parchment paper and then in aluminum foil. Repeat with the two remaining patties.
Cook the burgers. Place the wrapped burgers in a steamer (you can use a bamboo steamer basket or a regular steamer) and steam for 1 hour.
Let cool. Once cooked, unwrap the burgers and let them cool for 10 minutes. You can now pan-fry the burgers in a little oil until golden brown on each side.
Burgers will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. They will harden a bit in the fridge but will soften once reheated.
Notes
Do not make substitutes.
This recipe is not versatile. Hence, I do not recommend making substitutes or omitting any ingredient. You can play with the spices and flavorings, though.
Double the recipe.
Since this recipe only makes 3 burgers, I suggest doubling it, as they will be gone in no time!
Steam, don't bake.
These burgers must be steamed for an optimal texture. Do not try baking them, or you will end up with dryer burgers.