The store-bought vegan veggie burgers were a treat during grilling seasons of yore, tasting gloriously like samosa filling. A few years back, we got some after reading rave reviews. Each time we’d visit this particular specialty grocery store chain, a frozen box or two went in the basket.

Then the pandemic rolled in. Curbside pickup wasn’t an option — this store has notoriously small parking lots anyway. Friends in town saw lines stretching around the block during capacity limits.

Not eager to risk all that for a veggie burger, I set out to reverse-engineer it.