Golden dal with fried cumin
Soft split lentils finished with cumin seeds fried in oil until they crackle, poured over the top.
weeknight · family
Smoky black bean burger
Charred at the edges, soft in the middle, with pickled beetroot and a lot of black pepper.
Under a tenth of the land of beef burger.
One serving, against beef burger
Computed from the ingredients we hold records for and one serving of what the dish stands in for. It is not a whole plate: rice, bread, oil and vegetables without records are not counted on either side.
| Measure | Smoky black bean burger | Beef burger | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emissions | 0.2 | 14.9 | kg CO₂e per serving |
| Land | 1.7 | 48.9 | m² per serving |
| Water | 55.1 | 218 | litres per serving |
Once a week for a year, instead of beef burger, saves: Roughly about 2.6 short-haul return flights (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, 2024)
Once a week for a year, instead of beef burger, saves: Roughly about 9.4 tennis courts (International Tennis Federation, 2024)
Once a week for a year, instead of beef burger, saves: Roughly about 130 eight-minute showers (Energy Saving Trust, 2013)
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What the figures count
No recipe, no method and no quantities beyond these. We are not a recipe site, and pretending otherwise would be a worse version of one.
If this is useful
- Replacing common foodsStraightforward swaps for the foods people find hardest to replace, and honest notes on where the swap falls short.
- Getting started: pick a pace that fits youYou do not have to decide between everything and nothing. Here are the common starting points, from one meal to a full switch.
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