A vibrant gem of Turkish cuisine, Mercimek Köftesi transforms humble ingredients into a flavourful culinary masterpiece. This beloved vegetarian delicacy blends the earthy richness of red lentils with nutty bulgur wheat, elevated by a symphony of aromatic onions, vibrant tomato and red pepper pastes, and a carefully curated medley of traditional spices and herbs.
Yield: 25 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
- Red lentils – 1 cup
- Fine bulgur – 1 ½ cup
- Olive oil – 3 tbsp
- Onion (chopped) – 1
- Garlic – 4 cloves
- Tomato paste – 2 Tbsp
- Parsley (chopped) – 1 ½ cups
- Green onion (chopped) – 1 cup
- Cumin – 1 tsp
- Salt – ½ tsp
- Black pepper – ¼ tsp
- Aleppo pepper – 1 tsp
- Olive oil – 1/3 cup
Instructions
- In a sauce pan cook the lentils with 3 cups of water until they have absorbed the water and are cooked.
- Turn the heat off, add in the bulgur and cover with the lid.
- Let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan and saute onion and garlic until golden.
- Add in the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes then turn the heat off.
- Place the red lentil and bulgur mixture in a large bowl.
- Add in the onion mixture and mix.
- Add in the parsley, green onions, cumin, salt, pepper, Aleppo pepper, olive oil and mix well.
- Start shaping the mixture into long cylinders and place them on a platter.
- Chill for an hour in the fridge and serve with fresh lemon and lettuce.