Most mercimek köftesi recipes give you a smooth, paste-like mix that you squeeze into little patties by hand. The one I’m sharing here is different: soft rather than firm, but you can still feel the grains on your palate. Think of it as the version you spoon onto the plate.
Recipe
Mercimek Köftesi
- Prep30 min + 15 min
- Cook30 min
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 g) red lentils
- 2 cups (560 g) boiling water
- ¾ cup (180 g) fine bulgur (köftelik)
- 4 medium onions, finely diced
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 heaped tsp Turkish red pepper paste
- 1 heaped tsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 level tbsp ground cumin
- 1 level tbsp sweet paprika
- 1 level tbsp pepper (I use a mix of white, black and red)
- 10 sprigs parsley, leaves only
- 6 sprigs dill, leaves only
- 6 spring onions
To serve
- 8 leaves baby romaine lettuce
- extra virgin olive oil
- pomegranate molasses
Equipment
Pot, wooden spoon, cling film, chopping board, knife, bowls in various sizes
Method
- Bring the water to a boil in a small pot and cook the lentils over medium heat for 30 minutes.
- Stir in the bulgur, transfer everything to a wide bowl and cover with cling film. Over the next 30 minutes or so, the lentils and bulgur will swell and come together.
- Put the washed pot back on medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the olive oil and then the onions, and sauté for 20 minutes, stirring now and then.
- Add the two pastes, the salt and the spices and cook for 5 more minutes, then add this mixture to the bowl of lentils and bulgur.
- Finally, finely chop the parsley, dill and spring onions, add them to the bowl and mix everything well.
- You can squeeze the mixture into patties and line them up on a plate, which is the usual way, but here’s another idea. For each portion, mound about 3 heaped tablespoons on the plate and press a crater into the middle. Drizzle olive oil around the sides, fill the crater with pomegranate molasses and serve.
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