Easy vegetarian recipes: vegan Turkish Red lentil Kofte
This vegetarian kofte is one of the most popular appetizers of Turkish cuisine.
Easy vegetarian recipes: vegan Turkish Red lentil Kofte
1 cup red lentil
1/2 cup fine bulgur
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups of water
1 medium onion, very finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp tomato + red pepper paste (if you cannot find red pepper paste you can use 1 tbsp tomato paste)
~1 tsp salt
juice of half or 1 lemon (depends on how you like it: sour or not so sour)
1/3 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1/2 bunch green onion, finely chopped
curly leaf lettuce
-Wash lentils and boil them in 2 cups of water until it almost soaks the water.
-Once you turn it off, add bulgur and salt. Mix once and cover to let the bulgur expand. Let it cool off.
-Heat oil in a pan and add the onion (not the green one!) and cook until soft.
-Add tomato paste and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
-Add cumin and stir once you turn it off.
-Add this to the lentils which should be cool by now.
-Add half of finely chopped parsley, green onion, and lemon juice to the lentils. Mix all well.
-Take walnut size pieces and give them kofte shape in your hands.
-You can either place lettuce leaves on a serving plate and put koftes on top as in the picture, or serve koftes and lettuce leaves separately. However, when you eat them you should wrap each kofte in a lettuce leaf.
Yum! This looks delicious. I really miss Turkish food these days after spending nearly a month in Istanbul this past fall.
Wow, nearly a month in Istanbul??! That’s a lot!
Most long term travelers crave for the comforts of foods that reminds them of home, but I seem to have the opposite problem. When I’m on the road, I only want to eat local foods and while I’m back home, I miss the exotic things I was eating during my travels.
I’ve noticed you always take a bite of a comforting Pizza, isn’t it? lolol
Wow, this looks and sounds amazing!!!! Can’t wait to try the recipe.
Yes, Mindy and Ligeia, and it’s easy to make Let me know how you liked it, after you try it.
Yum, I literally said to myself today “maybe I can make vegan kofte” (oddly, I’m not kidding) so I am glad I stumbled upon your recipe! I like your idea using the red lentils, I have some in my pantry maybe I will try this out!
Katie
http://www.worldwidevegetarian.com