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Posted by on Dec 22, 2013 in Turkish foods, vegan / vegetarian | 5 comments

Easy vegetarian recipes: vegan Turkish Red lentil Kofte

Easy vegetarian recipes: vegan Turkish Red lentil Kofte

This vegetarian kofte is one of the most popular appetizers of Turkish cuisine.

 mercimekkoftesi3

Source of this recipe

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

 mercimekkoftesi2

 

-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.

5 Comments

  1. 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

  2. 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.

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