Mercimek Koftesi is a vegan Turkish kofte that is made with red lentils and bulgur and the best part is, these are not deep fried. Stuff it inside some crisp lettuce to enjoy as an appetizer or lunch.
This recipe for the Bulgur Koftesi took me by surprise as it was so simple to make and delicious. When the name of the recipe says kofte, you would assume that it is a deep-fried recipe.
I did the same and skipped past it a couple of times and then when I looked at it, I realized that this Bulgur koftesi is the healthiest way to serve the koftes and was amazed by how simple and easy it was to make.
I had everything I needed to make this Turkish Lentil Balls recipe except the parsley and once I had that ready; it was a breeze to put it together. The recipe calls for fine bulgur and I did not have any. I did have some quick cooking bulgur which I pulsed a few times in the blender and made small.
You do need bulgur that is fine as we don’t cook the bulgur on the stove, but it rather just cooks in the remaining heat after the lentils have cooked.
Red lentil is nothing but the Masoor dal that I use often in adai and to make dal. If I have not told you before, I love the flavor of Masoor dal and love the Turkish Lentil soup that I make with it.
How to serve Bulgur Koftesi
The best way to serve the Vegan Mercimek kofte is to wrap it up in crisp lettuce leaves. If looking for something substantial to serve as a meal, the kofte can be stuffed inside a pita as well and served. Think of it as a non-fried falafel.
I love making my flatbread to stuff the Mercimek koftesi. One of my favorite flatbreads is Aish Baladi, which I would highly suggest trying. It is a Vegan Egyptian flatbread and the rustic flavors of this whole grain flatbread are amazing with the Bulgur Kofte. When doing that also drizzle this vegan lemon tahini dressing over the kofte and you have a perfect pita sandwich.
This is the second recipe that I chose under Turkish cuisine for this week’s Blogging Marathon.
Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking time - 40 minutes
Difficulty level - easy
Recipe adapted from - here
Ingredients to make Mercimek Koftesi – (makes about 20 Koftes)
- Red Lentil / Masoor Dal – 1 cup
- Bulgur (fine) – ¾ cup
- Onion – 1 medium (finely chopped)
- Parsley – 1 cup (finely chopped)
- Spring onions – 4 (whites and greens chopped)
- Tomato paste – 2 tablespoon (substitute ketchup)
- Cumin powder – 1 tbsp
- Crushed red pepper – 2 teaspoon (adjust based on liking)
- Salt – to taste
- Olive oil – 4 tbsp
- Lettuce leaves – to serve
Procedure to make Mercimek Koftesi–
- Wash the lentils well and place them in a large pot along with 3 cups of water. I started with about 2 ½ cups of water and when the lentils were cooked and appeared a little on the drier side, I added about ½ more cup of hot water.
- Cook the lentils on medium heat until they are soft and cooked. At this stage, the lentils should still have a little water left in them that would allow the bulgur to cook.
- Add the fine bulgur to the pot and mix well. Turn off the flame, cover the pot, and let it sit for about 30 minutes until the bulgur cooks up in the leftover heat and absorbs the extra water. I did not have fine bulgur and had quick-cooking bulgur in my pantry. So, I just ground it a bit in the blender and then used it in the recipe.
- After 30 minutes, you will notice that the bulgur has soaked up all the liquids and also has cooked. Let this mixture cool down a bit.
- Meanwhile, in a pan, heat the oil and sauté the finely chopped onions until translucent.
- Add the crushed red pepper, tomato paste (I used ketchup) and cumin powder and cook further for 2 more minutes.
- Turn off the flame and add this to the cooked lentil mixture.
- Add the finely chopped parsley, spring onions, and salt to the lentil mixture and mix well. I found that using my hands to mix was easier than using the ladle.
- Take a handful of the mixture, shape it into a kofte shape, and place them on a serving platter.
- To serve – Serve room temperature or cold koftes wrapped in lettuce.
Expert Tips
- Make sure to use the finest bulgur that is available. If using coarse bulgur, it has to be cooked before we add it to the rest of the ingredients.
- Quick-cooking bulgur can be used instead of fine bulgur and it works just as well.
- Godhumai rava or broken wheat cannot be used as is in the recipe. Bulgur is a parboiled grain and broken wheat is not. We need to cook the broken wheat before substituting it with the recipe.
- If making it grain-free, we can use quinoa as a substitute for bulgur. Make sure to cook the quinoa before using it to make the Mercimek Koftesi.
Frequently asked questions
Quinoa is a good substitute to use instead of bulgur. I have also made it with cooked broken wheat. Millets can also be a good substitute but all these have to be cooked prior to using it in to make the Bulgur Koftesi.
The Bulgur kofte can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days and can be served chilled.
The answer is no. This Bulgur and lentil kofte is made with cooked bulgur and lentil and does not need to be fried or steamed. If preferred, we can pan-fry them to get a crisp exterior.
More Turkish Recipes
- Cezerye | Turkish Carrot and Walnut Bars
- Turkish Semolina Pudding | Sutlu Irmik Tatlisi
- Gozleme | Turkish Spinach and Feta Flatbread
- Yufka | Turkish Unleavened Flatbread
- Peynirli Poğaça - Turkish Poğaça With Feta And Herb
- Turkish Cigar Pastry – Savory Spinach And Feta Cigars
- Sekerpare – Turkish Soft Cookies in Sugar Syrup
- Acma | Soft Turkish Bagel Recipe
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Recipe
Mercimek Koftesi | Red Lentil and Bulgur Koftesi | Turkish Lentil Balls
Equipment
- Large Pot
- pan
- Stove
Ingredients
- 1 cup Red Lentil / Masoor Dal
- ¾ cup Bulgur fine
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 1 cup Parsley finely chopped
- 4 Spring onions whites and greens chopped
- 2 tablespoon Tomato paste substitute ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Cumin powder
- 2 teaspoon Crushed red pepper adjust based on liking
- Salt to taste
- 4 tablespoon Olive oil
- 8 Lettuce leaves to serve
Instructions
- Wash the lentils well and place them in a large pot along with 3 cups of water. I started with about 2 ½ cups of water and when the lentils were cooked and appeared a little on the drier side, I added about ½ more cup of hot water.
- Cook the lentils in medium heat until they are soft and cooked. At this stage the lentils should still have a little water left in them that would allow the bulgur to cook.
- Add the fine bulgur to the pot and mix well. Turn off the flame and cover the pot and let it sit for about 30 minutes until the bulgur cooks up in the leftover heat and absorbs the extra water. I did not have fine bulgur and had quick cooking bulgur in my pantry. So, I just ground it a bit in the blender and then used it in the recipe.
- After 30 minutes, you will notice that the bulgur has soaked up all the liquids and also has cooked. Let this mixture cool down a bit.
- Meanwhile in a pan, heat the oil and sauté the finely chopped onions until translucent.
- Add the crushed red pepper, tomato paste (I used ketchup) and cumin powder and cook further for 2 more minutes.
- Turn off the flame and add this to the cooked lentil mixture.
- Add the finely chopped parsley, spring onions and salt to the lentil mixture and mix well. I found that using my hands to mix was easier than using the ladle.
- Take a handful of the mixture and shape it into kofte shape and place them in serving platter.
To serve – Serve room temperature or cold koftes wrapped in lettuce.
Notes
- Make sure to use finest of the bulgur that is available. If using coarse bulgur, it has to be cooked before we add it to the rest of the ingredients.
- Quick cooking bulgur can be used instead of fine bulgur and it works just as well.
- Godhumai rava or broken wheat cannot be used as is in the recipe. Bulgur is a parboiled grain and broken wheat is not. We need to cook the broken wheat before substituting in the recipe.
- If making it grain free, we can use quinoa as a substitute for bulgur. Make sure to cook the quinoa before using it to make the Mercimek Koftesi.
bogos K says
Thank you for this EXCELLENT recipe. I am vegan and Armenian. This is an excellent substitute for Chikufte (bulgur and lamb steak tartar). We dab the kufte in cayenne pepper or hot sauce as we savour each mouthful. The Egyptian recipe of ‘adz (red lentil ‘dahl’) is the same base) and the addition of the fine bulgur sends it to the stratosphere. We don’t use tomato or ketchup though. The ta’leyah is made of just garlic (lots), cumin (lots), salt and cayenne pepper sautéed with oil and added to the lentils with a dash of lemon or lime to the plate. And more cayenne of course, eaten with aish baladi. Thanks again for a superb recipe.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thank you so much for your feedback. So happy to read your notes on pairing and spices.
Gail Montero says
Love the flavors and textures here that I seriously won't miss the meat!
Angela says
This was the first time I made this dish and it was amazing! I can't wait to make it again!
Tracy says
These were so delicious! A great lunch and the perfect way to add more lentils in our diets. Thank you!
Latha says
When you say you ground the quick cook bulgur to make it smaller, do you mean before or after you added it to the pot?
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Latha, I just quickly pulsed the quick cooking bulgur as they were coarse in texture. I pulsed it when it was dry and before cooking.
Kim says
What if I use green lentils?
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Ki, yes you can use green lentils. Cook it till soft so they can bind well.
Guest says
Can cracked wheat (dalia) be substituted for bulgur?
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Yes, you can use cracked wheat. Make sure to use the fine variety as it cooks quicker.
Leanne says
I've never made or had koftes but I have all the ingredients to make these except the bulgur. These would be great for appetizers or back to work lunches!
Amber says
I have been on the hunt for more lunch recipes.. especially healthier and flavorful ones like this. Do you think these would be good to meal prep?
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks a lot Amber! These can be easily prepped for the week and I would even say they can be cooked and stored in the refrigerator to be served cold.
Swathi says
This looks delicious similar to our kofta. but protein rich. I need to give this one a try.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
Thanks Swathi and they are not fried either making it healthier 🙂
Leigh Manifold says
Those look great! Thanks for posting!