Mercimek koftesi are spicy cold meze from Turkey. These little lentil and bulgur bites are super simple to make and packed with flavor. They are the perfect addition to a table of appetizers, where you can also have fun by completing the dish by pairing it with fresh lettuce and a squeeze lemon.
In Turkey they are often eaten as an appetizer at social gatherings. They are delicious, light and refreshing.
What are Mercimek Köftesi?
Mercimek Koftesi is one of the many naturally vegan turkish dishes. When thinking about Turkish cuisine, you might think of döner kebab and meat köfte. But there’s so much more!
They are balls made with bulgur, lentils, onions, tomato and pepper paste and various herbs and spices. They are usually served cold.
Unlike other kofte recieps the balls are not cooked or fried, they are eaten “raw”, everything in it is cooked but once shaped they are eaten as they are. They are typically served with lettuce and lemon slices.
Mercimek Köftesi Ingredients
- Lentils – Red split lentils are used for this dish. If want to use another type of lentil, you can, but they need to be split lentils as they need to be as similar as possible to split red lentils.
- Bulgur – Fine bulgur is used for this recipe. If you can’t find it in your regular supermarket, you can get it online or in ethnic supermarket.
- Tomato Paste and Red Pepper Paste – These two pastes give a lot of flavour to the dish and also its signature color. In case you can’t find Turkish pepper paste at home, you can substitute it with more tomato paste and some chili flakes, since the paste is supposed to be spicy
- Onions – these are cooked down the the tomato and red pepper paste for an explosion of flavour.
- Fresh herbs – Parsley and spring onions add a nice touch of freshness to the koftesi.
- Spices – Cumin, red pepper flakes
- Olive oil
- Lemon juice and lemon wedges
Mercimek Köftesi – Turkish Lentil Balls Instructions
Rinse the red lentils, add them to a pan with the water, cover and cook for about 10 minutes until they are soft but still watery. We are now adding a fine bugler and it needs water to be able to continue cooking and absorb the water. Add the bulgur, remove from the heat, cover with a lid and let it stand for another 5/8 minutes and then let it cool down.
In the meantime, heat up some olive oil in a pan, add diced onions and sauté for 10 minutes, then add tomato paste, Turkish red pepper paste or chili flakes (reduce or increase depending on your spice tolerance) and cumin. Mix to combine, cook for a few minutes more.
Once the lentil and bulgur mixture has cooled down, place it in a big bowl and add the onion mixture, spring onions, fresh parsley, lemon juice, chili flakes, olive oil, and salt. Mix thoroughly with your hands until it reaches a smooth consistency.
Shape the koftesi with damp hands by squeezing them in your palms.
Serve on a plate with lettuce leaves and lemon. When ready to eat, take a piece of lettuce, place one ball on it, and season it with some lemon juice.
Storage – How long do they keep?
If you’re not eating them all straight away, you can put them in an airtight container and leave them in the fridge for up to 5 days.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
I love to see recreations and share them!
Mercimek Köftesi – Turkish Lentil Bulgur Balls
Ingredients
- 190 g dry split red lentils
- 400 ml water
- 80 g fine bulgur
- 2 small onions
- 1 bunch of parsley
- 2 spring onions
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Biber salçası – Turkish medium hot red pepper paste OR more of the tomato paste and some chili flakes
- 1 tsp Cumin
- Salt and black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- juice of half a lemon
To serve
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 1 lettuce
Instructions
- Rinse the red lentils, add them to a pan with the water, cover and cook for about 10 minutes until they are soft but still watery. We are now adding fine bugler and it needs water to be able to continue cooking and absorb the water. Add the bulgur, remove from the heat, cover with a lid and let it stand for another 5/8 minutes and then let it cool down.
- In the meantime, heat up some olive oil in a pan, add diced onions and sauté for 8-10 minutes or until translucent, then add tomato paste, Turkish red pepper paste or more tomato paste and some chili flakes (reduce or increase depending on your spice tolerance) and cumin. Mix to combine, cook for a few minutes more.
- Once the lentil and bulgur mixture has cooled down, place it in a big bowl and add the onion mixture, spring onions, fresh parsley, lemon juice, chili flakes if using, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly with your hands until it reaches a smooth consistency. Shape the balls with damp hands by squeezing them in your palms.
- Serve on a plate with lettuce leaves and lemon. When ready to eat, take a piece of lettuce, place one ball on it, and season it with some lemon juice.
