Eat Healthy and Cheap
Mercimek Koftesi
Mercimek köftesi is one of the dishes cooks across Anatolia turn to for meatless days: red lentils and bulgur worked by hand into small torpedo shapes and served no warmer than room temperature. The dish is naturally oil-light in its traditional form, since the lentils bind the mixture with their own starch as they cook down, not with added fat. Letting the bulgur steam in the residual heat of the just-cooked lentils, instead of boiling it separately, is what keeps the texture tender rather than gluey. Tomato paste toasted dry in the pan and a squeeze of lemon at the end carry the savoriness that salt would otherwise supply.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Red lentils, rinsed
- 1 cup Bulgur, fine grind, or coarse pulsed a few times in a blender
- 1 Yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tsp Cumin seed, toasted and ground
- 1 tsp Sweet paprika
- 1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
- 4 Scallions, thinly sliced, divided
- 1/2 cup Flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp Walnuts, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice
- 8 leafs Romaine, inner leaves, washed, for serving
- 1 Lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
Method
- Rinse the red lentils, then simmer them in 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) water, uncovered, until they collapse into a soft mass, 15 to 18 minutes. Stir occasionally near the end so they don't catch on the bottom.
- Turn off the heat and stir the bulgur directly into the hot lentils. Cover the pot and let it sit for 15 minutes: the trapped steam and the lentils' own heat cook the bulgur completely, no separate boiling required. This is the step that lets the whole dish go together without a stovetop finish.
- While that sits, sweat the onion and garlic in a covered pan with 3 tablespoons water over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes, splashing in more water if the pan runs dry.
- Push the onion aside and add the tomato paste to the bare part of the pan. Toast it for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until it darkens to brick red: that color change is caramelization, and it stands in for the depth oil would normally add. Stir in the cumin, paprika, and aleppo pepper and cook 30 seconds more, until fragrant.
- Scrape the onion mixture into the lentils and bulgur while everything is still warm; the warmth helps it bind. Fold in the walnuts, half the scallions, and the parsley.
- Let the mixture cool until it's comfortable to handle, then stir in the lemon juice and taste. With wet hands, which keep the mixture from sticking the way oiled hands normally would, scoop about 2 tablespoons and roll it into a small oval log. Repeat with the rest; you should get 16 to 18.
- Arrange the koftesi on the romaine leaves, scatter with the remaining scallions, and set out the lemon wedges. Wrap each one in a leaf and eat it like a small taco.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 305 calories, 12 g protein, 9 g fiber. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt.
