Best Lentil Balls Recipes

LENTIL BALLS

Steps:

• Combine water and red lentils in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir in bulgur and remove saucepan from heat. Cover and let stand until bulgur absorbs the residual moisture, about 5 minutes.
• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir spring onions until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Combine red lentil mixture and onion mixture in a large bowl. Add parsley, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, cumin, and salt; knead by hand until evenly distributed.
• Shape mixture into small logs or round balls and arrange on a plate. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent the tops from drying out before serving.

MERCIMEK KOFTESI (LENTIL BALLS)

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the lentils, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer uncovered over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are soft and have absorbed most of the water, about 10 minutes. Stir in the bulgur and remove from the heat. Cover and set aside until the bulgur is very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a small skillet over low heat, heat the oil and add the onion, sautéing until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato and pepper pastes and mix well. Remove from the heat and cool. Add cumin, crushed red pepper and black pepper. Season with salt to taste.
• Add the onion mixture to the lentil mixture and toss to mix. Add the scallions and parsley, mixing gently. Line a platter or individual serving plates with lettuce leaves. With dampened hands, form the lentil mixture into oval walnut-size balls, placing them on top of the lettuce. Serve immediately, or cover lightly and refrigerate up to one hour.

OVEN FRIED LENTIL BALLS

Steps:

• Rinse and drain the lentils. Chop the onion and the garlic.
• In a dry skillet, toast the pine nuts for 2-3 minutes or until browned.
• Put the lentils in a large saucepan, cover with the water, and add the salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Drain.
• Whisk the egg, tomato juice, and tomato paste in a mixing bowl. Add 1/2 cup breadcrumbs and the drained lentils and mix well.
• Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and garlic and saute for 3 minutes, until onion is soft. Add the coriander and cumin and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the onion mixture to the lentil mixture and stir well.
• Puree 1/2 cup of the toasted pine nuts and 1 cup of the lentil mixture in a food processor until smooth. Scrape the puree back into the remaining lentil mixture and add the remaining pine nuts and the black pepper. Mix well and season with salt if necessary. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray.
• Put the remaining 1/2 cup bread crumbs in a shallow bowl. Form spoonfuls of the lentil mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls and roll in the breadcrumbs. Arrange the balls on the prepared cookie sheet. Spray the tops with cooking spray.
• Bake at 450 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until cooked through. Serve immediately.

BEEF AND LENTIL BALLS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Start by making the tomato sauce.
• Combine the onions, canned plum tomatoes and red wine in a saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor, then return it to the saucepan and set it aside.
• Make the meatballs.
• Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan and cook the copped onions, celery and carrots for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the onions and carrots are softened but not browned.
• Add the ground beef and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the meat is lightly browned.
• Add the lentils, tomatoes, tomatoe paste, bay leaves, vegetable broth and wine.
• Mix well and bring to a boil, breaking up the tomatoes with a spoon.
• Lower the heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the liquid has been completely absorbed.
• Remove the bay leaves, then stir the worcestershire sauce into the lentil mixture.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs and parsley.
• Season with salt and pepper and mix well, then allow the mixture to cool.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350f degrees.
• Shape the beef mixture into neat balls, rolling them in your hands.
• Arrange in an ovenproof dish and bake for 25 minutes.
• While the meatballs are baking, reheat the tomato sauce.
• Just before serving, stir in the chopped dill.
• Pour the tomato sauce over the meatballs and serve.

DAAL PAKODA (FRIED LENTIL BALLS)

Steps:

• Soak lentils for 2 hours in enough water and then grind to a paste.
• Mix in lentils,chopped cilantro ,onions,salt,green chillies,and chaat masala.
• Chaat Masala is a salty and sour mixed spices. This is optional.
• Dissolve chick pea flour in about 1/2 water making a thick paste.
• Mix the chick pea flour in the bowl along with the other ingredients.
• This batter should not be too think but thick enough to roll out small balls.
• If its too thin you can add more chick pea flour.
• Heat cooking oil in a pan and shallow fry or deep fry them until golden brown.
• Serve hot with any ketchup or Indian chutny.

LENTIL HUMMUS BALLS

Steps:

• Cook the lentils with a tsp of salt. Drain and let cool. Mash the hummus into the lentils - leaving some whole and mashing some to a puree. Add breadcrumbs and cumin and form into dough. If the dough is too dry add a little water if its a bit loose add some more breadcrumbs. Roll into balls and arrange on a lightly greased baking sheet(i would suggest flattening the balls for crunchier crusts). Bake at 200c for up to 20 minutes or until golden-brown. Enjoy :-).

LENTIL SOUP, DATE BALLS, CELERY SALAD

Steps:

• Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside
• Put the tomato paste and 7 quarts (6.6 kilograms) cold water in a large nonreactive stockpot over high heat. Whisk occasionally as the water comes to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle boil and cook for about 1 hour, or until it has reduced by about one-quarter. (Remove from the heat if the onions aren't ready.)
• Meanwhile, rinse the cilantro and parsley well and set aside. Cut the onions into large chunks. Put the chunks in a food processor and pulse until they are becoming a mush. Add as much of the herbs as fit into the food processor. Pulse the machine, adding small amounts of cold water if necessary to allow the blade to spin. As the herbs decrease in volume, add the remaining herbs and the celery leaves and continue to pulse. Stop from time to time to scrape the sides with a rubber spatula and mix the herbs to redistribute them. Run the machine for up to 10 minutes, until the mixture is almost liquefied.
• Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan and stir in the spice mix.
• Add the remaining 5 cups (1.2 kilograms) cold water to the onions and bring to a gentle boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and boil gently for about 1 hour or until the liquid is reduced by half.
• Stir the onion mixture into the stockpot, return to a simmer, and cook for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, skimming any impurities that rise to the top, until the soup has reduced by about one-third to just over 4 quarts (4 kilograms).
• Cut a lengthwise slit down one side of each date, open it as you would a book, and remove the pit. Cut the dates lengthwise in half, then cut each half lengthwise into 4 strips. Using your fingertips, shape each strip into a rough ball. If you keep the skin side facing out, the ball will be less sticky and will hold together better.
• Pour a shallow pool of olive oil into a small bowl. Rub a little of the oil on the center of one palm, put a date ball on it, and use the index finger of your other hand to roll the date into a smooth ball. Put the ball in the bowl of oil, and repeat with the rest of the dates, adding more oil to the bowl as needed to keep the date balls covered. Set aside.
• Put the lentils in a saucepan, add 6 cups (1.4 kilograms) cold water, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook the lentils for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring them from time to time.
• Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with cold water. Taste a lentil. When they have started to soften but are still firm in the center, drain them in a fine-mesh strainer, rinse them with cold water, and submerge them in the bowl of cold water until ready to use.
• Remove the tough outer celery stalks and reserve them for another use. Pinch off the leaves from the inner stalks and place the leaves in a bowl of ice water. Cut the stalks into 1/8-inch dice; you need 1 cup (120 grams). Put the diced celery in a small bowl, toss with the olive oil and parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Once the soup has reduced, add the lentils; keep warm over low heat.
• Whisk together the flour, water, and yeast in a small bowl and let sit at room temperature until foamy and bubbling, about 10 minutes.
• Whisking constantly, add the flour mixture to the soup, then stir with a flat-bottomed wooden spoon, scraping the bottom of the pot, as you bring the soup to a simmer over medium heat. (High heat could cause the flour to stick to the bottom of the pot.) Simmer the soup gently, stirring often, for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt, remove the soup from the heat, and stir in the lemon juice.
• Drain and dry the celery leaves. Using 2 soupspoons, form the celery salad into a quenelle or football shape and place toward the rim of each soup bowl. Stack about 8 date balls alongside each quenelle. (If you end up with extra date balls, keep them in the refrigerator and add them to salads.)
• Carefully ladle the soup around the garnishes so that a bit of the celery salad and the date balls remain visible. Drizzle some of the olive oil that remains in the bowl of celery salad over the soup and garnish with the celery leaves.