Red lentil fritters
June 22, 2011 • Category: Mezze/Appetizers
The challenge with these fritters is to infuse them with flavor as they tend to be bland on their own; so go ahead and add all the spices that your little heart desires and you will be rewarded with a delicious appetizer. Squeeze some citrus juice on the fritters before inhaling them, it will enhance their flavor and help with the absorption of the iron in the lentils.
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup of red lentils, cooked in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes till soft.
- 1/2 cup of bulgur (#1), soaked in water 10 minutes, then drained and squeezed of the extra water.
- 3/4 cup of rice, cooked.
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup of flour
- 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon of sumac (optional)
- 2 tablespoon of harissa (can substitute red pepper paste of your choice or chili paste)
- 4 cloves of garlic, mashed with salt in a mortar till pasty
- 2 scallions, minced (can substitute shallot) (optional)
- Rind of an orange or a lemon or a lime
- 1/2 cup of minced cilantro
- 1 cup of minced Italian parsley
- 2 Tablespoons of powdered dried mint
- 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
- 1 cup of sesame seeds (can substitute pistachios, pecans or walnuts, chopped fine)
- 1 or 2 lemons, quartered
- oil for frying, as needed
These are served with a quick salad of diced tomatoes, diced feta and minced parsley dressed in lemon juice and olive oil, with a touch of sumac if desired.
NOTE: I made the effort to buy a feta with a Greek origin and was rewarded with a creamy smooth-tasting cheese, far superior to the other varieties I used to buy. I soaked the feta in water to make it a bit less salty.
For extra flavor, fry the minced herbs and garlic in a little olive oil for no more than 10 seconds, then add to the lentil mixture.
METHOD:
- Place the cooked (and drained) lentils in a large bowl. Add the drained bulgur, rice, egg, flour, minced scallions, harissa and other spices, rind of a citrus and toss well to combine. Heat a little olive oil in a small skillet, throw the minced herbs and mashed garlic and stir to combine the mixture for no more than 10 seconds. Remove and add to the lentil mixture and toss.
- Shape the fritters with an ice-cream scoop and dip in the sesame seeds or other nuts.
- Heat some oil in a pan (about one inch) and when hot (at 350F to 375F), drop the fritters and cook about 3 minutes on one side and one minute on the other. Place on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Serve with the salad and some quartered lemon or limes.
Comments
21 Comments • Comments Feed
Lentil Breakdown says:
These remind me of some baked falafel patties I just made. You can even make them gluten-free with garbanzo flour instead of regular. I like how you coated them in the sesame seeds.
On June 22, 2011 at 5:50 pm
Joumana says:
@Lentil Breakdown: Great idea Adair! I still have a bag of chickpea flour I need to use up!
On June 22, 2011 at 6:16 pm
Tim Vidra says:
That looks amazing! Whew that is a lot of ingredients but I bet the flavor just surrounds the house and palate!
E.A.T.
On June 22, 2011 at 6:00 pm
Devaki says:
The sesame seed coating is splendid and reminds me of my mum’s sasame chicken which btw she fries perfection 🙂 Wonderful hearty flavors here Joumana and beautifully presented!
chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
On June 22, 2011 at 7:10 pm
Green Shushi says:
mmm–this looks delicious! I love love love red lentils. I have to try this one day.
On June 22, 2011 at 8:43 pm
Belinda @zomppa says:
So pretty. I love the addition of citrus peel to waken everything up.
On June 22, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Aldy says:
Oooh, Beautiful 🙂 I love red lentils and these fritters absolutely fantastic!
Have a great day,
Aldy.
On June 22, 2011 at 10:35 pm
Chiara says:
Looks delicious Joumana! I have to try soon, thanks for sharing….
On June 22, 2011 at 11:23 pm
Rosa says:
A great dish! Red lentils have such a lovely flavor.
Bises et bonne journée,
Rosa
On June 22, 2011 at 11:54 pm
Priya says:
Fritters looks soo tempting and crispy..
On June 23, 2011 at 1:42 am
Suman Singh says:
I can imagine how delicious it would have tasted with all those ingredients in it..YUM..loving the feta salad too..looks so fresh!!
On June 23, 2011 at 3:39 am
meriem says:
Ta recette est superbe. J’aime le fait que tu serves tes galettes de lentilles avec cette belle salade grèque. Je la note. Merci Joumana.
On June 23, 2011 at 5:55 am
sweetlife says:
great appetizer idea!! the spices really kick up the lentil and the sesame coating add great texture.
thank you for sharing
sweetlife
On June 23, 2011 at 7:21 am
Faith says:
Really delicious looking fritters, Joumana. I love all the spices and that crunchy sesame coating looks wonderful!
On June 23, 2011 at 8:25 am
Tova says:
I absolutely love red lentils, and the salad you served it with look perfect for summer!
On June 23, 2011 at 10:48 am
Scienter says:
These look awesome! I love anything I can put lemon juice on. I actually have all of the ingredients in my pantry right now!
On June 23, 2011 at 11:09 am
Adelina says:
Joumana, I miss you and your beautiful posts. You never disappoint me and feel so therapeutic when I come a just scroll down you recent posts. Thanks for you creations… they are very inspirational. I have not been blogging for quite sometime, but you make me want to return and see what you’ve been up too.
On June 23, 2011 at 2:24 pm
fimère says:
ces beignets doivent être bien gouteux, j’aime beaucoup l’idée
bonne soirée
On June 23, 2011 at 3:07 pm
Oui, Chef says:
I love lentils in all their forms and can totally see doing this dish as a side, not just an appetizer to shake things up a bit. Delicious with chicken or fish, I bet. – S
On June 24, 2011 at 7:13 am
Peter says:
The red lentils help the dish look better than the brown or green ones..i just love meatless patties/fritters.
On June 24, 2011 at 8:56 am
Magic of Spice says:
These are just packed with beautiful flavors…great use for lentils, which I adore 🙂
On June 28, 2011 at 3:46 pm