I just love kofta, that marvelous Middle Eastern meatball that can be flavored and cooked in so many different ways (and is variously spelled köfte, kufte, كفته, among others). I definitely prefer the flavor of lamb over any other filling, but given that I often cook vegetarian at home, I’m intrigued by meatless interpretations of it. Two recipes in particular have been swimming around in my to-make queue for ages now, and this past month I finally managed to try both of them.

The first recipe is from Moroccan cookbook author Kitty Morse’s volume North Africa: The Vegetarian Table. The main ingredient in these is finely chopped breadcrumbs, which are flavored similarly to an Arab meat kofta, with parsley, cilantro, and cumin seed. They’re first fried in oil, then baked in an aromatic cinnamon and parsley-scented tomato sauce. My expectations were high for these to be fantastic. But, alas, we all know what happens when expectations run too high! While I didn’t exactly dislike them, I don’t think I’ll make them again, at least not without some major changes. The flavors were on the right mark, but the end impression was of an oily ball of slightly bouncy, spongelike bread in sauce. Nicely flavored bread, mind you, but not worth all the work of chopping herbs and the various steps involved. I’m not including the recipe here for that reason. They were also very difficult to fashion as the dough was very wet (too many eggs, I’d wager). Here’s what they looked like:

The second recipe was as different from the Moroccan version as can be. These Turkish koftas, found on Yogurt Land, were a bit simpler to make and formed from a mixture of soft red lentils and bulgur wheat. They’re not fried and are meant to be served at room temperature, accompanied by a tangy, sumac-laced onion salad. I enjoyed these and will make them again, both for the healthy properties of the lentils and cracked wheat and also because I’d like to experiment with adding different herbs, such as dill or cilantro. In Turkey I think they’re served as finger food, but I made a tasty lunchtime sandwich with a few koftas, a squeeze of lemon, and some onion salad stuffed into a warm piece of lavash bread.

Although I’m not quite prepared to give up my lamb koftas, making these was a neat learning experience and has opened my mind to some new possibilities in vegetarian cooking. Perhaps I can try modifying Kitty Morse’s recipe by substituting bulgur or some other more texturally interesting ingredient (tempeh?) for the breadcrumbs. I also know there are also some fantastic Indian vegetarian koftas that I need to try making, too. Meanwhile, these Red Lentil Koftas are a tasty and adaptable keeper (they seemed to get even better the next day, too). I think they’d be equally good as a finger food appetizer, stuffed into bread as a sandwich, or as a light dinner in warm weather. Don’t skip the onion salad, by the way…the mild flavor of the koftas really benefits from this pungent accompaniment.

Red Lentil Kofta (Mercimekli Köfte)
Adapted from Fethiye’s recipe at Yogurt Land

1 cup red lentils
1.5 cup bulgur (fine or medium grind)
1 1/2 cups finely chopped parsley
4 green onions
1/4 cup olive oil (not extra virgin)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon Turkish red pepper paste (I substituted harissa, which worked well)
1 teaspoon of salt, or more to taste

ground black pepper to taste
lemon wedges, for serving

Onion Salad

1 medium onion, sliced very thinly
1 tsp sumac
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

Put the red lentils with 1.5 cups of water in a medium (4 qt) pan. Cover pan and cook on low heat until water is absorbed and lentils are cooked, 15-20 minutes.

Put the bulgur in a large bowl, and add the cooked lentils. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

While the bulgur absorbed the liquid of the lentils, cook the chopped onion in the olive oil until translucent. Add the tomato and red pepper pastes, and cook until the onions are very soft.

After the lentil mixture has rested for about 15-20 minutes, check for doneness. If the bulghur is too dry, add some more boiling water slowly, then cover with plastic wrap and let sit another 10-15 minutes. Be careful not to add too much water; the goal is to have a smooth paste that can be shaped, but neither too dry not too wet. Be sure to add only a little water at a time. With medium-grind bulghur, I think I added an extra half-cup, maybe a bit more.

When the lentil/bulgur mixture is at the right consistency, add the cooked onion mixture, the parsley, green onions, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Now form the koftas: take a chunk a bit bigger than walnut size, and roll in your palm and fingers to give it an oblong shape. Shape all of the mixture in this way and arrange decoratively on a plate with lemon slices or wedges.

Onion Salad:

In a bowl, mix the thinly sliced onion, parsley, sumac, and salt. Work the spices through the onion, making sure the onion releases its juice. You can add a bit of lemon to this mixture if desired, or even some finely chopped lettuce.

Serve koftas at room temperature accompanied by onion salad.

Posted by the cookworm on Sunday, March 9th, 2008 at 12:53 pm.