Middle-Eastern Cuisine Recipes

Koftas with spiced lentil rice

Difficulty: 3/5

Duration: 2 hours

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

FOR THE KOFTAS

• 2 cans (480g) rinsed, drained lentils
• 1 roughly chopped medium-sized onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tbps roughly chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp chia seedss
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

FOR THE SPICED LENTIL RICE

• 1 can (240g) rinsed, drained lentils
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• Salt to taste

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1/2 cup plain soy yoghurt
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh chives
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

Instructions:

• In a food processor, blend the kofta ingredients until you achieve a smooth consistency. If needed, add a little bit of water at a time until everything is bound together.
• Form 18 balls with your mixture. Put them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Flatten them with the palm of your hand to obtain disc-shaped patties. Let sit for 15 minutes and bake for 25 minutes at 200°C in the oven.
• In the meantime, put all of the ingredients for the lentil rice in a pot. Cover and cook on medium heat until you achieve a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the rice is soft and the water is fully evaporated.
• While the rice is cooking, mix all of the ingredients for the sauce in a small bowl.

Serving: On a plate, put a ladle of the lentil rice and a few of the kofta. Spoon some of the sauce on top of the kofta. Top with fresh tomatoes, slices of lemon, or fresh chives for added freshness.