My Mercimek Köftesi Recipe makes a vegan Turkish meze with red lentils, fine bulgur, onion, and plenty of parsley. These Turkish Lentil Balls cost very little to make, and one batch fills a platter. Nothing is fried or baked, so once you have shaped them the job is done.
Serve them cold on lettuce leaves with plenty of lemon. I make a big bowl of the mixture when I know the week ahead is busy. It keeps in the fridge for days and tastes better the next day.
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In Turkish these are mercimek köftesi, and you will also see them written as mercimekli köfte. There is no tidy English name, so lentil balls or lentil köfte is as close as it gets. They are shaped and eaten much like my Çiğ Köfte, but the mixture is built on red lentils rather than bulgur alone.
What is Mercimek Köftesi?
Mercimek Köftesi is a cold meze, which in Turkey means one of the small dishes that go on the table before or alongside the main food. It is home cooking rather than restaurant food, and every house makes it slightly differently.
They are called köfte because of the shape, not because there is any meat in them. The name covers anything shaped into a ball or an oval by hand, from meatballs to these lentil ones.
If you would rather watch than read, the short video below takes you through the mixing and the shaping.
Why This Recipe Works
- Fine bulgur swells in the water left from the lentils, so there is one pan and nothing to drain.
- Cooking the onion and the two pastes first is what gives the mixture its color and its savory taste.
- You knead it by hand, so you can feel when it is ready instead of guessing.
- It is vegan and dairy free as it stands, so one plate covers a mixed table.
- One batch makes 16, which is enough for a meze spread with plenty left over.
- The leftovers are great for picnics or packed lunches.
Ingredients You'll Need
Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.
- Red lentils - A staple in every Turkish kitchen, and the base of soups like my Turkish Red Lentil Soup and Ezogelin Çorbaşı. Large supermarkets and Middle Eastern shops both stock them.
- Fine bulgur - Bulgur comes in fine, medium, coarse, and extra coarse grinds, and this recipe needs the fine one. It is the same grind used for Lebanese Tabbouleh and Icli Kofte, and you will find it in Turkish and Middle Eastern shops or online.
- Onions - Onions carry most of the flavor here. I gently sauté brown onions in good olive oil until soft and also add sliced spring onions. A little raw red onion on top adds crunch.
- Tomato paste - It goes into almost every Turkish savory dish. It brings both the color and much of the savory taste.
- Red pepper paste - Turkish red pepper paste is made from roasted red peppers, and you can make your own Biber Salçası if you have a glut of them, and I use it constantly. If you cannot get hold of it, use tomato paste instead. You can buy it from Turkish or Middle Eastern shops or online.
- Spices - Adjust the amounts to your taste. Although turmeric is not a traditional spice to use for these red lentil balls, I love the color it adds to them. You can skip it if you like! Also if you don't have chili flakes, you can use finely chopped red chilies or hot paprika for a bit of heat.
- Lemon - Plenty of freshly squeezed lemon juice at the end lifts the whole thing.
How to Make Mercimek Köftesi
Cook the Lentils and Bulgur
Rinse the red lentils until the water runs clear, then put them in a saucepan with 500 ml of water. Bring it to a boil over medium heat and cook until the lentils are soft, about 20 minutes. There should still be about half a finger of liquid left in the pan.
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the fine bulgur. Put the lid on and leave it for about 20 minutes, until the bulgur has drunk up the rest of the water and swelled.
Sauté the Onions
While the bulgur swells, put the chopped onions in a frying pan with the olive oil. Cook them gently over low heat until soft and translucent.
Stir in the tomato paste and the pepper paste and cook for a minute. Add the black pepper, paprika, chili, cumin, turmeric, and salt, and cook for another 30 seconds before taking the pan off the heat.
Mix and Shape
Tip the onion mixture into the lentils and bulgur and stir it through, then leave it until it is cool enough to handle.
Now knead it for about 10 minutes, until everything comes together and the mixture feels like a paste. Mix the parsley and spring onions through at the end.
Shape the mixture into small ovals, squeezing each one in your palm so it takes the traditional ridges. Wet your hands as you go so nothing sticks.
Recipe Tips From the Chef
- Take the lentils off the heat while there is still liquid in the pan. Dry lentils give a mixture that crumbles.
- Use fine bulgur. The medium and coarse grinds will not soften in the residual heat.
- Stir the bulgur in off the heat and put the lid on for 20 minutes. Leave the lid alone while it sits, so the steam softens every grain evenly.
- If the mixture feels dry as you knead it, work in warm water a spoonful at a time.
- Chop the onions and parsley finely, and add the herbs only once the mixture has cooled.
- Lay them on lettuce leaves as you go, which stops the surface drying out.
- Chill them for at least an hour before serving so the flavors settle.
- Do not rush the kneading. The starch in the lentils is what binds these together, and it only comes out with real work.
Variations
- Fry the shaped köfte in a little olive oil for a couple of minutes a side if you want crisp edges.
- A drizzle of pomegranate molasses instead of lemon gives them a sweeter, sharper finish.
- Swap some of the parsley for fresh mint or dill.
- Leave the chili flakes out for children, or add more pepper paste if you want real heat.
- Some cooks swap the bulgur for cooked quinoa.
- Drop a sprig of thyme or rosemary into the lentil water and lift it out before you mix, for a faint herby background.
Serving Suggestions
Serve Mercimek Köftesi as part of a meze table, next to my Arnavut Cigeri, Saksuka, and Haydari. Put the lettuce out whole and let everyone wrap their own, with lemon wedges on the side. Sliced tomato, cucumber, and spring onion alongside turn it into a light lunch rather than a starter. Tea or a glass of ayran is what usually goes alongside.
They also pack well. Layer them in a box with a few lettuce leaves between them and they will hold up all day for a picnic or a packed lunch.
Storage and Make Ahead Instructions
The mixture keeps in the fridge for up to a week in a covered container, so you can make it days before you need it and shape only what you want at the time. Shaped ones keep just as well, laid out in a single layer and covered.
They will also sit in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
For longer, freeze them for up to 3 months and thaw them in the fridge overnight.
Recipe FAQs
Cold, or at room temperature. It is a meze rather than a hot dish, and nothing is cooked once the mixture is shaped. If it has been in the fridge, take it out a while before serving.
No, though they are close relatives. Çiğ Köfte is built on bulgur with pepper paste and spices, and traditionally raw meat, while this one is built on red lentils. Both are shaped by hand and eaten cold.
Usually the lentils were too dry, which leaves the bulgur nothing to swell into and the mixture with nothing holding it together. The tips above cover how to get it right.
Vegan as it stands, with no meat, dairy, or eggs. Not gluten free, though, because bulgur is made from wheat.
Related Recipes
For more delicious traditional Turkish recipes, try:
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I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious vegan lentil dish "Mercimek Koftesi" as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂
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Mercimek Köftesi
Ingredients
- ½ cup red lentil (100 grams)
- 1 cup fine bulgur (200 grams)
- 2 cups water (500 ml)
- 2 onions (finely chopped)
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon pepper paste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes (optional)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup parsley (finely chopped)
- 5 spring onions (thinly sliced)
- gem lettuce or roman lettuce (to serve)
- lemon slices or wedges (to garnish)
Instructions
Cook the Lentils and Bulgur
- Rinse the red lentils until the water runs clear, then put them in a saucepan with 500 ml of water.
- Bring it to a boil over medium heat and cook until the lentils are soft, about 20 minutes. There should still be about half a finger of liquid left in the pan.
- Take the pan off the heat and stir in the fine bulgur. Put the lid on and leave it for about 20 minutes without lifting it, until the bulgur has drunk up the rest of the water and swelled.
Sauté the Onions
- While the bulgur swells, put the chopped onions in a frying pan with the olive oil. Cook them gently over low heat until soft and translucent.
- Stir in the tomato paste and the pepper paste and cook for a minute. If you do not have pepper paste, use tomato paste instead.
- Add the black pepper, paprika, chili, cumin, turmeric, and salt, and cook for another 30 seconds before taking the pan off the heat.
Mix and Shape
- Tip the onion mixture into the lentils and bulgur and stir it through, then leave it until it is cool enough to handle.
- Knead it for about 10 minutes, until everything comes together and the mixture feels like a paste. Mix the parsley and spring onions through at the end.
- Shape the mixture into small ovals, squeezing each one in your palm so it takes the traditional ridges. Wet your hands as you go so nothing sticks.
- Serve them cold, with lettuce leaves and lemon wedges.
Video
Notes
- The mixture keeps in the fridge for up to a week in a covered container.
- Shaped ones sit at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Chill for at least an hour before serving so the flavors settle.
- Take the lentils off the heat while there is still liquid in the pan, or the mixture will crumble.
- Use fine bulgur. The medium and coarse grinds will not soften in the residual heat.
- Stir the bulgur in off the heat, cover, and leave it 20 minutes to swell.
- If the mixture feels dry as you knead it, work in warm water a spoonful at a time.
- Add the parsley and spring onions only once the mixture has cooled.
- Shape with wet hands, and lay them on lettuce leaves so the surface does not dry out.
- Vegan as it stands. Not gluten free, because bulgur is made from wheat.
- For crisp edges, fry the shaped köfte in a little olive oil for a couple of minutes a side.
- Knead the cooled mixture for about 10 minutes, until it feels like a paste. The starch this releases is what binds the köfte.
- Leave the lid alone while the bulgur sits, so the steam softens every grain evenly.
Yasameen Imani says
Oh my!! These were so delicious and so easy to make. It is the perfect meal for a hot day.
Ayla Clulee says
Thank you for your lovely comment and I am so glad you enjoyed them, Yasameen!
Oliver says
Easy to make and very delicious!
Zainab says
Super healthy, full of protein and keeps you full for a long time!
Anita says
They’re really really good. I still have some left over in the fridge but I don’t think they’ll last long. Thanks for the recipe.
Amy says
Wow, these were great – so much flavour packed into these! Bad news; we finished all of the koftas. Loved by all. Next time, double batch.
Frank says
This recipe is spot on. They turned out perfect!
Ayla Clulee says
Thank you for letting me know and I am glad you loved it!
Kind Regards
Ayla