Spicy Lentil Patties with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Weekends are when I usually fuss around with slightly more complicated creations. Not that these spicy and flavorful little red lentil patties are really complicated, just a bit more time consuming than other dishes that I might make during the week. You don't even need to pull out a food processor for these. Once the lentils are cooked until mushy and drained, simply stir in the rest of the ingredients and shape into little bites. Baking them instead of frying cuts down on the cooking time and they are healthier too because you don't need oil. Simply line a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake, turning once, until they are nicely browned on both sides.

These go well with any meal and they happen to pack a bit of heat too. The nutritional yeast adds a bit of cheesy flavor that turned out quite nicely combined with the spices and tart sun-dried tomatoes. I served them with a simple tomato sauce, but you could serve them as burgers with your favorite toppings, or with a soup or salad on the side. These turned out to be a big hit with my dinner guests.

Spicy Lentil Patties with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Recipe by Lisa Turner Published on August 2, 2016 Golden-brown baked red lentil and sun-dried tomato patties — simple to make and great for summer meals Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup dried red lentils 3 sun-dried tomatoes 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds — see recipe for instructions) 1 large shallot, minced 1/3 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast 1/2 tablespoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 1/2 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 cup brown rice flour or other flour, as needed 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste fresh ground black pepper Instructions: Rinse the lentils and transfer to a medium saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft. Drain well. Meanwhile, soak the sun-dried tomatoes in hot water for 20 minutes. Drain and chop. To make the flax egg, combine 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds with 3 tablespoons warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Transfer the well-drained lentils to a large bowl and add the sun-dried tomatoes, flax egg and the rest of the ingredients. Stir well to combine. The mixture should be sticky but easy enough to work with to shape into patties. Add more flour if the mixture is too moist. These can be baked or fried. To bake, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 400°. Shape the lentil mixture into small 1 1/2-inch patties and transfer to the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and transfer to a plate for serving. To fry, lightly oil a large non-stick skillet and heat over medium heat. Fry each patty for a few minutes per side until golden. Do not crowd the pan but instead fry up in batches. Makes 12 2-inch patties

I'm sharing this with Jacquline's Meat Free Mondays event and also with My Legume Love Affair, an event started by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook, now administered by me and kindly hosted this month by Sneha's Recipe.

More patties and small bites to enjoy from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Red Lentil, Chickpea and Millet Patties
Chickpea Patties Smothered in Vegetable Gravy
Quinoa Potato Patties
Spicy Baked Chickpea Koftas

© Copyright 2007—2013 Lisa's Kitchen. For personal use only.

If you are seeing this post on a site other than foodandspice.blogspot.com, it is being stolen.

Bisi Bele Bhath (Rice with Lentils and Spices)

This combination of rice, toor dal, vegetables and spices is essentially a south Indian variation of north Indian kitcheree — the classic one-pot meal — with the use of tamarind, coconut, aromatic spices and a tempering characteristic of south Indian cooking. The bisi bele spice mix is a rather unique and wonderfully aromatic blend of coriander, fenugreek, dried chiles and cinnamon that is a snap to make up. A fragrant and warming dish with a bit of heat and a delightful sweet and sour flavor, bisi bele bhath is all you need for a satisfying and nourishing meal. Throw in some crunchy vegetables and roasted cashews for a nutty taste, bisi bele bhath is a south Indian comfort food and gentle for tender tummies.

There are a few steps to this recipe but it's totally worth the effort as you get a complete meal for your effort. The bisi bele masala or spice blend is available commercially at Indian grocers, but grinding your own blend at home always give you the freshest spice blend experience. I've used carots and green beans for the vegetables in this version, but feel free to experiment with other vegetables such as okra.

Bisi Bele Bhath (Rice with Lentils and Spices)

Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: South Indian Published on June 19, 2016 A fragrant and warming south Indian one-pot meal of rice, lentils, vegetables, tamarind and aromatic spices tossed with coconut and cashews Print this recipe Bisi bele masala (spice blend): 1/2 tablespoon coriander seeds 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek (methi) seeds 4 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick, broken into bits 1 to 2 dried red chilies, broken into bits 2 teaspoon dried split urad dal or channa dal Rice and lentils: 1 cup white basmati or jasmine rice 1/2 cup toor dal (split pigeon peas) 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp, soaked in 2/3 cup hot water for 20 to 30 minutes 1 tablespoon coconut oil 1 small red onion 2 green or red chilies, seeded and minced 2 medium carrots, chopped 1/2 cup green beans, chopped 1/2 tablespoon coconut or brown sugar or jaggery 1/2 cup roasted unsalted cashews, halved or chopped 1/2 cup toasted dried unsweetened shredded coconut 1 to 2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste Tempering: 2 teaspoons coconut oil 1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds 1 teaspoon cumin seeds a few pinches of asafetida small handful of dried curry leaves, crumbled Instructions: Rinse the rice under cold running water and transfer to a medium saucepan. Cover with 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside. Meanwhile, rinse the toor dal and bring to a boil in a large saucpean with 2 cups water. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the dal is tender, about 40 to 50 minutes. While the rice and dal are cooking, toast the ingredients for the bisi bele masala (spice blend) for a few minutes in a small unoiled saucepan over medium heat, tossing or stirring frequently. Transfer to a coffee to spice grinder and blend to a powder. Set aside. Now drain the soaked tamarind pulp by pushing it through a sieve over a bowl and remove any seeds that may remain in the pulp. Reserve the soaking water. Heat the coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until softened. Now add the chilies, carrots and green beans. Continue to fry until the vegetables are just tender. Once the toor dal has cooked, add the tamarind and its soaking water, sugar or jaggery, spice blend and salt. Mix well. Add the cooked vegetables, rice, coconut and cashews. Add a bit more water if it seems too dry. Stir gently to combine. For the tempering, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds. Once the mustard seeds begin to splutter and pop — 30 to 60 seconds — add the asafetida and curry leaves. Stir once and then pour into the rice and lentil mixture. Cover and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then stir and serve hot. Makes 4 to 6 servings

Serves 4 - 6.

I'm sharing this with Jac's Weekly Meat Free Mondays event.

Other rice dishes to enjoy:
Coconut Rice with Fragrant Seeds and Spices
Indian Lemon Brown Rice
Indian Lentil and Rice Pancakes
Indian Yellow Rice

© Copyright 2007—2013 Lisa's Kitchen. For personal use only.

If you are seeing this post on a site other than foodandspice.blogspot.com, it is being stolen.

Ethiopian-Style Red Lentil and Okra in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

I haven't been posting much because I have been making recipes that have already been documented in this space. That said, I do have a recipe to present that has been sitting in my draft folder for quite a while. That's a shame, because it is a good one and not difficult to prepare either.

I'm especially fascinated with different cuisines and African food certainly stimulates the palate. This Ethiopian-style stew is spicy and tart yet mellowed out with the addition of silky okra, a vegetable I don't use as often as I should. High in nutrients and antioxidants, the taste is rather difficult to describe, but it does nicely fill out soups and stews and is often enjoyed breaded and fried.

Homemade berbere is a must here. It's of blend of chilies and aromatic spices that takes very little time at all to make up and it keeps well in a sealed glass jar for a good few months.

Green beans can been used in place of the okra is you please.

I served this dish with spiced teff cakes with sun-dried tomatoes but as with all Ethiopian vegetable dishes it would go also go well with injera bread, a spongey sourdough bread made with teff flour.

Ethiopian-Style Red Lentil and Okra in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Teff Love: Adventures in Vegan Ethiopian Cooking Cuisine: Ethiopian Published on April 22, 2016 Red lentils and okra simmered in a simple, spicy and aromatic Ethiopian-style tomato sauce Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 cup dried red lentils 5 cups water 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 red onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed 1-inch fresh ginger, grated or minced 1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen okra, sliced into 1/2-inch pieces 1 large tomato, diced 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 3 tablespoons berbere powder 1 tablespoon paprika 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste fresh cracked black pepper, to taste Instructions: Rinse the lentils and add to a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Pour in the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until the lentils are cooked but still retain some firmness. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, and set aside. Wipe the saucepan dry. Add the oil and heat over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until softened and slightly browned on the edges. Toss in the garlic and ginger and stir for another minute. Add the okra, tomato, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon and cloves, and stir well to combine. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the okra has started to soften. Stir in the berbere and paprika, increase the heat to high and add 2 cups of the reserved lentil cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring often, until the orka is tender, about 10 more minutes. Stir in the lentils and a bit more of the reserved cooking liquid if necessary to thin the sauce. Cover and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings

I'm sharing this with Jacquline's weekly Meat Free Mondays event.

Other African recipes to try from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Chickpea Patties Smothered in Vegetable Gravy
Mixed Vegetables in a Basic Ethiopian Kulet Sauce
Ethiopian-Style Hummus
Vegetarian Harira (Moroccan Chickpea and Lentil Stew)

© Copyright 2007—2013 Lisa's Kitchen. For personal use only.

If you are seeing this post on a site other than foodandspice.blogspot.com, it is being stolen.