Cumin-Spiced Red Lentil Burgers
"Recipe by Ann Withey published in Food & Wine October 2005."
photo by Bayhill
- Ready In:
- 25mins
- Ingredients:
- 15
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 cups red lentils (see Note)
- 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 medium carrots, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3⁄4 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1⁄4 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1 cup plain low-fat yogurt
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
directions
- In a large saucepan, cover the lentils with cold water by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer the lentils until they are very tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the lentils well.
- Preheat the broiler. In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the carrots and two-thirds of the garlic and cook until the carrots begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cayenne and remove from the heat. Mix in the bread crumbs, 3 tablespoons of the parsley, the eggs, salt and pepper. Form the mixture into sixteen 1/4-cup burgers.
- Line a baking sheet with foil. Brush the foil and both sides of the burgers with the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Broil until golden, about 3 minutes per side.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the yogurt with the lemon juice and the remaining garlic and 1 tablespoon of parsley. Serve the burgers hot, with the yogurt sauce on the side.
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Reviews
-
These lentil burgers are delicious! Just the right amount of spice. -
i realize it says Cumin-Spiced Red Lentil Burgers, but I am not a big fan of cumin, so I cut it back to 1/2 teaspoon and it was still too much for me. The burgers were delicious except for my problem. The next time I make these burgers I will substitute garam masala, about 1 teaspoon. DH and DD2 loved the burgers. -
These are delicious! Even my fiancé the carnivore couldn't get enough of them. <br/><br/>I reduced the salt a bit (used about 2 tsps in total) and also add more than the recommended breadcrumbs--just keep adding until you reach a good consistency where you can easily form the burgers. I also find I keep them under the broiler longer than recommended--again, just until they seem done to me. Otherwise, I followed the recipe to a t--the seasoning is perfect and your house will smell amazing. <br/><br/>The first few times I made these I used brown lentils, which work, but you have to cook them much, much longer--and they don't mash up like the red lentils. I recommend sticking with red--less cooking time and a better consistency! -
We really enjoyed these spiced lentil burgers. I've never used red lentils before and found them to be lighter in taste than regular brown lentils. I made these as written with just a couple of changes. I was generous with the cumin, adding 2 tsp., and I substituted cilantro for the parsley because I thought that the cilantro would add more flavor to the burgers. Also, I used plain Greek yogurt for the sauce because I prefer the texture. The sauce complimented the lentil burgers nicely.<br/>**Made for ZWT 8 India**
Tweaks
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We really enjoyed these spiced lentil burgers. I've never used red lentils before and found them to be lighter in taste than regular brown lentils. I made these as written with just a couple of changes. I was generous with the cumin, adding 2 tsp., and I substituted cilantro for the parsley because I thought that the cilantro would add more flavor to the burgers. Also, I used plain Greek yogurt for the sauce because I prefer the texture. The sauce complimented the lentil burgers nicely.<br/>**Made for ZWT 8 India**
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Queen Dana
United States
I love trying new dishes. For me, food is a way of experiencing the world without leaving my home, and I'm hoping that as my two sons get older that I can convince them to come with me on my culinary adventures.
