Lentil Croquettes

Dimpi's Note:

Yummy!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 1 cup split red lentils, washed
• 1 green bell pepper, washed, seeded and chopped finely
• 1 red onion, chopped finely
• 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons peanuts, toasted without salt and coarsely chopped
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 4 tablespoons peanut oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Place the first 10 ingredients in a large pan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer slowly, about 30 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed (stir occasionally).
3. Note that the above steps can also be done in a pressure cooker if you have one - it's much faster.
4. Remove the mixture from heat and cool slightly.
5. Now beat in the egg and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Let the mixture cool completely (I find that the mixture holds its shape better if it has been refrigerated for a couple of hours).
7. Combine the flour, turmeric and chili powder in a small plate.
8. Once lentils are cool, shape the mixture into circles.
9. Roll the croquettes in the above spiced flour mixture to coat well.
10. Heat oil in a skillet and cook the croquettes in batches, turning once until crisp and brown on both sides.
11. Serve immediately with chutney or a crisp salad.
12. Note - it's important for the liquid to be fully absorbed in the lentil mixture so that it can bind well with the help of the egg.

Reviews

[3vegkids]

these were quite good! i had to make a couple of minor adjustments, though. the lentils needed quite a bit more liquid- at least half a cup, maybe a cup (i didn't measure). they started to burn in the pot - the liquid was gone, but they were still significantly undercooked. also, they were too flour-y, but that was me, not the recipe (i dredged them too heavily). all in all, they came out really well. i served them with raita, and the more we ate the more we liked them (even our 2 year old!).

[zaar junkie]

I thought these turned out well. I found that the flour mixture was not nearly enough to coat all the croquettes - I had to triple this amount. I also refrigerated mine overnight and found the mixture still a little hard to handle. Once in the frying pan though, they held together and crisped up nicely. They have a nice subtle indian flavor, and I would make these again. Thanks.

[Andrew Mollmann]

I did as another viewer suggested and baked them in the oven. Suggestion though, you don't need flour if you cook them in the oven. My mixture was a little too runny while making the patties, but they turned out alright. I didn't have garam marsala or turmeric, so I compensated with extra salt and pepper. I also thought the mixture could have used more peppers, perhaps some red bell peppers to contrast the green.