Cumin-Spiced Red Lentil Burgers

Submitted by Queen Dana

"Recipe by Ann Withey published in Food & Wine October 2005."

 

• 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.

Reviews

[jackthepoolpro100]

These lentil burgers are delicious! Just the right amount of spice.

 

[mandabears]

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.

 

[Sheba Girl]

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!

 

[Bayhill]

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**