by Lisa Mardorissian

A dish typical of our Armenian Lebanese Subculture, the Lentil Kibbeh is known as the Vospove Kafta.

It is purely Vegan, very nutritious with Red Lentils, Burghul, fresh Parsley and fried onions. It sparkles the palate with spicy pepper paste, and is mostly consumed with Oriental Salad.* Adopted from Easy Lebanese Recipes.

Servings 6 ppl | Prep Time  25 minutes | Cook Time 30 minutes |  Passive Time  35-40 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups Red Lentil washed
2 Onions (medium) chopped finely
1/2 bouquet Fresh parsley chopped finely
1 1/2 cups Fine Burghul
1 tbsp Pepper paste or chili pepper
1 tbsp Paprika
1 tbsp Cumin
4 1/2 cups Water boiled
1/2 cup Pure Olive Oil for cooking (not virgin)
1 tbsp Salt

To Garnish

Fresh parsley finely chopped
Lettuce shells (small) Optional

Instructions

1. In a casserole, bring the water to a boil, stir in the lentils, and season with salt. Cover, and lower the heat for the lentils to simmer for about 20 minutes or until they turned into a creamy paste.
2. Remove the casserole from the heat, and stir in the Burghul, cumin, pepper paste and paprika. Cover and leave it for the ingredients to adhere and the lentils to absorb all the liquid (about 35-40 minutes)
3. Meanwhile, fry the onions in preheated oil until golden, and chop the parsley.
4. Add the fried onions and parsley into the lentil casserole and mix all very well with a wooden spoon. Move all the culinary preparation into a salad bowl and leave it to cool at room temperature.
5. With a tablespoon, and hands dipped in cold water, scoop from the Lentil Kibbeh 1 tbsp at a time and squeeze gently lengthwise. Place them gradually on the serving plate.

Garnish

1. Decorate with lettuce shells around them, and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Serving

To be consumed cold with an Oriental salad. (instructions below)

Recipe Notes

ORIENTAL SALAD:

5 medium tomatoes dicedLentil Kibbeh Oriental Salad
5 small-medium cucumbers, diced
1 Green Pepper, Diced
1 medium onion diced
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 bunch Fresh mint, chopped
Dressing: Salt, Lemon juice, and Olive Oil