Going back to your roots... Red Lentils Armenian Style

Sometimes you just gotta go back to your roots in the kitchen.  For me that means my Armenian roots.  Not only is this one of those recipes that truly captures the essence of what my culture represents… which is all things yummy… but it’s completely vegetarian.  Now you’re probably thinking vegetarian and yummy and those two things might not go together so well…but let me tell you this.  It does! And it’s so savory and delicious this might become one of your favorite go to recipes. 

So, this recipe uses some pretty traditional Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flavors.  There’s the cracked wheat or bulgar that most of you know from such recipes as tabbouleh.  Then there’s the red lentils.  Most of you are probably familiar with brown lentils, which we use in lentil soup, but red lentils are a bit lighter and don’t possess such a gritty flavor.  Think of them as lentils with more pizzazz! Finally there’s the cumin and we all know how much I love cumin and it’s smoky rich flavor it adds.  Well, let’s just get to the recipe!

By the way, this is delicious served with pita bread, lavosh bread if you can find it… or the way I eat it… get some romaine lettuce and use it as a scooper!  It adds a little more crunch and makes it just that much more healthy! 

Red Lentils Armenian Style

1 ½  cups red lentils

1 cups finely cracked bulgar wheat

3 cups of water (used for cooking the lentils)


1/4 to 1/2 cup olive oil


1 big onion -finely diced


1 bunch of parsley, finely chopped

1 chopped
 red bell pepper

2 scallions chopped

2 tbsp tomato paste


1 lemon's juice
1 tsp cumin


1 tsp mint


1 tsp cumin

½ tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste



Wash the lentils and cook them in water until lentils are soft. This takes about 20 minutes on a low simmer. (after the first boil, I usually scoop up any dust or dirt that’s come to the top and discard it)

Near the end of the cooking time add the bulgur wheat, give it a good mix thru. This will allow the bulgur to soften a bit.  Don’t add it too soon as they will become too soft and mushy.

Meanwhile sauté the chopped onions in olive oil, sauté them until they turn golden brown.  Be careful not to let them get too dark. 
 Set aside and allow to cool for a few minutes.  

Add the tomato paste, lemon and spices to the lentil mixture. 

Combine all the ingredients, including the onions... oil and all in a large bowl and let the mixture cool for awhile.  You can either shape them into small patties and top them with the peppers, parsley & the scallions or you can do what I do which is get a large platter out and pat it down and top with the peppers, parsley and scallions.

**sidenote**

If you add too much water while simmering the lentils, they will be too watery and it will be very hard to shape them into patties or put them on the platter.  The important point here is that, when lentils are cooked, nearly all of the water should be absorbed.  If you think you’ve added too much water, you can pour some out and allow the rest of the liquid to be absorbed.  (remember the bulgur will absorb some of it too)

I always find that this dish is best when I’ve let it sit for a few hours and all the flavors have had a bit of time to meld together.

If your mixture becomes too stiff, you can add a little bit of olive oil to reconstitute it.