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Armenian Red Lentil Balls - Vospov Kheyma
Traditionally, Kheyma is a made with meat (raw beef patty). However, during Lent many Armenians prefer Vospov Kheyma as a vegetarian alternative. Our friends the Bedrosians brought these over as an appetizer last night. He said it was a bit spicier than his mother usually made, but we all thought they were perfect. If you want less of a kick, dial back the cayenne. If you've never tried these before - and if you aren't Armenian or Turkish you probably haven't - you're in for a real treat. As Brian would say, "They are fantastic!" Ingredients
- 1 cup red or yellow lentils (our family always used red)
- 2 large yellow onions finely chopped
- 1 bunch parsley – chopped (I used about ½ a bunch)
- 4 – green onions – chopped
- ½ stick butter
- ½ cup veg. oil
- 2 ½ cups water (or chicken broth)
- ½ tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 Cup bulghour (fine or medium – I used #4)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Cook lentils in water(broth) for 1-1.5 hours our until very soft (no salt, uncovered)
- Sauté onions on oil and butter until transluscent
- Drain excess water from lentils, if any. In a large bowl, mix lentils, onions, bulghour and spices gently with a spoon. Cover and let stand 15 mins. (if mixture is soft, you can add more bulghour and the additional water here)
- If desired, you can add half the green onions and parsley to the mix before shaping or serving
- Use approx. ¼ cup of mix to form small balls or rolls about 1 inch thick. As you can see from the picture, I rolled them into longer rolls and then cut them into about 2 inch lengths.
- Sprinkle the remaining green onion and parsley on top for a garnish.
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