Vospov Kofte (Armenian Lentil Meatballs)

Traditionally eaten during Lent in Armenian households, this vegan dish is part of a cold mezze spread. You can serve the kofte on their own, but they are often accompanied by a chopped salad, which we feel adds welcome freshness and brightness. Varty Yahjian wrote about the dish in March 2021. Our recipe was inspired by one given to us by Varty, with ideas culled from others, including Kamal Mouzawak, founder of Souk el Tayeb, Lebanon’s first farmer’s market. Varty Yahjian and her mother Gayane Yahjian prepared our recipe and gave it their stamp of approval.

[READ: “A love letter to vospov kofte: How my mother and I quashed our beef and wrapped it with lentils.”]

Basically, red or yellow lentils are cooked until they’re a thick paste, then bulgur wheat, onions, parsley and spices are added — which is accomplished by kneading it all together with your hands, as the mixture is too thick to stir; ideally it’s about as thick as Tollhouse cookie dough. The mixture is cooled and then rolled into either elongated thumb-shaped forms, or balls, then garnished and eaten without further cooking (they’re not fried or baked after that).

You’ll want to cook the lentils in a saucepan that’s larger than you might think you’d need, as they’ll bubble up and splatter, and a too-small-pot means they’ll be all over the stove.

There’s ground cumin in both the kofte and the accompanying salad. You can use purchased ground cumin, or grind raw cumin seeds, but if you toast the seeds in a dry skillet first for a minute or two, until they’re fragrant, then grind them, they express themselves more aromatically in the finished dish.

For the parsley, if you start with one bunch — about 7 ounces — you can use a little more than half for the kofte (chopping that finely), then divide the rest in half -- leave the leaves whole for the salad, and chop the rest finely to scatter over the finished kofte.

Serves 6 to 8 as part of a mezze spread.

Ingredients

1 cup red lentils, rinsed and drained

½ cup fine bulgur

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ medium red onion, finely chopped (5 ounces / 140 g)

2 scallions, finely chopped (white and green parts)

4 ounces Italian parsley, finely chopped (a little more than half a medium bunch)

½ teaspoon ground cumin (see headnote)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the salad garnish

2 Persian cucumbers, cut into ¼-inch dice (or 1 English cucumber, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, watery seeds scooped out with a spoon and cut into ¼-inch dice)

1 small green bell pepper, cut into ¼-inch dice

2 scallions, sliced (green and white parts)

⅔ cup diced tomato (1 medium tomato, about 5 ounces)

Leaves from about ¼ bunch parsley (about 1 ½ ounces before stems are removed)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon sumac

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Marash or Aleppo pepper to taste (optional) 

To finish

Finely chopped parsley

Instructions

1. Place the lentils in a medium-large saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer. Skim the surface to remove any scum, and continue simmering for 30 minutes — stirring vigorously between occasionally and frequently to encourage the lentils to break down and to prevent the mixture from sticking to the pan and scorching on the bottom. The mixture should be a thick paste. If it isn’t yet, simmer up to ten minutes more, stirring in a splash of water if necessary to keep it stirrable. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool a bit.

2. While the lentils are cooking, place the bulgur in a small bowl, cover with 1 cup hot water and soak 10 minutes. Don’t over-soak, or the bulghur will get mushy; you want a bit of texture. Drain well and set aside. 

3. Also while the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a medium sauté pan or skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chopped red onion, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook them just past the soft-and-translucent stage, until they’re starting to turn golden on the edges. Remove from the heat and set aside. 

4. Scrape the cooked lentils into a large mixing bowl. Add the bulghur, red onions, scallions, parsley, cumin, salt, paprika and cayenne and use your hands to combine the ingredients thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and/or cayenne as you like. Set the mixture aside while you prepare the salad garnish. 

5. For the salad garnish, combine the cucumber, bell pepper, sliced scallions, diced tomato, parsley leaves, lemon juice, salt, sumac and cumin in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt, lemon juice, and/or cumin as desired. 

6. Form the kofte: Chef the lentil-bulghur mixture for consistency: You want it to be stiff enough to be moldable, but not dry or crumbly. It should be about as thick as Tollhouse cookie dough. If it’s too dry, you can add a little water (knead in well to combine). If it’s too sticky, let it sit a few more minutes to dry out. Wet your hands, and form the mixture either into balls (about 1 ounce / 28 g each, about the size of ping-pong balls) or into long, thumb-shaped forms. Arrange them on a platter with the salad garnish in a small bowl in the center. Scatter chopped parsley over the kofte and either serve immediately, or later at room temperature.