Vegetarian Recipe: Red Lentil Patties with Cilantro Sauce

Written by

Every week on the Good Food Blog we celebrate Meatless Monday by sharing a vegetarian recipe from our archives.

Myra Kornfeld has coined the term “flexitarian” to define people that have varied diets, from vegetarians to vegans, to sometimes vegetarians, to fishitarians. Her book, The Healthy Hedonist, includes “more than 200 “delectable flexitarian recipes” to please a variety of food requests. She first shared this recipe for Red Lentil Patties with Cilantro Sauce on January 7, 2006.

Keep reading for the full recipe…

Red Lentil Patties with Cilantro Sauce
Serves 4

  • 1 cup white basmati rice
  • 1/2 cup red lentils
  • 4 cups water
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 2 Tablespoons plus 4 tsps coconut oil, sesame oil, or ghee
  • 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
  • 2 cups finely diced onions
  • 1/4 tsp hot red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
  1. Wash the rice and lentils, and drain them. Place them in a medium saucepan and add the water, turmeric and salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover the pan and simmer, without stirring, until the water is absorbed, 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, warm the 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and saut– until fragrant, 1 minute. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned, about 12 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes and remove the skillet from the heat.
  3. Add the mixture to the cooked rice and lentils. Stir to combine. Taste, and add salt if necessary. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, and let it sit until cool enough to handle, about 20 minutes.
  4. Spread the arrowroot on a large plate. Form the lentil mixture into 8 patties. Dredge the patties in the arrowroot, and place them on a clean plate. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 patties and saut– until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining oil and patties. Serve warm, with sauce.

Cilantro Sauce
Makes 1 cup

  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk, stirred before measuring
  • 1 jalapeno chile, stemmed and seeded
  • 1 garlic clove
  • One 1-inch piece fresh ginger
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro

To make cilantro sauce, combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. The sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 3 days. The sauce will blend best if you put the liquid ingredients into the blender first.