Black Lentil Kebab babies

  • 1 cup black lentils cooked (you can use canned to speed up the process)
  • 1 inch of ginger (roughly chopped)
  • 4 cloves of garlic (roughly chopped)
  • Green chillis (optional)
  • 1 cup flat-leaf parsley OR cilantro/coriander leaves
  • Salt/Pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala powder (Optional)
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
  • 1 teaspoon cumin powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
  • Lime juice 

Note: Your spice paste has to be enough to season the lentils to make sure you have enough and adjust the recipe accordingly. 


1. Cook the Lentils: Boil the lentils with some salt/pepper and olive oil on the water or if you're using pre-bought lentils then take them out of the can. Make sure you mix even while boiling a few times till moist and soft.
2. Spice Paste: In a bowl mix the garlic, ginger, parsley (or other herbs) along with the chillis. cayenne, garam masala, cumin, salt + pepper and lemon juice. Give it a good mix.
3. Take the lentils off the fire: By this time they should be fairly soft but take a smasher and beat them down into a mash.
4. Combine: Once in a mashed consistency (also I'm pretty rough with this, it doesn't have to be perfectly mashed), combine the spice paste with the lentils and mix till everything is blended well.
5. Paste: The lentils should be a delicious paste by now and ready for you to start shaping into kebabs. I shape them into flat circles because that's how my mom does it, but do it however you want!
6. Fire up the skillet: Add some more brown onion, garlic, and ginger into a hot skillet and let it get really warm with some olive oil.
7. Cook: This won't take long since your ingredients are cooked and the purpose is to just solidify and create a nice crispy outside!
8. Serve: I serve with basmati rice and a fresh salad. Often served with a South Asian yogurt sauce (Raita) which I'll share in another recipe. 

Served with basmati rice and a fresh salad