Fall
Lentil Meatballs with Indian Fenugreek Sauce
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70 Reviews
Cheryl H.
February 15, 2024
This was a fantastic recipe. I didn't have a tomato so I just cut up a tomato from canned tomatoes and that worked great. The spicing was perfect and love how great Fenugreek makes the house smell.
Thank you,
Cheryl
Thank you,
Cheryl
aubrey |.
November 14, 2023
I've made this recipe (or even just the meatballs) for a number of clients, and it has been frequently requested as a repeat! The meatball recipe is adaptable to other flavors & great with a variety of sauces if fenugreek isn't your thing :) The meatballs also freeze well (seperate from sauce).
coolasfolk
April 7, 2023
As everyone has said, this sauce is SO GOOD! I also double it and now just typically serve it with beans I've already cooked (such as Christmas Limas, chickpeas, etc.). We didn't love the meatballs - it was a bit of work for things that just fell apart in the end, but I'm glad we tried it. And again, have an easy sauce recipe that's now my go-to.
spicyorganic
February 4, 2023
This Lentil Meatball recipe with Indian Fenugreek Sauce sounds amazing! I love how it combines the classic flavors of meatballs with an exotic twist of Indian spices. To enhance the taste even further, I would suggest using organic granulated garlic from the Spicy Organic brand. This high-quality garlic will add a bold, savory flavor to the dish, elevating it to the next level. Thanks for sharing!
Cynthia
May 1, 2021
Love this recipe and am making it for the 3rd timeI Has anyone made the sauce and meatball mixture a day ahead; cooking meatballs just before dinner and reheating sauce? Love to do as much prep as I can before having a family dinner at my home. Gives me more time with my people.
Jess
February 28, 2021
Totally agree on the comments to double the sauce recipe if only because I want to swim in it, it's so delicious. I used a full can of tomatoes which did help with the amount and the thickness. I added chaat masala at the same time as the tumeric and fried whole cumin and carom seeds in the oil before adding the aromatics. I didn't have tofu so I cooked the lentils and quinoa until just about done, then added a little Just Egg and the oil to bind. The oven dried them out enough that they mostly held their shape. Really enjoyed making this!
cricket23
January 9, 2021
While this was indeed tasty, a caveat: "Simple enough for a weeknight dinner" is misleading. It's a PROJECT. I spent almost two hours start to finish, including rolling 50 "ping-pong-sized" balls, making 1.5x sauce (as advised by reviewers), and washing the three pans, two lids, food processor, mixing bowl, and baking sheet! For me it was good, but not eight pots and pans good. I appreciate the recipe, just want people to know what they're in for.
AntoniaJames
November 4, 2020
The flavors in this generally are pleasant, but the lentil balls looked a lot like little cow patties, when baked (they did not hold their shape), and then fell apart in the sauce, despite our efforts to handle them as gently as humanly possible. We found the sauce too rich, even using reduced fat coconut milk, and too sweet as well, though the latter was corrected with the juice of a second lime.
I had to order the fenugreek leaves online, as one cannot source that ingredient conveniently in this area. I'm glad I did, as it's something I'm looking forward to using in other dishes in the future. ;o)
I had to order the fenugreek leaves online, as one cannot source that ingredient conveniently in this area. I'm glad I did, as it's something I'm looking forward to using in other dishes in the future. ;o)
BaliThai
October 19, 2020
Wonderful! I also took the advice to double the sauce. I used green lentils because that is what I had, and two eggs and ¼ cup breadcrumbs because we were out of tofu, and we are not vegan. Next time, we may shape the lentil balls more like small patties for quicker cooking (it was a hot day with the oven going). :-) But this was a keeper!
Poniesss403
May 14, 2020
Terrific recipe! Will definitely make again. I agree with others to double the sauce next time. In the age of Covid, I made this without cilantro, granulated garlic, and fenugreek (I know) and it was still delicious! My only critique is that I don't get the value-add of using Puy lentils since the benefit of them is they stay firm and in this case we pulse them in the food processor (well, half of them). In the future I will save a few bucks and use regular lentils.
Barbara
October 20, 2019
This recipe is wonderful. Yes, double the sauce next time. I found that when I reheated the lentil balls the next day - they were firmer and didn't fall apart. I wonder if it work if a small amount of chickpea flour and egg replacer were added. However, it is great as it is. What do you think would be good vegetables to serve with this dish that wouldn't compete on flavour?
Rebtile
October 3, 2019
This recipe as great! And perfect as is!
But I also never tire of experimenting with it: sometimes I'll make the balls with brown rice and cumin seeds instead of quinoa; when I'm feeling fancy, I'll blanch the tomatoes and make my own coconut milk; add caramelized onions or diced squash or garam masala to the sauce. So versatile!
But I also never tire of experimenting with it: sometimes I'll make the balls with brown rice and cumin seeds instead of quinoa; when I'm feeling fancy, I'll blanch the tomatoes and make my own coconut milk; add caramelized onions or diced squash or garam masala to the sauce. So versatile!
Danna
October 17, 2018
This is one of my all time favorite recipes. Sometimes I make the "meatballs" and sometimes I just use the sauce over quinoa or rice with whatever veggies I have on hand or a sweet potato. Just delicious!
gingerroot
July 24, 2018
These meatballs are delicious - satisfied all the food preferences in my family (including only one vegan). I love the tofu-olive oil binder - will use that technique in the future.
Pamela C.
June 19, 2018
I went to an Indian Market looking for black lentils. The store owner sold me a bag of Matpi beans and, told me that I should soak them overnight. Are these The same as black lentils?
Nell T.
April 24, 2019
Black caviar lentils (also known as beluga lentils) aren't Indian and don't need to be soaked. You should be able to find them at well-stocked grocery store or anywhere that sells bulk dry goods.
msmely
April 16, 2018
I really enjoyed this recipe, made it a couple of times. Ensure to salt your quinoa water and lentil water adequately. I used chicken broth because I'm not vegan and that added a nice quality to the dish. I would have eaten the crushed lentil quinoa mix by itself. The fennel seeds were a great pop of flavor. I've made it both with and without cilantro; without I didn't miss it, with it I loved it and fed it to a cilantro-hater who had no idea. I made it with a potato masher the first time, with hand kneading, and it worked really well. Chopped finer with the food processor I kind of wished it was chunkier! It required a lot of work but it worked really well.
The sauce is its whole thing on its own. One attempt I added an onion to the garlic and ginger and used a whole can of tomato paste, and it turned out kind of butter chicken-y and unctuously rich. The second time I followed the recipe closer but added a zing of chili flakes. I found myself preferring having a bit more sauce! The dried fenugreek leaves are also known as kasoori methi, I've mostly only had experience with the MDH brand. It's something else and one of my favourite spices. With not much else going on in the sauce the kasoori methi makes the dish. I could see myself making just the meatlessballs with different sauces....
The sauce is its whole thing on its own. One attempt I added an onion to the garlic and ginger and used a whole can of tomato paste, and it turned out kind of butter chicken-y and unctuously rich. The second time I followed the recipe closer but added a zing of chili flakes. I found myself preferring having a bit more sauce! The dried fenugreek leaves are also known as kasoori methi, I've mostly only had experience with the MDH brand. It's something else and one of my favourite spices. With not much else going on in the sauce the kasoori methi makes the dish. I could see myself making just the meatlessballs with different sauces....
bluejayway
September 1, 2017
The sauce is much to sweet and lacking complexity. The lentil balls taste awesome but their dry, crumbly texture leaves a lot to be desired. All in all, not great and will not be making again. I should have known better than to choose something Indian-inspired in place of real Indian food.
AntoniaJames
January 24, 2017
I need to make these without using any soy ingredients. Your thoughts on workarounds? That is the only restriction. Thanks so much. ;o)
greenmysterydog
February 23, 2017
Boiled potatoes, paneer (indian cottage cheese) can be used as binder.
Traditionally Indian koftas (veggie balls) are made using these ingredients are binders
Traditionally Indian koftas (veggie balls) are made using these ingredients are binders
msmely
January 11, 2020
If you're not vegan, you could do egg as binder for a similar protein content.
reahpeah
January 23, 2017
Loved the sauce. I guess the lentils and quinoa were a little overcooked/saturated as the meatballs for me were very soft. Tasty dish!
Laura M.
January 15, 2017
This was delicious. Worried however that the meatballs wouldn't have enough flavor I added fresh garlic (rather than the powder called for), ground cumin, ground ginger, and a pinch of cayenne to the lentil mixture. In addition I sautéed whole cumin seeds in the olive oil prior to Blending with the tofu. Very tasty.
gandalf
January 3, 2017
When cooked, what volume do the caviar lentils produce, i.e., how many cups of cooked caviar lentils derive from the 1 cup of uncooked caviar lentils?
eternalgradstudent
December 16, 2016
I'm planning to make this over the weekend, but wanted to confirm that the meatballs are made with uncooked lentils and quinoa.
feastingathome
December 8, 2016
Yes, Stephanie, they would! Depending on their size, they may take a bit longer to cook though.
Akhil S.
November 22, 2016
Super curious about the tofu in this recipe! It looks like you've used it as a binding agent to keep it all together, but does the "type" of tofu used make an impact? I am a big fan of the softer tofus, and I feel like I would enjoy biting into the meatball, but not sure how it would hold up.
Thank you for the inspiration :)
Thank you for the inspiration :)
feastingathome
November 22, 2016
Yes, I did use Tofu as the binder. I think most tofu would work, although I'm not sure about silken tofu. I don't think that would have the same effect.
Patricia C.
November 14, 2016
Sooo delicious!! We are new to vegetarian cooking - this was definitely a great recipe for someone who thought they would die without meat! Followed recipe to the letter because I'm inexperienced cooking with these ingredients and it turn out perfectly!! Thanks!
sdschutz93
March 23, 2016
I made this last night but had to substitute half of the lentils for yellow split peas (I ran out of lentils). The meatballs and the sauce were SO good! I had lots of leftovers, so I stored the balls and the sauce separately. For those asking if they could serve it with rice, I had it with some zucchini noodles and thought it added a nice touch!
Maya M.
January 7, 2016
This dish was AMAZING. The sauce was especially so. So much so that we had more lentil balls than sauce! So another night we had the leftovers as "meatballs" with spaghetti and an Indian spiced tomato sauce (Marcella Hazan's recipe with sauteed fresh tumeric, curry leaf, and fenugreek). Can't recommend this recipe enough! Next time I'll make double so we have lots of leftovers!
hailey
December 1, 2015
Any reason why the recipe recommends non-light coconut milk? Light coconut milk is all I have in the pantry at the moment, and I'd love to make this tonight! :)
feastingathome
December 1, 2015
Great question Hailey. So when I used lite coconut milk the sauce didn't have enough richness to my taste. I don't think its a huge deal, by all means don't let it stop you...give it a shot!
Jessica M.
November 28, 2015
I have no idea where to find fenugreek leaves. Can I use ground fenugreek instead? How much?
feastingathome
November 29, 2015
Ground fenugreek seeds have a different flavor. I would sub celery leaves, or a couple bay leaves.
Lorrie
November 19, 2015
I loved the veggie balls! I would add extra cilantro next time.
The sauce was beautiful but I found it had a bitter aftertaste. I couldn't figure out why...maybe the fennel? I had leftover quinoa/lentil mix. It was great on its own, too!
The sauce was beautiful but I found it had a bitter aftertaste. I couldn't figure out why...maybe the fennel? I had leftover quinoa/lentil mix. It was great on its own, too!
GH
November 16, 2015
This was delicious! The only thing was there wasn't enough sauce for all of the meatballs it made. I got about 18 balls and they were pretty large. I would quadruple the amount of sauce next time. The balls can be a bit dry so you need the sauce.
feastingathome
November 17, 2015
Wow, that seems like a lot of meatballs! Just curious, did you increase the ingredients of the meatball part?
GH
November 17, 2015
Nope I did the eclipse exactly as written. I made them gold ball sized instead of ping pong. So I guess there would be more if they were smaller.
Kimberly M.
November 14, 2015
Recipe looks good and I've been meaning to find one with fenugreek. Does anyone know if you can replace the fenugreek leaves with ground fenugreek? I have that in my pantry.
Also, we don't do soy or legumes. Would one agree that the sauce's flavor profile would work well with lamb?
Also, we don't do soy or legumes. Would one agree that the sauce's flavor profile would work well with lamb?
Sasha F.
November 12, 2015
As far as substituting the tofu, which I also gave trouble digesting how much eggs and breadcrumbs would you add. And what about a gluten ft option if I wanted to make for a gluten free friend
feastingathome
November 14, 2015
These are all very good questions- and I'm sorry I just don't know the answer, since I've only made them this way. You may have to play around with it a bit. I think rice could be a nice addition.
sva
November 10, 2015
I really want to make this, it sounds great! Quick question though; I have trouble digesting quinoa and was thinking of replacing it with cooked brown rice.. do you think that would still work out?
feastingathome
November 11, 2015
I do! I havent tested it though, but my guess is....it would be fine!
nycnomad
October 22, 2015
Any suggestions on a replacement for the tofu? I'd rather avoid soy if I can. PS. I'm not a vegetarian, so it doesn't have to fulfill that requirement.
feastingathome
October 23, 2015
Hi Nancy, the tofu acts as the binder here......so I guess you could try subbing an egg and bread crumbs?
nycnomad
October 23, 2015
Hi, My name isn't actually Nancy LOL its Sarah. I'll look for a binder. I often have issues with these kinds of recipes because there are a few ingredients I have to avoid to to allergies (eggs, dairy, wheat…) Do you think sweet potato might work?
feastingathome
October 23, 2015
Oh I'm sorry Sarah!! I thought I saw Nancy somewhere!! Ok gotcha. Have you ever used ground flax seed as a binder? You may need to up the lentils to make up for the lack of tofu ( to keep the seasonings right) and ground flax should hopefully do the trick...its a great binder. Yes, mashed sweet potato and mashed potato would work too. ;)
nycnomad
October 23, 2015
Hahaha! No worries at all. I have used ground flax seeds in paleo breads as well as cilium husks. I will give it a shot and let you know how it turns out. Thanks again for the quick reply.
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