Vegan burger patties or meatballs made from couscous and lentils

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 150 g lentils, red
• 150 g couscous
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp, leveled stock powder
• salt and pepper
• Paprika powder, hot
• n. B. Flour
• Oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 40 minutes

Cook the lentils and couscous in the broth according to the package instructions until soft. It can be a little softer than usual. Drain as thoroughly as possible, even over a few hours. The drier, the better. After draining and cooling, mix the lentils, couscous, tomato paste, and salt, pepper, and paprika powder well. Then thicken the batter with flour. The amount of flour needed depends entirely on how moist the mixture was after draining. The consistency should be sticky and chewy, but no longer wet and mushy. Heat the oil in a pan. Shape the batter into small meatballs, burger patties, or small rolls, such as kofte or chevapcici, and fry until crispy. The meatballs will be nice and firm when cooked. Tip: Depending on your taste, you can create great variations with different spices, each with a completely different flavor. A few suggestions from me: – More tomato paste, basil, oregano, thyme, and rosemary for an Italian-inspired version. Curry powder or garam masala and coriander seeds, toasted in ghee for an Indian-inspired version. – Coriander leaves, soy sauce, lemongrass powder, and sesame oil, plus a little flour to balance the wetness of the soy sauce, for an Asian-inspired version. – Tagine spice mix or couscous spice mix, cumin, and paprika for a Middle Eastern-inspired version. – For a non-vegan version, press a piece of feta cheese into the center as a filling. – Mustard and pepper for a spicy version.