Crispy Lentil Keftedes With Dill Yoghurt

Ingredients

• 2 x 400g tins green or brown lentils, drained and patted very dry
• 1 egg, beaten
• 60 g plain flour
• 1 onion, finely grated
• 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 200 g Greek yogurt
• 15 g fresh dill, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 4 pittas or flatbreads
• 150 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• Rocket and seed salad, to serve

Method

1. Drain the lentils and pat them really dry on a clean tea towel — excess moisture is the enemy of a crispy keftede. Water means steam, and steam means no crust. Tip into a large bowl and mash roughly with a fork: half broken down, half intact, for texture you can feel.
2. Wrap the grated onion and carrot in the tea towel and wring hard over the sink — you want a proper trickle of liquid out. Tip into the lentils with the grated garlic.
3. Toast the cumin, smoked paprika and oregano in a small dry pan over low heat for 30–60 seconds until fragrant — bloomed spices taste of themselves; raw ones taste dusty. Tip straight into the lentil bowl.
4. Add the flour, oats, beaten egg, a generous pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Mix well — the mixture should hold its shape when pressed in your palm. Too wet, add another tablespoon of flour; too dry, a splash of water. Pinch a little and taste it raw if you're brave, or fry a teaspoon to check the seasoning — adjust now, not at the table.
5. Shape into patties about 7cm across and 2cm thick. You should get around 12. Rest them on a plate for 5 minutes to firm up — they'll hold together far better in the pan.
6. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a wide stainless or cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Fry the keftedes in two batches, never crowded — all at once and the pan steams instead of sears, and you lose the crust. Cook 3–4 minutes each side until deeply golden, almost mahogany at the edges. Don't fidget with them — the crust forms when they're left alone. Add the last tablespoon of oil between batches.
7. While they fry, make the yoghurt: stir the Greek yoghurt with the chopped dill, all the lemon zest and half the lemon juice. Season with salt, taste, season again — it should taste bright and properly seasoned, not polite.
8. Toss the halved cherry tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, the remaining lemon juice, salt and pepper. Warm the pittas in a dry pan for 30 seconds each side until soft and freckled.
9. Pile the keftedes onto the warm pittas, spoon over the dill yoghurt, scatter the dressed cherry tomatoes, and finish with a pinch of chilli flakes over the top.