Kuku Sabzi – Persian Herb Frittata

Ingredients:

Preparation mode:

👉 Kuku sabzi is a Persian herb frittata that’s more herbs than egg: a huge pile of parsley, cilantro, dill and green onions, held together with eggs and studded with walnuts and tart barberries. Bright green inside and crispy outside, it’s one of the classic dishes of the Iranian New Year (Nowruz).

It’s vegetarian, naturally almost grain-free and tastes great warm or cold.

How to Make Kuku Sabzi

1. Prepare the herbs. Wash the herbs and dry them very well – wet herbs make a soggy kuku. Remove thick stems and chop everything finely by hand or in a food chopper (not to a paste).
2. Mix the batter. In a large bowl whisk the eggs with the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, turmeric and fenugreek. Fold in the chopped herbs, walnuts and barberries. The mixture should be mostly green, just held together by egg.
3. Cook the first side. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a 24 cm (10 in) non-stick pan over medium heat. Pour in the mixture and smooth the top. Cover and cook on low heat for 15–20 minutes, until the edges are set and the bottom is browned.
4. Flip. Cut the kuku into 4 wedges and flip each one (or slide it onto a plate and invert it back into the pan). Add the remaining oil and cook uncovered for 8–10 minutes more.
5. Serve. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature with yogurt, flatbread and fresh herbs.

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Footnotes:

Oven method: pour the mixture into an oiled 20 × 20 cm baking dish and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 30–35 minutes.

When to eat it: kuku sabzi is traditionally served at Nowruz, the Persian New Year, but it's perfect for picnics, lunch boxes and sandwiches all year.

Photo: Aron (عارون) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and color-adjusted).