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Kükü is a Persian/Iranian dish similar to frittata. By comparison with frittata, kuku recipes use a smaller proportion of eggs to bind larger amounts of other ingredients, have spices instead of cheese and are cooked on a stove on low heat or baked in the oven. There are different types of kuku such as kuku sabzi (fresh herb kuku, the most popular, and today’s recipe), kuku sibzamini (potato kuku) or with other vegetables such as zucchini, kuku kadu sabz, or eggplants, kuku bademjan.
In my story, A Thing or Two, I have mentioned that my mother only cooked using stove tops and never used an oven. In her era, growing up in Iran or even in my era, growing up in Japan, no one owned ovens (only American expats). Think about it. There is no traditional Japanese dish which uses an oven. And, really, other than breads cooked in the fire pits, traditional Persian dishes were made on (burner) fire, and later, with availability of ovens and oven-safe dishes, cooking-steps were modified.
Kadbanou brand frozen Sabzi Ash
Click → here to see video of how the herbs are prepared/packaged.
So, how were dishes made to give an oven cooked effect? I’ll tell you, but, do not attempt this at home… 🙂
I have seen this done many times… Everybody owned individual electric or gas burner(s). When we had company and a large amount of food was needed to be prepared, burners were placed outside of the kitchen and big pots and fry pans were used. Pots and pans had metal lids. Lids were put on and then, red-hot-burning, small charcoals were placed all over on the lids. Kuku was one of such dishes, being cooked both from the bottom and the top. It was too big/thick to be flipped. Speaking of culinary know-hows. Of course, children were cleared from the area.
On that note… here is another Persian favorite, made of fresh herbs.
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This recipe has been featured on a magazine… check out → On The Press
Fresh Herb Kuku • Kuku Sabzi • کوکوسبزی
Recipe by: Fae’s Twist & Tango (fae-magazine.com)
Note: Ingredients here are for authentic tasting kuku sabzi. Kuku may be made with any greens or vegetable of choice and be called, i.e. kuku kale, kuku chard, etc.
INGREDIENTS
• 1 package frozen Kadbanou Sabzi Kuku (parsley, chives, cilantro, dill weed)
↓ or ↓
• 1 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped (jãáfãri جعفری )
• 1 cup garlic chives finely chopped (tareh تره )
• 1 cup cilantro/coriander leaves finely chopped (geshniz گشنیز )
• 1 cup dill weed finely chopped -or- 1 Tbsp dried (shevid شوید )
For the seasoning
• 2 cloves garlic crushed and minced extra finely
• ¾ tsp turmeric powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 5 large eggs
• 4 Tbsp oil divided
If using dried herbs, use ¼ in weight of what used for fresh. In a container that can be covered tightly (to keep smell from spreading), soak the dried-herbs in enough water (at-room-temperature), to almost cover the herbs. Let them soak from the day before (put it in the refrigerator). Check it a couple of times to add more water if needed, to reconstitute as much as possible, and also to avoid needing to drain too much of the liquid. Drain the liquid well, through a fine sieve before frying. Or, follow the instructions on the packaging, if any.
DIRECTIONS
To prepare the herbs
◊ If using fresh herbs: After stripping, wash herbs thoroughly and drain them well (use salad spinner if needed). Put a few cuts to the herbs, and then use food processor to chop the herbs into small pieces (don’t purée them). Or, cut them in small pieces on the cutting board.
◊ ¹ If using fresh herbs, after chopping, put them in a large bowl.
. ² If using frozen Kadbanou Sabzi Kuku, don’t let it defrost. In a large bowl separate the herbs
…….by fork and fluff.
. ³ If using reconstituted herbs, drain well and put them in a large bowl.
◊ Sprinkle and add garlic, turmeric, salt, pepper and toss well. Add eggs and beat with the herbs briefly to mix. (The key is not to over beat the eggs.)
◊ In a 25cm/10″ non-stick fry-pan (with a lid), add 3 Tbsp oil and heat on high. (The key is for the pan and oil to be hot.)
◊ Pour the egg mixture into the pan and quickly with a wooden spoon, smooth and flatten the top. As the egg mixture harden at the sides of the pan, push them slightly inward toward the center to allow soft egg mixture to flow to the sides (2 minutes). Lower heat to medium-low (or depending on the stove, a tad higher) and put the lid on. When the egg mixture is somewhat set on the top/center…
♦ If you want the kuku to be in one piece, put a large plate over the fry-pan and flip. Add 1 Tbsp oil to the pan and with a wide spatula, slide the kuku back into the pan. Put the lid back on and cook the other side for 4 minutes and turn off the heat. Let it continue to cook in the pan with no heat under for 4 more minutes.
♦ Otherwise, with a spatula, cut the kuku into 6 wedges and flip the pieces. Put the lid back on and cook for 4 minutes and turn off the heat. Let it continue to cook in the pan with no heat under for 4 more minutes.
◊ Kuku can be served with bread and yogurt or torshi, with rice/polo and yogurt, or made into a sandwich.
~ Noushe jan! • نوش جان ~
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So, what’s cooking in your kitchen?
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I would like to try this for a party. I’m making several dishes and was wondering if this can be made the day before. I would heat it back up in the oven. What are your thoughts?
Hello Marion, Yes absolutely. Kuku tastes good for 3 days in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen. Kuku doesn’t need to be too hot when served, so you can heat it last minute just for a couple of minutes in the microwave oven (when heated in microwave, it will render some of the oil it absorbed, which is a good thing.) 🙂
Good to know! Thank you! 🙂
I always make kuku sabzi in the oven mainly because I hate flipping it. hehe My persian friend gave me her mother’s recipe which also includes barberries but as I can never find them here I substitute with cranberries; love it! The original recipe also uses the stove method.
Hello FrightfulKitchen! If you can make good kuku, oven is just fine! I once had a perfectly cooked, very thick kuku and was told that it was made in a Persian style electric rice-cooker. Since I don’t have a rice-cooker, I have not been able to try it yet.
Not only barberries, but some enjoy adding walnuts too. I always liked kuku plain and thick if it comes out right w/o the egg settling in the bottom. 😀 )))
I can see how that would work; I love finding different uses for conventional items.
Oh yes, I also add walnuts too! I like the extra crunch it gives the dish.
Such an inspiring blog Fae!! I particularly love your Persian recipes 🙂 I got Sabrina Ghayour’s ‘Persiana’ cookbook for Christmas, which also features a Kuku Sabzi recipe- I haven’t yet tried it out, but I am now very tempted!!
Hi Beth, Thank you for visiting and leaving a kind comment. I had not heard of Sabrina Ghayour’s Persiana cookbook. I checked it out om Amazon and it looks pretty interesting with wealth of recipes. Since you have the cookbook and another alternative here, by all means, I encourage you to make it. Please visit again. 🙂
As a fellow Persian, I cannot tell you how delicious and proud I was to see this post. Love you Fae! 🙂
Hello Niki jan, Thank you for your kind comment. I will leave you a message at your new address too.
Please check out my post published today/Nov 1, it may be of interest to you. <3
Oh thank you for your kindness and support! Yes i will check it out today xxxxx 🙂
I have never had this before but it sounds delicious. I love the method of imitating the oven. It’s actually how I cook on campfires.
How interesting. Is there any particular dish(s) you cook this way?
I made it & my hubby & I both loved it so much,…so special!
Thank you for letting me know… and I am glad that you both enjoyed it. 🙂
We’ve both made egg dishes recently. I must try your recipe with all the herbs, it sounds great!
We sure did! I just checked it out. Yours is so special with pasta! Yum!
Wow! Beautiful pictures and great recipe! 🙂
Oh this just looks awesome!!
I enjoyed reading the story, how they could lived without ovens? Such green and herb dish is very healthy! Thanks for sharing, Fae! 🙂
I know… 🙁 But now, we find every way to find the oven safe deep dishes and bake/cook many of our dishes in the oven if it works. 😀 )))
By far, my favorite type of kuku and yours look luscious and utterly delectable dear Fae. I wish I could gobble it up. (with yogurt and bread and just about now would be nice. bah bah)
Thank you, Azita. Kuku is always welcome, isn’t it. 🙂 Hope all is well Sweet Lady. <3
wow i have never heard or even tried kuku before, i love frittata so if this is akin to that i definitely would love this! thanks for sharing, you learn something new everyday!
Thalia, If you like frittata you are definitely like kuku. I also have zucchini kuku. Check out my Recipe Index.
Yum! I love reading about all these different dishes, Fae! They’re so interesting!
Thank you Nell! <3
Oh Yummy!! Looks gorgeous too~
Looks delicious with all those wonderful herbs, thanks for sharing!
My herb garden is getting a trim and going right into this dish. Served with fresh yogurt, this is certainly going to be a go to meal. Thank you.
Gina
How lucky you are… please let me know how you like it. 🙂
This is the meal I’d like to wrap, bring to the park together with my book, and enjoy the beautiful sunny day. I love its name, so cute!
Yes Margherita, you along the right idea. 😀 )))
I would eat it every day, Fae! It looks and sounds delicious! 🙂
I feel the same too. 🙂
This sounds so good, Fae. A frittata with a Persian twist. What’s not to love?
Fae, your Kuku looks so moist and unctuous. I like the traditional way how you cook this delicious Kuku. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thank you, Linda, for all your kind comments. Some traditional things/know-how make us open our eyes for when we over do it. 😀 )))
It never occurred to me that in some parts of the world there were no ovens until recently : My mum and grandmother baked a lot so I had never really thought of that. I’m always learning from you, Fae! Thank you 🙂
Sweet Erika, Probably I am of your Mum’s generation and my Mom, of your Grandmother’s. During my Mom’s time in Iran, people used kerosene individual burners. The richer the people were, the bigger and more quantity they had in their kitchen. If not carefully adjusted, burners would smoke… hence most kitchens had dark ceilings with the soot from the kerosene burners. Kitchens were painted very regularly if it could have been afforded.
This sounds good and looks delicious Fae. …
Thank you, Chitra! Give it a go. 🙂
Mmmm, I love this Fae. All of my favourite herbs are here in this flavourful dish! 😀
It is a very ‘juicy’ flavorful dish. 😀
I’d never heard of kuku before but from what you’ve said it sounds like a wonderful, really flavorful dish!
Mary Frances, There are may types of kuku, this is the second one I posted. Check this out → zucchini kuku. This is ‘the season’ for making creative kukus! 🙂
I love kuku. The flavor of all the mix of herbs is fantastic! 🙂
We are in agreement! 😀 )))
Looks delicious Fae! I love the use of all the herbs and spices 🙂
Yes, it is up our alley isn’t it? 🙂
Absolutely 😀
Oh, this is right up my alley. I like to make my frittatas with more veggies (usually Swiss chard or fresh spinach with scallions) and fewer eggs than the traditional recipes call for. It’s just better that way…or so I like to think. 🙂
I agree with you. There would be so much more flavor. Use the vegetable that like and make a kuku ala Little Red Yarn style. 🙂
This sounds like a recipe I would really like–thanks for sharing about it, Fae! 🙂
The taste of the herbs are very refreshing. 🙂
It looks lovely and so interesting to learn more about things were cooked historically xx
Thank you, and yes… every culture has something interesting to add. 🙂
Love kuku, you are hitting on my absolute favorite recipes. I have to ask Azita about a Persian store that might have these prepared herbs. I remember standing over the cutting board chopping and chopping for what seemed like an eternity to get it very very fine.
😀 ))) Yes and yes. That is why Kadbanou (or Sadaf) is at your service! Food-processors have saved all Iranian home-cooks’ life.
My mom made something similar with eggs and zucchini. It’s my absolute favorite all time frittata, though it takes 5 times as long to prepare. This looks great!
Serena, Check this out → zucchini kuku. Striping the greens is where the time is taken. But with the frozen fresh herbs, it is done is a whip.
I will definitely check this out! Thanks for leading me to the post. And it looks delicious! 🙂
Great cooking method, but yes don’t try that at home! 🙂
You are funny, Virginia. So good to see you. <3
lovely recipe !
Thank you, Simi! 🙂
I love this recipe and I hope to feature it this week in the Press! Thank you Fae for sharing !
Thank you very much, Lea. For your generosity and support. 🙂
Lovely recipe, Fae, I love kuku sabzi but never get it quite perfect; I’ll try your recipe next time. And thank you so much for the story, I enjoyed reading about how coals were placed on the lid when making kuku, and had no idea about ovens being such a recent addition to the Persian (and Japanese) kitchen; so interesting 🙂
Sweet Darya, Especially kuku sabzi is a bit tricky one to make. To avoid from the egg mixture to sink, some add flour, or to make it thick, some add lettuce and baking soda. None of these are necessary. I don’t know why what worked for centuries people try to reconfigure. I had my hits-and-misses or rather disasters-and-messes. :D))) But over time, friends shared their know-how. Some worked, some miserably didn’t. I have pointed out some tips, follow my direction/tips and see what happens. 🙂