Kuku

There is less egg in it than a frittata and it sets slowly in a covered pan before being turned.

Egg. Vegetarian, but not vegan — contains egg.

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 200 g parsley, finely chopped
• 150 g coriander, finely chopped
• 100 g leeks or chives, finely chopped
• 50 g dill, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 60 g walnuts, chopped, optional
• 80 ml sunflower oil

Method

1. THERE IS LESS EGG IN IT THAN A FRITTATA AND IT SETS SLOWLY IN A COVERED PAN BEFORE BEING TURNED. Its article draws the comparison itself and then lists every difference: it is like a frittata or an open-faced omelette, but it typically has LESS EGG, is cooked for a SHORTER time over a LOW heat, and is then turned over or briefly grilled to set the top. Six eggs to half a kilo of herbs is the right proportion, and it is startling the first time -- the egg is barely enough to bind, and that is why the thing tastes green rather than eggy. Then a covered pan on the lowest heat for twenty minutes, so it steams as much as it fries, and only then is it flipped or put under a grill.
2. ITS ARTICLE CALLS THE COVERED PAN A CLOSED SPACE AND THAT IS THE RIGHT IDEA. The lid traps steam, which cooks the middle without browning the base any further. Uncovered, you have to raise the heat to set the centre and the bottom is leather by the time you get there.
3. THE HERBS ARE THE BULK AND THEY GO IN RAW. Half a kilo of parsley, coriander, leek or chive and dill, chopped fine and stirred straight into the beaten egg. They must be properly dry first, or the mixture weeps and will not set.
4. A LITTLE FLOUR AND BAKING POWDER MAKE IT RISE, AND ITS ARTICLE SANCTIONS THE IDEA. It notes that extra thickness is given by adding yeast. Two tablespoons of flour and half a teaspoon of baking powder do the same job faster and give the cake-like texture the article describes.
5. IT IS TURNED IN ONE MOVEMENT ONTO A PLATE. Slide it out onto a plate, invert the pan over it and turn the whole thing back -- or cut it into quarters and turn them individually, which is easier and is what most people do. Five more minutes on the second side.
6. IT CAN BE BAKED INSTEAD, AND THAT IS NOT A COMPROMISE. Its article calls baking a popular method. A shallow oiled dish at 180C for thirty minutes, which gives a more even, drier result and no flipping.
7. IT IS EATEN HOT OR COLD AND IT TRAVELS WELL. Its article has it as a starter, a side or a main, hot or cold, with bread and either yogurt or salad -- and with rice rather than bread in Gilan.
8. THE VARIANTS CHANGE THE VEGETABLE AND NOTHING ELSE. Its article lists herb, potato, aubergine, roe and yogurt kuku, plus a cauliflower one with caramelised onion and a walnut-and-herb version where the nuts change the texture. The potato one has been compared to a Spanish omelette; the aubergine one uses mashed aubergine with parsley, walnuts, onion and barberries. The herb version written here is the one its article calls most common, and it is served at Nowruz.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Iran · All recipes