Kuku Sabzi (Persian Herb Frittata)

Kuku Sabzi is a Persian Herb Frittata that can be baked in the oven and is topped with barberries and walnuts. It’s a great recipe if you like to cook with herbs!

The countdown to Nowruz has started! I’m so excited – is there any better time of year? I don’t think so!

Food is an important part of Nowruz preparation. We bake cookies such as Raisin Cookies (Shirini Keshmeshi) and we always have Persian Stuffed Fish at the end of the year. We usually serve fish with Persian Herb Rice – Sabzi Polo. Another dish that we serve around Nowruz is Kuku Sabzi (Persian Herb Frittata).

As the new year and spring approach, we try to bring a lot of green into our food as it represents life and birth. Kookoo Sabzi is one of these dishes that reflects the themes of the season. It has so much herbs and is flavored with walnuts and barberries and is perfect for the last days of winter.

What is Kuku?

Kuku or Kookoo is a Persian dish that can be served as an appetizer or a main dish. It’s usually made of a combination of vegetables, herbs and sometimes legumes. There are a few kuku recipes that call for chicken, beef or lamb but generally kuku is a vegetarian dish.

What is the difference between Kuku and frittata?

Kuku has fewer eggs, just enough to keep the ingredients together whereas fittata has more eggs compared to the rest of the ingredients. Also, sometimes, the ingredients that go into frittata are cooked or seared separately and the mixed with eggs but in kuku, everything is mixed and cooked at the same time.

Sabzi means herbs and kuku sabzi is a Persian frittata that is made of herbs. As you can see in the photo, kuku sabzi has parsley, cilantro, dill and chives, I used green parts of leek instead of chives. As for dill, I didn’t have fresh dill therefore I used dried dill that I soaked in water for fifteen minutes and then drained the excess water. I always add barberries and walnuts to kookoo sabzi for some flavor kick and crunch.

How to make Kuku Sabzi

Start with washing all the herbs. Once they’re washed and dried, chop them very thinly and mix them together in a large bowl. Add in eggs, walnuts, barberries and a tablespoon all purpose flour. Mix all the ingredients together and make sure the batter is sticky enough.

You can cook kuku sabzi in oven or on the stove. To bake it in the oven, Pour the batter into a cast iron skillet that has been heated in the oven. Cover loosly with aluminum foil and bake for almost thirty minutes.

To cook kuku sabzi on the stove, heat some oil in a non stick pan and pour the batter in, wrap the lid in a kitchen towel and cook one side for fifteen minutes, flip and cook the other side uncovered for another ten to fifteen minutes.

I always top kuku sabzi with more barberries and walnuts. They give a great flavor to this tasty dish.

Related Recipes:

• Dill Rice with Peas (Persian Style)
• Marinated Olives with Walnuts (Zeytoon Parvardeh)

What to serve Kuku Sabzi with?

You can serve Kuku Sabzi with some bread such as French bread, lavash or flatbread. I love to serve this Persian herb fittata with a bowl of plain yogurt mixed with garlic and mint. Kuku sabzi can be served with white rice or Persian herb rice.

Notes and tips to make Kuku Sabzi

• Covering the pan loosely before baking it in the oven helps the steam to escape and prevents the top from burning.
• Store the leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days.
• You can use chopped unsweetened dried cranberries instead of barberries.
• Add two springs of green onions to the herb mixture for more flavor.

This year we are so lucky to be with all my family for the new year. These days are so dear to my heart, I wait all year for these days leading to Nowruz, when I have the chance to prepare for the New Year with the people I love the most. I hope you all get to spend your days with ones that you love and care for, for there is no feeling in the world that’s better than having a family that loves you even if you are thousands and thousands of miles away.

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