Kuku sabzi

Ingredients

Herbs

• 200 gflat leaf parsley
• 150 gcoriander
• 150 gdill
• 100 gchives or spring onion tops
• 50 gfenugreek leaves, optional
• a few leaves of lettuce, optional

The batter

• 8eggs
• 2 tablespoonsplain flour
• or 1 tablespoon barberry flour
• 1 teaspoonbaking powder
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• 1 teaspoonblack pepper
• 1/2 teaspoonground turmeric
• a pinch of saffron, steeped

To add

• 80 gwalnuts, chopped
• 3 tablespoonsdried barberries
• zereshk, soaked

To cook

• 5 tablespoonsoil
• or 60 g butter with oil

To serve

• flatbread
• yoghurt
• pickles, torshi
• at the Nowruz table

Directions

1. Add more herbs than feels reasonable. Too much makes the whole dish bitter. Use it sparingly if you use it at all. The herbs must be completely dry. Fill a clean sink with cold water. Put the herbs in and swish them about.
2. Lift them out rather than pouring off. Repeat it all two or three times. Spin them dry in a salad spinner. Let them dry for an hour if you can. Pat them dry with more towels. Strip the leaves from the thick stems. Thin stems can go in with the leaves.
3. Chop everything very finely indeed. Do it by hand if you have the patience. Rinse the barberries in cold water. Soak them briefly in warm water. Give them about ten minutes to soak.
4. Drain them thoroughly afterwards. Crush the saffron threads between your fingers. Put the threads into a small bowl. Pour on two tablespoons of warm water. Let them steep for twenty minutes. Beat the eggs in a very large bowl.
5. Add the flour and the baking powder. Add the salt, pepper and turmeric. Add the steeped saffron and its water. Beat it until it is entirely smooth. It stops it being dense and heavy. Add the chopped herbs to the egg. Add them in handfuls and fold them in.
6. Keep adding until they are all in. It will look like far too much herb. Fold in all the chopped walnuts. Fold in the drained barberries. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan.
7. Use a wide pan that has a lid. Get it hot but not actually smoking. Tip the mixture in and level it. Use plenty of oil in it either way. Cooking it takes real patience. Cover the pan and lower the heat. Let it cook very gently indeed. Give it about twenty-five minutes.
8. Put the pan over the top of the plate. Work quickly and very confidently. A second pair of hands helps a lot. Cook the second side for ten minutes. Heat the oven to one hundred and eighty degrees.
9. Oil a wide baking dish generously. Tip the mixture in and level it. Bake it for about forty minutes. It needs no turning over at all. Let it cool for at least ten minutes. Cutting it hot makes it fall apart. Cut it into squares or wedges. Set them out on a serving platter. Serve warm flatbread alongside it. Put torshi pickles on the table. It keeps four days refrigerated.

Technique

• This is far more herb than egg, with six hundred grams of herbs to eight eggs; it looks like an impossible amount and there should be barely enough egg to coat it, but that ratio is exactly right. A proper kuku sabzi is very dark green and almost black in the middle, and a pale yellow-green one simply has too little herb.
• The herbs must be completely dry before chopping, since wet herbs release water that gives a soggy grey result and stops it setting; washing, spinning and then spreading them on towels for an hour takes real time and space, and it is the commonest failure with the dish.
• Chop the herbs by hand with a sharp knife rather than in a processor, which bruises them, releases water and turns them to paste in places.

Substitutions

• The oven method needs no turning and cooks more evenly, and many households use it.
• Fresh fenugreek is optional and should be used sparingly, since too much turns it bitter.

Variations

• Walnuts and barberries are both traditional but not in every household.
• The proportions of the herbs vary considerably between families.
• It is eaten hot, warm or at room temperature, and all three are correct.

History

Dense herb frittata eaten at Nowruz, when the green herbs stand for rebirth.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kuku sabzi?

Kuku sabzi is a main from Iran: dense herb frittata with walnuts and barberries; Nowruz favorite. Dense herb frittata eaten at Nowruz, when the green herbs stand for rebirth.

How long does Kuku sabzi take to make?

Kuku sabzi takes 40 minutes of preparation and 45 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kuku sabzi?

Yes, within limits. The oven method needs no turning and cooks more evenly, and many households use it. Fresh fenugreek is optional and should be used sparingly, since too much turns it bitter.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kuku sabzi?

Add more herbs than feels reasonable. Too much makes the whole dish bitter. Use it sparingly if you use it at all. The herbs must be completely dry. Fill a clean sink with cold water. Put the herbs in and swish them about.